'A very pretty little girl': Commentator's cringeworthy 1964 Olympic commentary unearthed

Laine Erik before the 800m final at the 1964 Olympics. Photo / YouTube / Olympics Channel

The Olympics returns to Tokyo later this year and things have certainly progressed since the city last hosted the Games in 1964.

A video has been unearthed of some very cringe-worthy commentary ahead of the women's 800m final.

The un-named commentator begins to announce the competitors as they line up for the 800m final, including Kiwi Marise Chamberlain who went onto claim bronze.

"The 800 metres for women," he begins.

"Running in the outside lane Anne Packer of England, next to her Chamberlain of New Zealand. In lane six, next to her, is Smith, also of Great Britain" he continues, which all seems standard commentary.

Then he gets to Soviet Union athlete Laine Erik.

"Inside her is a very pretty little girl, Erik, wearing the red vest of the USSR".

What wait? Rewind the tape. Yes. That's what he said before later describing Hungary's Zsuzsa Szabo as the 'petite little Szabo'.

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Great Britain's Anne Packer went onto win the gold with France's Maryvonne Dupureur in second followed by Chamberlain.

Erik finished sixth.

According to The Complete Book of Olympics, Packer famously considered skipping the final after finishing third in the semifinals, to 'go shopping instead'. But after her fiance Robbie Brightwell finished a disappointing fourth in the 400m final, she changed her mind.

It helped that world record holder Dixie Willis withdrew due to illness and unofficial record holder Dan Shin-geum couldn't race due to political reasons.

"It was so easy, I could not believe I won," Packer told reporters after winning.

Things have certainly changed since especially at the Olympics. 5151 athletes competed in 1964, just 678 were women (13 percent). At the Rio Olympics four years ago, 45 percent of athletes were female.