Wherefore Art Thou, The Complete Book of the Olympics?
It's usually right around this time - about two months before the start of an Olympic Games - when I'd really get my Olympic fandom into overdrive with the purchase of the latest edition of The Complete Book of the Olympics or The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics.
2012 was the last edition for the Summer Games As described in the inside cover of the London 2012 preview edition, these "encyclopedic" books had "anything anyone could ever need or want to know about the modern Olympic Games". And, boy, did they. Pages and pages - that 2012 edition came in at 1334 pages - of results, scores, and final rankings of each official Olympic event since 1896. Forgotten events, discontinued sports, newly added disciplines - they were all there.
And not only that, many results came with commentary on the results, often remarkable in detail. The listing for the infamous Los Angeles 1984 women's 3000 meters track event - i.e. Mary Decker vs Zola Budd - spans eight columns across five pages, offering a remarkable look at both the context and aftermath of the race. I devoured stories such as Cassius Clay's post-Rome 1960 victory experience, where continued discrimination back home soured his Olympic retrospective.
The books were a treasure trove of anecdotes, quotes, and obscure information. Did you know that Barcelona 1992 rowing gold medalist Marnie McBean first took up the sport by looking up "Rowing" in the Toronto phone directory at age 16? Or, that Japan's swim team at Los Angeles 1932 were the first to "inhale oxygen before and after their races"? Paris 1924 high diving (a discontinued event) champion Richmond Eve was eventually declared ineligible for future competition by a New South Wales association...of which his brother was secretary. One could go on and on...
The books were a passion project of author and researcher David Wallechinsky, who fell in love with the Games in 1960. Possibly best known as the man behind The Book of Lists, Wallechinsky was well-built to tackle the data and insight of the Olympics ahead of the first publication in 1984. More than thirty years' worth of editions spanning both Summer and Winter Games followed, as The Complete Book became "the preeminent point of reference for sports enthusiasts and journalists alike", and the "essential companion to the greatest sporting festival in the world". Any other attempt at a Games preview paled in comparison.
And not only that, many results came with commentary on the results, often remarkable in detail. The listing for the infamous Los Angeles 1984 women's 3000 meters track event - i.e. Mary Decker vs Zola Budd - spans eight columns across five pages, offering a remarkable look at both the context and aftermath of the race. I devoured stories such as Cassius Clay's post-Rome 1960 victory experience, where continued discrimination back home soured his Olympic retrospective.
The books were a treasure trove of anecdotes, quotes, and obscure information. Did you know that Barcelona 1992 rowing gold medalist Marnie McBean first took up the sport by looking up "Rowing" in the Toronto phone directory at age 16? Or, that Japan's swim team at Los Angeles 1932 were the first to "inhale oxygen before and after their races"? Paris 1924 high diving (a discontinued event) champion Richmond Eve was eventually declared ineligible for future competition by a New South Wales association...of which his brother was secretary. One could go on and on...
The books were a passion project of author and researcher David Wallechinsky, who fell in love with the Games in 1960. Possibly best known as the man behind The Book of Lists, Wallechinsky was well-built to tackle the data and insight of the Olympics ahead of the first publication in 1984. More than thirty years' worth of editions spanning both Summer and Winter Games followed, as The Complete Book became "the preeminent point of reference for sports enthusiasts and journalists alike", and the "essential companion to the greatest sporting festival in the world". Any other attempt at a Games preview paled in comparison.
The unfortunate last winter edition Wallechinsky received the Olympic Order in 2002 for his contributions to the movement, and was a founding member of the International Society of Olympic Historians.
However, Sochi 2014, unfortunately a production not up to standards of past, proved to be the last. Between the time commitment and weighing cost-effectiveness, Wallechinsky and team didn't offer a Rio 2016 version. Certainly, the research time needed increased substantially as, more and more, results changed years later across Games with the re-adjustment of results following various belated drug disqualifications. By January 2020 alone, there were 60 disqualifications from London 2012 and Beijing 2008 weightlifting. How can one keep up?
The dominant rise of the internet also undoubtedly played a part. Publishing, and adjusting, results is definitely easier online. Today, one can find results informally through Wikipedia, or through various blog-ish projects such as Olympstats.com, Olympiandatabase.com, Totallympics or even on the IOC's Olympics.org itself. Perhaps the closest inheritor to The Complete Book's perch is Olympedia, a wonderful backlog of results with athlete bios and more, offered by a consortium of Olympic researchers.
However, Sochi 2014, unfortunately a production not up to standards of past, proved to be the last. Between the time commitment and weighing cost-effectiveness, Wallechinsky and team didn't offer a Rio 2016 version. Certainly, the research time needed increased substantially as, more and more, results changed years later across Games with the re-adjustment of results following various belated drug disqualifications. By January 2020 alone, there were 60 disqualifications from London 2012 and Beijing 2008 weightlifting. How can one keep up?
The dominant rise of the internet also undoubtedly played a part. Publishing, and adjusting, results is definitely easier online. Today, one can find results informally through Wikipedia, or through various blog-ish projects such as Olympstats.com, Olympiandatabase.com, Totallympics or even on the IOC's Olympics.org itself. Perhaps the closest inheritor to The Complete Book's perch is Olympedia, a wonderful backlog of results with athlete bios and more, offered by a consortium of Olympic researchers.
$809 USD can get you a "new" 2004 edition (click on image) But nothing compares to that feeling I had of holding the information in my actual hands, flipping pages back and forth to discover a new story, a new or favorite anecdote, a surprising result. I forgave Wallechinsky small irritants - his use of non-IOC national abbreviations (HOL vs NED, SPA vs ESP), and the sheer heft of the Summer Games book - in exchange for the sheer joy. It was an every-two-year ritual, thoughtfully replacing the previous edition with the newly published one on its place on the shelf.
I know that the books helped deepen my own Olympic passion, based on the hours spent cherishing what they offered. The 2012 and 2014 editions, despite continued post-Games disqualification changes to the results, still reside on my Olympic bookshelf, testaments to the place they have for me in Olympic fandom. As Tokyo 2020 approaches, I'm sure to revisit them.
I know that the books helped deepen my own Olympic passion, based on the hours spent cherishing what they offered. The 2012 and 2014 editions, despite continued post-Games disqualification changes to the results, still reside on my Olympic bookshelf, testaments to the place they have for me in Olympic fandom. As Tokyo 2020 approaches, I'm sure to revisit them.
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