In 1964 the Olympic Games take place for the first time in Asia. The Japanese took the organization of the Games very seriously, investing 3 billion dollars in the athletic venues and supporting infrastructure. As such, the post-war face of the city was upgraded, and many supported, that the Olympics gave the boost Japan needed to develop into an economic super power.

In the Games, 5,100 athletes from 93 countries participated in 167 events, and for the first time electronic timing systems were used. Also, for the first time there was live transmission of the Games world-wide with the help of Satellites. In Rome, the events were video-taped and transported by air to the foreign television networks.

What was noteworthy in the ’64 Games, was the presence of Dawn Fraser from Australia who in the 100m free-style swimming event won her third consecutive Olympic gold. Only 7 months earlier, she had suffered a serious neck injury in an automobile accident which cost her mother’s life. Also, the bare-footed Ethiopian Abebe Bikila held on to his title in the marathon.