ABSTRACT
In April 2001, I had the privilege of interviewing Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, chairman of the organizing committee for the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. I ended the interview by recalling my own memories of the games, as a 12-year-old watching the events on a black-and-white television in England. For me, four salient moments stood out: Bob Beaman’s record-breaking long-jump; Dick Fosbury’s revolutionary technique in the high-jump; the raised fists of the African-American athletes; and, being British, the unforgettable commentary of David Coleman, as he saw David Hemery home to victory in the final of the men’s 400 metres hurdles. Expecting a positive reply, I asked if he was pleased that the majority of my recollections were of great sporting moments. He replied with a blunt ‘No’. Although he understood why I remembered what I had, he said that what the organizing committee had wanted above all else was for the world’s audience to remember Mexico. [ 1 ].
