在芬蘭赫爾辛基舉行的第15屆奧運會可說是大面積豐收的一次運動會，以破世界紀錄為例，舉重有5項，射擊有2項，游泳有1項。而田徑更是突出：男子全部24個項目有21項打破或平奧運會紀錄。應邀參賽的有69個國家和區(qū)域的4925名運動員，其中女子518人，男子4407人。

KEY FACTS

Opening date:19 July 1952

Closing date:03 August 1952

The Host City: Helsinki

Sports: 17

HELSINKI 1952 Games of the XV Olympiad

The 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki started in spectacular fashion with Pavvo Nurmi, then aged^{1 55, entering the stadium with the Olympic flame and lighting2 the cauldron on the ground. Then, young football players carried the torch up to the TOP of the stadium tower, where another Olympic cauldron was lit by 62-year-old Hannes Klehmainen.}

It seemed appropriate that the most impressive achievements in Helsinki should be those of another long-distance runner, Emil ZaTOPek of Czechoslovakia, who became the only person in Olympic history to win the 5,000, 10,000 and marathon at the same Olympics. The Soviet^{3 Union entered the Olympics for the first time.}

Although their athletes were housed in a separate village, warnings that Cold War rivalries⁴ would lead to clashes proved unfounded. Particularly impressive were the Soviet women gymnasts who won the team competition easily, beginning a streak^{5 that would continue for forty years until the Soviet Union broke up into separate republics.}

Do You Know? 2個德國的故事

Germany came back under the aegis^{6 of a new National Olympic Committee , that of the Federal Republic of Germany . East German had also created a new NOC but did not send any athletes.}

聯(lián)邦德國在新的國家奧委會的庇佑下重新返回奧運會，而東德也設立了國際奧委會，但并沒派任何選手參賽。

注解：

Cauldron: n. 大鍋爐
Impressive: adj. 感人的
Rival: n. 角逐者