Rome 1960 Summer Olympics

The 1960 Summer Olympic games in Rome brought more eyes to the summer sports than ever before. Not only were the games aired in a wider region, but they were aired on several different television channels, albeit limited airtime. This broader ranger of exposure created great advertising opportunities for companies. TV stations paid the Olympic Committee for airtime for the first time ever.

Eyes were focused on the games within the arenas as well as outside. OMEGA introduced giant electronic scoreboards to keep everyone as informed as possible.

Fun Fact: the winner of the marathon was Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila. He ran all 26.2 miles barefoot! While others were criticizing his footwear choices, he was busy becoming the first black African Olympic champion.