After an interruption of 12 years due to war, the Olympics return to London. Although the city was in a state of rebuilding and financially unable to build new athletic sites, the English found creative solutions. Housing athletes in schools, military camps and homes, they solved the problem of the absence of an Olympic village. In this way approximately 4,100 athletes and delegates from 59 countries were housed. An invitation was not sent to Germany or Japan. On the contrary, Singapore, Lebanon, Jamaica and Korea participated for the first time.

The track and field events were held at Wembley, where the female version of Jesse Owens, Dutch sprinter Fanny Blankers-Koen, a 30 year old mother, was the shinning star, winning 4 gold medals: 100m, 200m and 50m hurdles. Of the men, the show stopper was 17 year old Bob Mathias, winning the gold in the decathlon.