The World Athletics Championships are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics. Alongside the Olympic Games, they represent the highest level championships of senior international outdoor athletics competition for track and field athletics globally, including marathon running and race walking. Separate World Championships are held by World Athletics for certain other outdoor events, including cross-country running and half-marathon, as well as indoor and age-group championships.
Athletics has been contested at every Summer Olympics since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics. The athletics program traces its earliest roots to events used in the ancient Greek Olympics. The modern program includes track and field events, road running events, and race walking events. Cross country running was also on the program in earlier editions but it was dropped after the 1924 Summer Olympics.
Switzerland competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. 157 competitors, 148 men and 9 women, took part in 96 events in 17 sports.
Josef Doležal was a Czechoslovak athlete who competed mainly in the 50 kilometre walk.
Sweden competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. 206 competitors, 183 men and 23 women, took part in 124 events in 17 sports.
Norway competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. 102 competitors, 96 men and 6 women, took part in 72 events in 14 sports. Earlier in the year, Norway had hosted the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo.
Italy competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. 231 competitors, 208 men and 23 women, took part in 114 events in 19 sports.
Athletes from the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. 87 competitors, 77 men and 10 women, took part in 48 events in 11 sports.
Germany competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. 205 competitors, 173 men and 32 women, took part in 123 events in 18 sports.
Greece competed with 48 athletes at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. 48 competitors, all men, took part in 24 events in 7 sports. Greek athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games.
Hector Harold Whitlock was a British athlete who competed mainly in the 50 kilometre walk. He attended Hendon School, then Hendon County School, in North London, where he planted in 1936 an oak tree sapling presented to him, along with his gold medal, by Adolf Hitler at the Olympic Games.
Giuseppe "Pino" Dordoni was an Italian athlete who competed mainly in the 50 kilometre race walk.
Antal Róka was a Hungarian athlete who competed mainly in the 50 kilometre walk. He competed for a Hungary in the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland in the 50 kilometre walk where he won the bronze medal.
The Men's 50 km Race Walk at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California had an entry list of 31 competitors. Five athletes were disqualified, while nine walkers did not finish the race, held on August 11, 1984.
The Men's 50 km Race Walk at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, USSR had an entry list of 27 competitors. Three athletes were disqualified and nine of them did not finish in the final, held on 30 July 1980. This event was not held during 1976 Summer Olympics,returning to Olympic program after last returning to the program after a hiatus edition, because it was held in 1972.
These are the official results of the men's 50 kilometres walk event at the 1983 World Championships held on 12 August 1983 in Helsinki, Finland.
Miloš Holuša is a Czech race walker who specialized in the 50 kilometres walk. He competed in every World Championship between 1993 and 2005, and also three Olympic Games.
The men's 10 kilometres walk event at the 1952 Summer Olympic Games took place July 24 and July 27. The final was won by Swede John Mikaelsson, who won the event four years prior in 1948. This was the last time this event took place and was replaced by the 20 kilometres walk in 1956.
Roland Hardy was a British racewalker who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics and in the 1956 Summer Olympics. He was born in Sheepbridge, Derbyshire. Hardy was a five-time national champion in the 7 miles walk and a two-time national champion in the 2 miles walk.
Race walking events at the Summer Olympics have been contested over a variety of distances at the multi-sport event. There were three race walking events in the 2020 Summer Olympics: a men's and a women's 20 kilometres walk, and a men's 50 kilometres walk. The races were held in a final-only format.
