Great Britain London
IV International Olympic Games

In 1908, Berlin (Germany), Milam and Rome (Italy) forwarded their bids for the right to host the Summer Olympics. Rome was a winner; but in 1906 the Italian NOC and Government had to refuse to host the Games. Such step was caused by a disastrous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906 that heavily devastated the city of Naples. Reconstruction of the city required a huge amount of money.
In the same year, the U.K. NOC suggested to celebrate the IV Olympiad in London. Due to lack of time, less than 2 years, the organizers decided to hold the Olympics simultaneously with the French-British Exhibition that conflicted with the stand of P. de Coubertin regarding the simultaneous celebration of the Games and other international events. In the context of the force majeure, the United Kingdom in a relatively short time constructed new Olympic White City Stadium of 70,000 seats, 100- meter swimming pool and other sport venues in London.
Totally, 2008 athletes (including 37 female ones) of 22 nations competed at these Summer Games. Iceland, New Zealand (as a member of the Australasia team together with Australia), Russia, Turkey and Finland made their first appearance at the Olympics. That time, Finland was a part of the Russian Empire but played in the Olympics as a separate team.
Totally 110 sets of medals had been played for in 25 sports (according to other sources in 22 sports).
The Games of the IV Olympiad were officially opened by King Edward VII of the United Kingdom on July 13, 1908 in the White City Stadium.
At the solemn opening ceremony, teams of athletes of 18 nations marched in the Stadium following their national flags. History is silent on the absence of Argentinean, Russian, Turkish and Swiss athletes in these marching columns.
There was no official closing ceremony. On October 31, the athletes played the final grass hockey match that marked the end of the London Olympics.
Of interest, on July 19, Bishop of Pennsylvania Ethelbert Talbot serving in the St. Paul Cathedral said the words that later became widely known all over the world: “The Games themselves are better than the race and the prize”. These words sometimes are assigned erroneously to Pierre de Coubertin.
Winners were awarded – the gold (583 or 14 KT) medal for the first place, silver one for the second place and bronze one for the third place. The medal edge had an engraved name of the spot concerned. The IV Olympiad witnessed various medal practices depending on the sport.

OBVERSE: a composition of a young nude athlete with two female figures on his right and left placing a laurel crown on his head; the female figures are seated on pedestals with a two-line inscription in English reading “Olympic –Games” on the left pedestal, and two-line inscription in English reading “London – 1908” on the right one. Of interest, gears of war, namely the shield, sward and bow, are tape-bundled and placed at the foot of each pedestal symbolically reminding that all wars and strives should be stopped for the period of the Olympics. The initials of the designer “B.M.” (Bertram Mackennal) are engraved at the left bottom edge.
REVERSE: a scene of riding St. George slaying a dragoon, and the Goddess of Victory holding a palm leaf in her right hand, and hailing St. George with her left hand.

OBVERSE: a classic Greek chariot drawn by four horses, with two male figures in it, one is a charioteer and the other is a judge, with a palm leaf in his left hand and laurel crown in the right one, ready to award a triumphant athlete. The design was so nice that it was later reproduced in the 1912, 1920, 1948 Games winner medals. The initials of the designer “B.M.” (Bertram Mackennal) are engraved at the left bottom edge.

REVERSE: a scene of the Goddess of Victory standing on the globe and holding a palm leaf and laurel crown in her right hand, and a trumpet in her left hand. The composition includes a right six-line legend in English “In - Commemoration - of The Olympic - Games Held - In London - 1908”, and left five-line legend in English listing the host cities of the Olympic Games – Elis, Athens, Paris, St.-Louis and London.

SILVER WINNER MEDAL (SECOND PRIZE)

Metal	silver
Diameter	33,3 mm
Thickness	2.2 mm
Weight	19 g
Designer	Bertram Mackennal
Mint	Vaughton & Sons (Birmingham, England)

BRONZE WINNER MEDAL (THIRD PRIZE)

Metal	bronze
Diameter	33,5 mm
Thickness	2.7 mm
Weight	19 g
Designer	Bertram Mackennal
Mint	Vaughton & Sons (Birmingham, England)

SILVER-GILT COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL

Metal	silver-gilt
Diameter	51 mm
Thickness	5 mm
Weight	61 g
Designer	Bertram Mackennal
Mint	Vaughton & Sons (Birmingham, England)

SILVER-PLATED BRONZE COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL

Metal	silver-plated bronze
Diameter	51 mm
Thickness	5 mm
Weight	60 g
Designer	Bertram Mackennal
Mint	Vaughton & Sons (Birmingham, England)

BRONZE COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL