Simon Trewin

Yesterday started early for author Janie Hampton who launched her book The Austerity Olympics: When the Games Came to London in 1948 on Radio 4’s Today programme in an interview with John Humphreys. It was an appearance which helped propel her vivid, atmospheric re-telling of the extraordinary story of the post-war London Olympics to the Number One spot on the Amazon Sports Book bestseller list. The launch at Waterstone’s Oxford later that day saw a packed crowd of well-wishers including Aurum press editor Graham Coster, author Philip Pullman, iconic sportsman Sir Roger Bannister and a host of Olympians from the 1948 games - some, rather impressively, still fitting into their official blazers! Janie demonstrated how various items of sporting kit were effected by rationing and also sang, with great gusto, the official 1948 Olympic song - while holding a ‘flaming’ torch. Pictures HERE