Editing 1968 Summer Olympics (section)

==Highlights==
[[File:Lopez Mateos.jpg|thumb|[[Adolfo López Mateos]], President of Mexico from 1958 to 1964 and first chairman of the Organization Committee of the 1968 Summer Olympics]]
* In the medal award ceremony for the [[Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres|men's 200 metres race]], [[Black American]] athletes [[Tommie Smith]] (gold) and [[John Carlos]] (bronze) took a stand for [[civil rights]] by raising their [[1968 Olympics Black Power salute|black-gloved fists]] and wearing black socks in lieu of shoes. The Australian [[Peter Norman]], who had run second, wore an American "human rights" badge as a gesture of support to them on the podium. In response, the [[International Olympic Committee|IOC]] banned Smith and Carlos from the Olympic Games for life, and Norman's omission from Australia's Olympic team in 1972 was allegedly as punishment.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/1018.html|title=2 Black Power Advocates Ousted From Olympics|website=archive.nytimes.com|access-date=4 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2012/04/24/sport/olympics-norman-black-power/index.html|title=The third man: The forgotten Black Power hero|last=Montague|first=James |work=[[CNN]]|access-date=4 June 2018}}</ref>
* [[George Foreman]] won the gold medal in heavyweight boxing division by defeating Soviet [[Jonas Čepulis]] via a second-round TKO. After the victory, Foreman waved a small American flag as he bowed to the crowd.<ref>{{Citation|first=George|last=Foreman|title=George Foreman vs Ionas Chepulis (1968 Gold medal boxing match)|date=12 November 2011|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iswHPKP5sEU| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211103/iswHPKP5sEU| archive-date=2021-11-03 | url-status=live|access-date=4 June 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* The high [[elevation]] of [[Mexico City]], at {{convert|2240|m|ft|abbr=on}} [[Sea level#AMSL|above sea level]], influenced many of the events, particularly in track and field. No other Summer Olympic Games before or since have been held at high elevation.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kh97OBEUTn4C&q=3M%20tartan%20surface%20olympics%201968&pg=PA23|title=Historical Dictionary of Track and Field|last=Matthews|first=Peter|date=22 March 2012|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810879850|language=en}}</ref>
* In addition to high elevation, this was the first Olympics to use a synthetic all-weather surface for track and field events; the "[[Tartan track|Tartan]]" surface was originally developed by [[3M]] for horse racing, but did not catch on. The tracks at previous Olympics were conventional [[Cinder track|cinder]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kh97OBEUTn4C|title=Historical Dictionary of Track and Field|last=Matthews|first=Peter|date=22 March 2012|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810879850|language=en}}</ref>
* For the first time, [[East Germany|East]] and [[West Germany]] competed as separate teams, after being forced by the IOC to compete as a [[United Team of Germany|combined German team]] in 1956, 1960, and 1964. 
* [[Al Oerter]] won his fourth consecutive [[gold medal]] in the [[discus throw|discus]] to become only the second athlete to achieve this feat in an individual event, and the first in [[sport of athletics|athletics]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/02/sports/othersports/02oerter.html|title=Al Oerter, Olympic Discus Champion, Is Dead at 71|last=Litsky|first=Frank|newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=2 October 2007|access-date=25 January 2017|via=Proquest Newspapers}}</ref>
* [[Bob Beamon]] leapt {{convert|8.90|m|ftin|2|abbr=on}} in the [[long jump]], an incredible {{convert|55|cm|in|abbr=on}} improvement over the previous world record. It stood as the world record for 23 years, until broken by American [[Mike Powell (athlete)|Mike Powell]] in 1991; yet it has stood as the current Olympic record for {{years ago|1968}} years. [[Jim Hines]], [[Tommie Smith]] and [[Lee Evans (athlete)|Lee Evans]] also set long-standing world records in the 100 m, 200 m and 400 m, respectively.{{citation needed|date = February 2015}}
* In the [[triple jump]], the previous world record was improved five times by three different athletes. Winner [[Viktor Saneev]] also won in 1972 and 1976, and won silver in 1980.
* [[Dick Fosbury]] won the gold medal in the [[high jump]] using his unconventional [[Fosbury flop]] technique, which quickly became the dominant technique in the event.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=V36zXZm2bJ4C&q=Fosbury+%22mexico+city%22&pg=PA333 The Sports of the Times: A Day-by-Day Selection of the Most Important, Thrilling and Inspired Events of the Past 150 Years], edited by William Taaffe, David Fischer, New York, N.Y, U.S.: [[The New York Times]] and St. Martin's Press, 2003, "October 20, 1968: Fearless Fosbury Flops to Glory," Joseph Durso, page 333.</ref>
* [[Věra Čáslavská]] of [[Czechoslovakia]] won four gold medals in [[gymnastics]] and protested the Soviet invasion of her country.<ref>{{cite news |title='I will sweat blood to defeat invaders' representatives' - 1968's forgotten Olympic protest |work=BBC Sport |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221225620/https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/45900544 |archive-date=2023-02-21 |url-status=live |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/45900544}}</ref>
* [[Debbie Meyer]] became the first swimmer to win three individual gold medals, in the 200, 400 and 800 m [[Freestyle swimming|freestyle]] events. The 800 m was a new long-distance event for women. Meyer was only 16 years old, a student at [[Rio Americano High School]] in [[Sacramento, California]]. Meyer was the first of several American teenagers to win the 800 m, with [[Katie Ledecky]] being her notable successor.
* American swimmer [[Charlie Hickcox]] won three gold medals (200&nbsp;m IM, 400&nbsp;m IM, 4 × 100&nbsp;m medley relay) and one silver medal (100&nbsp;m backstroke).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.olympic.org/mexico-1968/swimming|title=Mexico 1968 Swimming - Results & Videos|date=8 September 2016|newspaper=International Olympic Committee|access-date=13 February 2017|language=en}}</ref>{{citation needed|date = February 2015}}
* The introduction of [[Doping (Sport)|doping]] tests resulted in the first disqualification because of doping: [[Sweden|Swedish]] [[modern pentathlon|pentathlete]] [[Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall]] was disqualified for [[alcoholic beverage|alcohol]] use (he drank several [[beer]]s just prior to competing).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mason |first1=Christopher |title=Gold medals, vitamin V and miscreant sports |journal=Canadian Medical Association Journal |date=July 29, 2008 |volume=179 |issue=3 |pages=219–222 |doi=10.1503/cmaj.080993 |pmid=18663195 |pmc=2474878 |url=https://www.cmaj.ca/content/179/3/219 |access-date=June 25, 2022}}</ref>
* [[John Stephen Akhwari]] of [[Tanzania]] became internationally famous after finishing the marathon, in the last place, despite a dislocated knee.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://hub.olympic.org/news/tanzanias-most-inspirational-athlete/ |title=Tanzania's most inspirational athlete : IOC – HUB |access-date=2 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161001035332/https://hub.olympic.org/news/tanzanias-most-inspirational-athlete/ |archive-date=1 October 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* This was the first of three Olympic participation by [[Jacques Rogge]]. He competed in [[yachting]] and would later become the president of the [[International Olympic Committee|IOC]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.olympic.org/count-jacques-rogge|title=Count Jacques ROGGE - Comité Olympique et Interfédéral Belge, IOC Member since 1991|date=17 January 2017|newspaper=International Olympic Committee|language=en|access-date=19 January 2017}}</ref>
* [[Norma Enriqueta Basilio de Sotelo]] of Mexico became the first woman to light the Olympic cauldron with the Olympic flame.{{citation needed|date = February 2015}}
* It was the first games at which there was a significant African presence in men's distance running. Africans won at least one medal in all running events from 800 meters to the marathon, and in so doing they set a trend for future games. Most of these runners came from high-altitude areas of countries like [[Kenya]] and [[Ethiopia]], and they were well-prepared for the 2240 m elevation of [[Mexico City]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=García-Soriano |first1=Daniel |last2=Quesada-Román |first2=Adolfo |last3=Zamorano-Orozco |first3=José Juan |date=2020-10-01 |title=Geomorphological hazards susceptibility in high-density urban areas: A case study of Mexico City |journal=Journal of South American Earth Sciences |volume=102 |pages=102667 |doi=10.1016/j.jsames.2020.102667 |bibcode=2020JSAES.10202667G |issn=0895-9811|doi-access=free }}</ref>
* [[Kipchoge Keino]] of Kenya, competing in spite of unexpected bouts of severe abdominal pain later diagnosed as a gall bladder infection, finished the 10,000 meters in spite of collapsing from pain with two laps to go, won silver in the 5000, and won gold in the 1500 meters.<ref>''The Complete Book of the Olympics, 2012 edition'', David Wallechinsky, Jaime Loucky, London, England, UK: Aurum Press Ltd, 2012, "Track & Field (Men): 1500 Meters," page 108.</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-nov-28-sp-oly28-story.html | title=Keino Reflects on Legendary Race: Now 63 and an IOC member, ever-humble Kenyan takes a lap around Mexico City track where he ran memorable 1,500 | newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] | first=Alan | last=Abrahamson | date=28 November 2002}}</ref>
* It was the first Olympic games in which the closing ceremony was transmitted in color to the world, as well as the events themselves.<ref>[https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-summer-olympic-games-to-be-televised-in-colour/ Guinness World Records - First summer Olympic Games televised in colour]</ref>