This film is part of Free
The Lunatic Olympics
Athletes from 16 nations compete in events at altitude to see how their bodies cope with the thin air in Mexico City.
Overview
The World Tonight asks whether Mexico City is a safe place to hold the 1968 Olympics. At 7,347 feet above sea level, the city's high altitude means athletes will be competing in thin air with low oxygen content. In 1965, over one weekend, Mexico City hosts a 'little Olympics' for sportsmen and women from 16 nations; an experiment to monitor the impact of the thin air on athletes in competition. This episode also includes reports from Japan, Mexico, the USA and UK on how different countries have been preparing their athletes.
The World Tonight was a Tuesday night current affairs series produced by Granada TV. It was an international collaboration that also included reports from broadcasters in New York, Tokyo, Rome, Hamburg and Hong Kong. The episode What Makes Johnnie Run?, also available on BFI Player, features the British athletics team in training at altitude in the Pyrenees prior to the Mexico Olympics.
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