# Canonical recap data for 1968 Summer Olympics (1968)
# Source: https://recap.at/1968/1968-olympics-mexico
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: 1968-olympics-mexico
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1968/1968-olympics-mexico"
title: 1968 Summer Olympics
aliases:
- Games of the XIX Olympiad
- Mexico 1968
- Mexico City 1968
subtitle: Mexico City's Games marked the first Olympics in Latin America and became a flashpoint for Cold War politics and civil rights activism.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1968-10-12
endDate: 1968-10-27
datePrecision: day
year: 1968
decade: 1960
country:
name: Mexico
slug: mexico
summaryShort: The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad and officially branded as Mexico 1968, were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Olympic Games to be staged in Latin America, the first to be staged in a Spanish-speaki
summaryLong: The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad and officially branded as Mexico 1968, were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Olympic Games to be staged in Latin America, the first to be staged in a Spanish-speaking country, and the first to be staged in the Global South. Consequently, these games also marked the first time that there would be a gap of two Olympic Games not to be held in Europe. They were also the first Games to use an all-weather (smooth) track for track and field events instead of the traditional cinder track, as well as the first example of the Olympics exclusively using electronic timekeeping equipment.
lede: Mexico City hosted the Summer Olympics from October 12-27, 1968, the first time Latin America had ever staged the Games. The event was overshadowed by the Tlatelolco massacre ten days before opening, when Mexican security forces killed at least 300 student protesters, and defined by Tommie Smith and John Carlos's black-power salute on the medal podium.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/1968_Summer_Olympic_games_countries.png/1280px-1968_Summer_Olympic_games_countries.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "1968 Summer Olympics"
importance: 80
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Dates
  value: October 12-27, 1968
- label: Location
  value: Mexico City, Mexico
- label: First in Latin America
  value: "Yes"
- label: Altitude
  value: 2,250 meters (7,382 feet)
- label: Participating nations
  value: "112"
- label: Athletes
  value: Approximately 5,500
- label: "Days before opening: Tlatelolco massacre"
  value: "10"
- label: Estimated deaths in Tlatelolco
  value: 300+ (official count disputed)
timeline:
- date: 1963-04-18
  title: Mexico City selected as host
  description: The International Olympic Committee awards the 1968 Summer Games to Mexico City, making it the first Latin American city to host the Olympics.
- date: 1968-10-02
  title: Tlatelolco massacre
  description: Mexican military and police open fire on student protesters in the Plaza de Tlatelolco, killing at least 300 people. The government suppresses coverage; the Olympics proceed ten days later.
- date: 1968-10-12
  title: Opening ceremony
  description: The Games officially open with ceremonies at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario. Organizers attempt to project normalcy despite the recent massacre.
- date: 1968-10-16
  title: Smith and Carlos medal podium protest
  description: American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raise their fists in a black-power salute during the 200-meter medal ceremony. The image becomes iconic; they face immediate expulsion from the Olympic Village.
- date: 1968-10-18
  title: Peter Norman's solidarity
  description: Australian sprinter Peter Norman, who won silver in the 200 meters, wears an Olympic Project for Human Rights badge on the podium alongside Smith and Carlos, endorsing their protest.
- date: 1968-10-27
  title: Closing ceremony
  description: The Games conclude after 16 days of competition. Mexico City's Olympics are widely viewed as successful from a logistical standpoint, despite the political turmoil surrounding them.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Summer_Olympics"
  title: 1968 Summer Olympics
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The 1968 Olympics proved that developing nations could execute large-scale international events, but also exposed how host governments weaponize sporting spectacle to suppress dissent. The Games' political symbolism—from the massacre preceding them to the athlete activism that defined them—made clear that the Olympic movement could not exist outside the world's conflicts.
categories:
- sports
- festival
taxonomy:
domain: sports
eventTypes:
- olympics
canonicalClasses:
- competition
- celebration
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: renewal
metaDescription: "Mexico City 1968 Olympics: student massacre, athlete protest, and Latin America's first Games."
wikidataQid: Q8429
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: the-new-york-times
  headline: Mexico City Opens Games With Pageantry and High Hopes
  publishedAt: 1968-10-13
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: The XIX Olympiad opened Saturday in Mexico City with elaborate ceremonies celebrating Latin America's first hosting of the Summer Games, as 6,000 athletes from 112 nations marched into the high-altitude stadium.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times-london
  headline: Games Begin at 7,350 Feet - Athletes Face Altitude Challenge
  publishedAt: 1968-10-13
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Mexico City's rarefied atmosphere emerged as the dominant story from opening day, with medical experts and competitors alike expressing concern about performance and endurance at an elevation never before attempted for an Olympic Games.
  significance: 82
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Excelsior
  publisherSlug: excelsior-mexico
  headline: Mexico Brinda al Mundo Sus Juegos Olímpicos - Un Triunfo Nacional
  publishedAt: 1968-10-13
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: "ES: 'Mexico Brinda al Mundo Sus Juegos Olímpicos - Un Triunfo Nacional' / EN: 'Mexico Offers the World Its Olympic Games - A National Triumph'. Mexican television and press celebrated the opening as a watershed moment for the nation's international standing."
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: Mexico
- publisher: Life Magazine
  publisherSlug: life-magazine
  headline: Olympics at the Top of the World - Mexico City's Daring Gamble
  publishedAt: 1968-10-25
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Life's photojournalists captured the spectacle and controversy of Games held higher than any before, where Bob Beamon's long jump shattered records and political tensions simmered beneath festive surfaces.
  significance: 85
  type: magazine
  region: United States
- publisher: BBC Television
  publisherSlug: bbc-television
  headline: Historic Games in Mexico City - Coverage of the XIX Olympiad
  publishedAt: 1968-10-14
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The BBC devoted extensive airtime to analysis of Mexico's bold Olympic venture, combining ceremonial coverage with technical examination of how altitude might reshape athletic performance across endurance events.
  significance: 79
  type: tv
  region: United Kingdom
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260603203048/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Summer_Olympics"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-03
  label: 1968 Summer Olympics
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Summer_Olympics"
