109 years on…Remembering when White City held the 1908 Olympics

While London 2012 will still be fresh in the memories of the capital's residents, few in the city - let alone the country - will remember the Games the city played host to 109 years ago this week.

The 1908 Olympics was meant to be held in Rome, but was handed over to London with less than two years to go before the opening ceremony when it became clear the Italian capital would not be ready in time.

Despite the daunting task of having to prepare for the Games with such little notice, London accepted the challenge and went on to host the longest-ever Olympics which began on 27 April and lasted until late October.

Unlike modern-day versions of the Games, the 1908 edition in White City also saw numerous events included - such as a tug of war, which subsequently was not contested at an Olympics again.

Black and white photos from the Games also show events such as bicycle polo being played in west London while diving and field hockey made their Olympic debuts in 1908.

Iconic moments such as Wyndham Halswelle crossing the finishing line in the 400m final were also captured in shots from the 1908 Olympics, which showed the British athlete winning the re-run of the race that American John Carpenter had been disqualified from for impeding Halswelle in the first go.

Another black and white snap shows racing clerks helping Italian runner Dorando Pietri across the finish line in the marathon, which resulted in him being stripped of his gold medal shortly afterward.

Scroll through Standard Sport's gallery above to see more iconic photos from the 1908 Olympic Games in White City 109 years on from the start of the competition...