Paper postcard from the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Olympics with a black and white photograph of Babe Didrikson running the 80 m hurdles event. The reverse has a description of the event in German.
The 1932 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the X Olympiad were held in Los Angeles, California and included 37 countries, 1,206 men and 126 women athletes participating, fewer than the 1928 Games as the depression kept many athletes from making the trip. Because of the expense of putting on the Games, many existing venues were used including the Rose Bowl and the LA Coliseum. An official Olympic Village debuted at the 1932 Games consisting of hundreds of buildings to house and take care of the athletes becoming the standard for future games. The victory podium was first used at the Summer Games along with the debut of the Olympic mascot; a Scottish Terrier named Smoky. American athlete Babe Didrikson was a standout, winning two gold medals in the javelin and hurdles events although earned silver in high jump after being penalized for an illegal jump-off. The United States led the medal count with 103.
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