I think it is fair to say that I am not the only victim of the quadrennial affliction known as “Olympic Fever”. I’m sure that I am not alone in reporting that I watch televised diving, pole vaulting and rowing only once every four years, often neglecting essentials like hygiene and sleep to do so. It is almost a truism to point out that the Olympics has captured the imagination and passion of both athletes and non-athletes alike and has become a unique institution that seemingly cuts across all cultural boundaries. In ROME 1960, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Maraniss tells the story of how the 1960 Olympics were the beginning of the Olympics’ ascension to the pinnacle of sport and at the same time served as the motive force that set off cultural transformations in multiple dimensions around the world.

In ROME 1960 Maraniss tells the stories of numerous athletes and officials over the Olympic fortnight, supporting his thesis that 1960 was “the Olympics that changed the world”.

”a most inauspicious way to start the games”

On opening day, Danish cyclist Knud Enemark Jensen died of heat stroke in the road race. Rumors of amphetamine use immediately began to circulate and his trainer admitted to dispensing a blood vessel dilator prior to the race, hoping to improve muscle performance. Given the incredibly hot weather, this drug probably contributed to his demise. The use of stimulants, steroids and other drugs to improve speed and strength were starting to become common at the time and Jensen’s death was one of the motivating factors in the drive to restrict and prohibit performance enhancing drugs in Olympic competition. Unfortunately, this ugly saga has only grown over the decades and continues to be an omnipresent black cloud at almost all levels of sport.

”It was past one in the morning when he reached his bed.”

Maraniss tells the heroic story of decathlon gold medalist Rafer Johnson who was the first African American to carry the flag for the United States in the opening ceremonies, while at home in the US, overt segregation was the norm. The depiction of Johnson’s epic battle against his Taiwanese friend C.K. Yang is both moving and awe inspiring. Maraniss includes many other stories of stellar African American athletes with great passion, especially focusing on the great track athletes from tiny Tennessee State University.

”No one ran quite like the high-waisted Skeeter.”

Triple gold medalist sprinter Wilma Rudolph, with one of the most inspiring childhood stories in the history of sport, was the first female athlete to dominate her sport and wow the world with her beauty and grace. JFK himself was hypnotized by her poise and charm. This, at a time when the establishment blanched at women running any distance more than 400m because it wasn’t feminine and the frail women might fall or be injured. It wasn’t until 1984 that the women’s Olympic marathon was introduced and the women’s 3000m steeplechase was run for the first time in Beijing. Maraniss describes how Rudolph’s performance in 1960 was a key step in the slow but inexorable journey toward gender equality in sports.

”The German cheering squadrons were chanting.”

German sprinter Armin Hary, the “fastest man in the world” in Rome was the first athlete to get paid to wear shoes. He did an admirable job of covertly playing Adidas against Puma despite strict prohibitions against any sort of monetary reward for the often pauperized athletes. Throughout the book, Maraniss frequently revisits the story of IOC chairman Avery Brundage (a high-living Chicago millionaire businessman) who was one of the last men standing in support of pure and unadulterated amateurism. The author doesn’t hesitate to effectively expose the hypocrisy in Brundage’s moral stance.

”a large trailer stationed out at the Ciampino Airport”

The 1960 games were the first televised Olympics. CBS took advantage of the time difference, flying the tapes on Alitalia Airlines to New York where a daytime TV drama host named Jim McKay would broadcast a 30 minute summary of the day’s events in the evening, having quickly typed the commentary himself. Maraniss’ depiction of this shoestring and duct tape operation is hilarious when compared to today’s Olympic productions.

”Rome teemed with spies that weekend.”

Geopolitics played a major role in these games as well. There may have been as many Cold War spies as athletes in attendance. Some people were likely both. The splits between East and West Germany (officially competing as a unified team), China and Taiwan (China boycotted, Taiwan almost did) and the US and USSR (the USSR was starting to challenge the US as the world’s sporting superpower) added an additional layer of intrigue to the event. Maraniss conveys this drama with remarkable tension.

”padding down the uneven roadway of the Appian Way”

Maraniss saves the best for last, telling the story of diminutive Ethiopian barefoot marathoner Abebe Bikila, who destroyed the competition, winning Africa’s first gold medal in world record time. This was a major event in the growing independence movement in Africa, striking a final death knell for colonialism. Maraniss’ description of Bikila’s epic run in the heat and dust of the Roman evening is thrilling and riveting.

"the world as we see it today was coming into view"

Most history books face a formidable obstacle. We already know the ending. The author needs to find some other way to draw us into the story. Maraniss does this with two complementary techniques: research and realism. His exhaustive research is nothing short of amazing. He clearly traveled the world scouring archives for documents and details, making it possible to tell fascinating stories about numerous athletes, some that I had never heard of before and who may have won nothing in Rome. Second, Maraniss’ skill as a writer creates incredibly realistic scenes, producing the illusion that he was actually an eye witness reporter on location. I would be thrilled to read about all the athletes he had to leave out as I'm sure there are many more amazing tales to be told.

”those few days of magic and history at the Olympic Games in Rome”

Given Maraniss’ skill as a writer and reporter I suspect that he could write about any Olympics with fascinating results, especially when the reader is in the throes of “Olympic Fever”. However, I do think that Maraniss does a fine job of supporting his argument that 1960 may have been a most pivotal year. Every Olympics has stories that have an inordinate impact on the world at large, but it seems that the Rome Olympics was especially blessed. ROME 1960 is a gold medal performance for anyone who is prone to the fever every four years.

Recommended: Yes