---
title: "1948 Summer Olympics London"
year: 1948
country: "United Kingdom"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1948/london-olympics-1948"
slug: "london-olympics-1948"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1948-07-29"
endDate: "1948-08-14"
---

# 1948 Summer Olympics London

> Post-war London's austerity Games—the first after 1936—symbolized global reconciliation and the birth of modern Olympic television coverage.

## Summary

The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus caused by the outbreak of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics held since the 1936 Games in Berlin. The 1940 Olympic Games had been scheduled for Tokyo and then for Helsinki, while the 1944 Olympic Games had been provisionally planned for London. This was the second time London hosted the Olympic Games, having previously hosted them in 1908, making it the second city to host the Summer Olympics twice. The Olympics would return again to London 64 years later in 2012, making London the first city to host the games three times, and the only such city until Paris, who hosted their third games in 2024, and Los Angeles, who will host theirs in 2028. The 1948 Olympic Games were also the first of two summer Games held under the IOC presidency of Sigfrid Edström. The 1948 Summer Olympics were the only Summer Olympics to be held in the 1940s, as the 1940 and 1944 Summer Olympics were cancelled due to World War II. It was also the first Summer Olympics that took place during the Cold War.

## Sources

- [1948 Summer Olympics in London](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Summer_Olympics) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1948/london-olympics-1948