Foul!

 

Yankee 'sportsmen': 1908 cartoon

Hertforshire Archives and Local Studies

During the Games there were a number of controversial judging decisions, and consequently the International Olympic Committee ruled that, in the future, the officials would no longer be supplied solely from the host nation but would come from an international pool. It also led to the creation in 1912 of the International Amateur Athletic Federation which standardised track and field competitions.  

the 400 metre final

  One incident in particular, the 400 metre final, caused a great deal of protest. The favourite for the race was the British athlete Wyndham Halswelle who had set a new Olympic record in the semi-finals. The British, afraid that the three American runners would use team tactics, stationed officials every 20 yards around the track.   As four runners came into the final stretch, W.C. Robbins of the United States was first, with fellow American J.C. Carpenter close behind, Wyndham Halswelle was coming in third and he was followed by a fourth runner from the United States.  

No race!

  As Carpenter and Halswelle swung out to pass Robbins, officials shouted “foul!” and “no race” and broke the tape before Carpenter reached it.   Though Carpenter would have finished first, with Robbins second, and Halswelle third, the British officials accused Carpenter of blocking and elbowing Halswelle and voided the whole race. The race was ordered to be re-run the next day without Carpenter, but since the remaining American runners refused to re-do the race, Halswelle ran the race all by himself to win the gold .