Part 2 - LA84 Foundation

11. Competition Management
by Sport
312
9. A technical official signals the start of a
track event.
10. Timing board and technical officials
counting the number of laps to go in a
long-distance race.
11. At the finish line in an athletics
competition, the order is accurately
indicated by an automated sensor.
12. Chamshil Gymnasium, venue of the
basketball competition; the semifinal
matching the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.
attracted the largest crowd.
13. Members of the Korean and Australian
teams struggle for control of a loose ball.
14. Women's basketball final between the
United States and Yugoslavia; the U.S.
prevailed, 77-70.
9
11.2.2
Conduct of the Competitions
—————————————–
The 42 athletics events were kicked off
with the women's 100-meter hurdles,
held on September 23, at 9 a.m., and
stretched over nine days, culminating
with the on men's marathon October 2;
there was one rest day on September
27.
The athletes qualified to participate in
the Seoul Olympic athletics were those
who met the standards set by the IAAF
on August 21, 1986, during the period
from August 29, 1987 to September 8,
1988; the number of competitors
entered in to each event was limited to
three per NOC, except for the relay
event, which allowed up to six in each
NOC team.
In road races such as marathon and
20 and 50-kilometer walk, the limit was
also set at three competitors per NOC.
When there was no athlete who established
records above the standard, the
pertinent NOCs were allowed to enter
one athlete each in the events.
Preliminary entry forms were received
by May 17, 1988, and the final entry
forms were closed on September 8.
Although official delegates of NOCs
were required in the past to submit the
list of final competitors 72 hours prior
to the start of the competitions, they
were required in the Seoul Games to
submit the list by 12:00 noon on the
day immediately preceding the competition
day.
The countries which entered more
than 100 athletes included the United
States (134), Great Britain (116), and
the U.S.S.R. (105).
Four countries including Andorra, Iran,
Syria and Uruguay were represented
by only one athlete each.
The 100 meters final between Ben
Johnson and Carl Lewis was a center
of attention. At 1:30 p.m. on September
24, Johnson stunned the world by
establishing a world record of 9.79
seconds, bettering the 9.83 seconds
he established in Rome in 1987. The
Canadian sprinter, however, shocked
the world when it was discovered he
had failed a dope test; he was stripped
of his gold medal which went to
second-placed Carl Lewis.
American Florence Griffith Joyner
emerged as the star in women's sprint
competition and established a world
record in the women's 200 meters; she
also won the 100-meter race and was
part of the U.S. women's team that won
the 400-meter relay, becoming a triple
gold medalist.
In the men's marathon, Gelindo Bordin
of Italy, outrunning favorites Houssein
Ahmed Saleh of Djibouti and Takeyuki
Nakayama of Japan, finished first in
two hours, 10 minutes and 32 seconds.
Douglas Wakiihuri of Kenya came in
second in two hours, 10 minutes and
47 seconds, and Houssein Ahmed
Saleh finished third with a time of two
hours, 10 minutes and 59 seconds.
Kenya stunned spectators by capturing
four golds in the men's 800-meters,
the men's 1,500-meters, the men's
3,000-meter steeplechase, and the
men's 5,000-meters, and emerged as
the world's fourth strongest athletics
powerhouse.
The United States led in medal standings,
with 13 golds, seven silvers, and
six bronzes; followed by the U.S.S.R.,
with 10 golds, 6 silvers, and 10
bronzes; and the German Democratic
Republic, with 6 golds, 11 silvers and
10 bronzes.
Medal Tally by NOC
Country
U.S.A.
U.S.S.R.
German Dem. Rep.
Kenya
Bulgaria
Czechoslovakia
Italy
Rumania
Australia
Finland
Morocco
Portugal
Great Britain
Jamaica
Brazil
Senegal
Fed. Rep. of Germany
Switzerland
Canada
France
China
Djibouti
Sweden
Total
Gold
13
10
6
4
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
42
Silver
7
6
11
2
1
2
1
1
1
6
2
1
1
42
Bronze
6
10
10
1
1
10 11
1
1
1
2
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
43