The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad and officially branded as Mexico 1968, were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968 in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Olympic Games to be staged in Latin America and the first to be staged in a Spanish-speaking country. They were also the first Games to use an all-weather (smooth) track for track and field events instead of the traditional cinder track, as well as the first example of the Olympics exclusively using electronic timekeeping equipment.
Equestrian competitions at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico featured team and individual competitions in show jumping, eventing, and dressage. Mexico City proved a challenging site since it was 2,300 meters above sea level, resulting in 30% less oxygen in the air. The horses at the 1955 Pan American Games, which was also held in Mexico City, arrived a few weeks before the Games to adjust, but had difficulty in the competition. However, racehorses that competed at the same location and who were shipped in the day before, and left the day after the race, performed fine. It was discovered that although horses would adjust immediately to the high altitude during the first few days after arrival, they showed weakness and decreased performance around Day 10, which continued to Day 20. Therefore, nations were advised to ship in horses 3–4 weeks before the competition, which would allow them time to recover from the long travel, as well as adjust to the difference in altitude. Argentina, Ireland, and the USSR were the first to ship horses over, who arrived mid-September. France and Germany were the last countries to send their horses, who arrived 28 September 20 days before the competition was to start.
Norway competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. 46 competitors, 38 men and 8 women, took part in 36 events in 11 sports.
Romania competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico. 82 competitors, 66 men and 16 women, took part in 64 events in 9 sports.
Australia competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico. Australian athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games. 128 competitors, 104 men and 24 women, took part in 105 events in 16 sports.
At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, 36 athletics events were contested, 24 for men and 12 for women. There were a total number of 1031 participating athletes from 93 countries.
Canada competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico, held from 12 to 27 October 1968. 139 competitors, 111 men and 28 women, took part in 124 events in 14 sports. It is the inaugural Summer Olympics where the Canadian team marched under the new Maple Leaf flag. The youngest competitor for Canada was gymnast Theresa McDonnell who was 14 years old. The oldest competitor was equestrian Zoltan Sztehlo who was 46 years old.
The United States competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. 357 competitors, 274 men and 83 women, took part in 167 events in 18 sports.
Great Britain, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico. 225 competitors, 175 men and 50 women, took part in 133 events in 16 sports. British athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games.
Edward Julius Caruthers Jr. is an American former athlete who competed mainly in the men's high jump event during his career.
The Soviet Union (USSR) competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. 312 competitors, 246 men and 66 women, took part in 164 events in 18 sports.
Brazil competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico. 76 competitors, 73 men and 3 women, took part in 27 events in 13 sports. Brazilians won three medals at 1968 Summer Olympics. The bronze medal obtained by sailors Reinaldo Conrad and Burkhard Cordes and the bronze medal won by boxer Servílio de Oliveira were the first medals in their sports. Nelson Prudêncio obtained a silver medal and carried on the nation's tradition of good results in Men's Triple Jump.
Costa Rica competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico. Eighteen competitors, seventeen men and one woman, took part in eighteen events in six sports. Costa Rica did not win any medals at the 1968 Games.
Fiji sent a delegation to compete at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from 17 July to 1 August 1976. This was the nation's fifth appearance at a Summer Olympic Games. Their first appearance was at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. Fiji's delegation consisted of two competitors. Tony Moore who made it to the quarter-finals of the 200m sprint and round 1 in the 100m sprint. After not starting in the 400m sprint, he only made the qualification stage of the long jump. The other athlete was Miriama Tuisorisori-Chambault who competed in the women's pentathlon and long jump. She finished 18th overall in the pentathlon and 27th in qualifying for the long jump. She would not start in the 100m hurdles.
Madagascar competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico. Four competitors, all men, took part in six events in two sports.
While the most notable story coming out of 1968 was socio-political, politics involved with the Olympics was not something unique to this year. However, the year marked the beginning of several emerging elements of contemporary track and field.
For the 1968 Summer Olympics, a total of twenty-five sports venues were used. Most of the venues were constructed after Mexico City was awarded the 1968 Games. Mexican efforts in determining wind measurement led to sixteen world records in athletics at the University Olympic Stadium. All four of the football venues used for these games would also be used for both of the occurrences that Mexico hosted the FIFA World Cup, in 1970 and 1986.
The men's triple jump competition at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico took place on October 16–17. Thirty-four athletes from 24 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Viktor Saneyev of the Soviet Union, the first time the nation had won gold in the event. Saneyev began a decade of dominating the Olympic triple jump; he would win again in 1972 and 1976 as well as taking silver in 1980. Nelson Prudêncio's silver was Brazil's first medal in the event since 1956; Giuseppe Gentile's bronze was Italy's first men's triple jump medal ever.
The Women's long jump competition at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico took place on October 13–14.
The triple jump at the Summer Olympics is grouped among the four track and field jumping events held at the multi-sport event. The men's triple jump has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since the first Summer Olympics in 1896. The women's triple jump is one of the more recent additions to the programme, having been first contested in 1996. It became the third Olympic jumping event for women after the high jump and long jump.
