Olympic Games 4000 Children of South London Schools Hold Sports Meeting at the Crystal Palace

Ready, steady, relay! This newsreel captures the pepped-up mood at the 1908 South London Schools Sports event.

Ready, steady, relay! This newsreel captures the pepped-up mood of the camera-conscious youngsters assembled for the South London Schools Sports event at Crystal Palace in 1908. Judicious editing succinctly conveys the excitement of the relay race as the competitors traverse the "finest and safest running track" - as a contemporary newspaper article described the Edwardian sports facility.

Known as the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, the park continues to be a sporting hub for athletic youngsters today, and has a stadium with a capacity of 15,500.