Summer in the Sixties
Snapshot of the era
- Sport
The Sixties were an era of memorable events, fads and fashions. To
jog your memory, we have highlights for art,
social/political moments,
sport, music,
TV, films,
style and toys
along with information about related programming in the 91Èȱ¬ FOUR season.
Sport programmes in the 91Èȱ¬ FOUR season:
Sport in the
Sixties: a TV Revolution
Not Cricket: The Basil D'Olivera Conspiracy
England winning the football world cup in 1966 will
be forever ingrained in the memories of football fans but what other
sporting events were making the headlines?
• The Grand National hit British TV
screens live for the first time ever in 1960 while the new Eurovision
television circuit meant the Rome Olympics reached
a greater worldwide television audience than ever before.
While Anita Lonsborough and David Broome won gold for
Britain, perhaps the most enduring domestic memory of the games is Don
Thompson, who prepared for the heat by training in his bathroom and
triumphed in the 50 kilometres walk.
• England were the only British side to reach the 1962
Football world cup finals. But Brazil knocked them out in the
quarter finals and went home with the trophy.
• A left hook from British Boxer Henry Cooper
floored Cassius Clay at Wembley in 1963. But Clay was saved
by the bell and went on to triumph over Cooper.
It later transpired that Clay's trainer, Angelo Dundee,
had tampered with one of Clay's gloves to buy him time.
Three years later in 1966, already heavyweight champion
of the world, Cassius Clay was Muhammad Ali when he faced Cooper again.
The match went to six rounds before Cooper was again
forced to surrender.
• Asia hosted its first Olympic Games in 1964
in Tokyo. Britain picked up a long jump double with Mary Rand
picking up Great Britain's first ever gold in women's athletics and
Lynn Davies upsetting the form book in the men's event. Ann Packer matched
their achievements with a stunning run in the 800 metres.
• Geoff Hurst hit a hat-trick as England clinched their
only football World Cup victory in 1966. England beat
West Germany 4-2 at Wembley and the nation went wild.
• Wimbledon in 1967 was the first scheduled
television transmission in the UK in colour. It was a landmark
moment in the history of sport TV.
• Celtic boosted British spirits when they lifted the
European Cup in 1967.
Manchester United emulated their success when they lifted
the trophy the following year.
• All the technical developments of the decade synthesised
at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. They were broadcast live
and in glorious colour, and largely due to the altitude, a total of
34 world and 38 Olympic records were set.
Bob Beamon broke the World Long jump record and American
high jumper Dick Fosbury won gold with his 'flop' style that was to
revolutionise the event and replace the conventional straddle technique.
The highlight from a British point of view came when
David Hemery broke the world record as he stormed to victory in the
400 metres hurdles.
But perhaps the most potent memory of the games was
the medal ceremony of the men's 200 metres when American sprinters Tommie
Smith and John Carlos raised their black-gloved fists in a symbol of
the black-power movement.
• The decade ended with a double success for the Brits
in 1969: Anne Jones won the ladies single finals at Wimbledon
and Tony Jacklin the British Open.
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