The 1936 Berlin Summer Olympic games not only auditioned the tradition of the Olympic Torch Relay; it was also the first Olympics to feature basketball as a medal sport. Twenty-three nations entered the competition, although two eventually withdrew.
Jim Naismith, who invented the sport in 1891 in Massachusetts, was privileged to present the gold medal to the United States team, who defeated Canada 19-8 in the final round (which was attended by almost a thousand spectators). The player who made the most points in that game was Joe Fortenberry, with the impressive tally of 8.
Basketball enthusiasts may opine that this was a low-scoring game. Most experts attribute this phenomenon to the fact that the games were played on outdoor dirt tennis courts. The final match was conducted over two 20-minute halves in a monsoon-like deluge, which turned the area into a sea of mud and made dribbling impossible.
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| Photo copyright International Olympic Committee |
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