The World Athletics Championships are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics. The World Championships were started in 1976 in response to the International Olympic Committee dropping the men's 50 km walk from the Olympic programme for the 1976 Montreal Olympics, despite its constant presence at the games since 1932. The IAAF chose to host its own world championship event instead, a month and a half after the Olympics. It was the first World Championships that the IAAF had hosted separate from the Olympic Games. A second limited event was held in 1980, and the inaugural championships in 1983, with all the events, is considered the official start of the competition. Until 1980, the Olympic champions were considered as reigning World Champions. At their debut, these championships were then held every four years, until 1991, when they switched to a two-year cycle since.
The Helsinki Olympic Stadium, located in the Töölö district about 2.3 kilometres (1.4 mi) from the centre of the Finnish capital Helsinki, is the largest stadium in the country, nowadays mainly used for hosting sports events and big concerts. The stadium is best known for being the centre of activities in the 1952 Summer Olympics. During those games, it hosted athletics, equestrian show jumping, and the football finals.
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.
Czechoslovakia competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. 99 competitors, 86 men and 13 women, took part in 70 events in 11 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.
Originally having participated in Olympics as the delegation of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1924 to 1976, China competed at the Olympic Games under the name of the People's Republic of China (PRC) for the first time in 1952, at the Summer Games in Helsinki, Finland, although they only arrived in time to participate in one event. That year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed both the PRC and ROC to compete, although the latter withdrew in protest. Due to the dispute over the political status of China, the PRC did not participate in the Olympics again until the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, United States. Their first appearance at the Summer Olympic Games after 1952 was the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States.
These are the official results of the Men's 20 km Walk event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
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 did not finish in the final, held on 30 July 1980. This event was not conducted in 1976, it was last 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.
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.
Race walking events at the Summer Olympics have been contested over a variety of distances at the multi-sport event. There are three race walking events in the current Olympic athletics programme: a men's and a women's 20 kilometres walk, and a men's 50 kilometres walk. The races are held in a final-only format.
