Travel costs became a controversial subject when the Olympic legend Paavo Nurmi was banned from participating in any more Olympiads after the IOC found he was in breach of the strict amateur code.

The Finn had claimed travel expenses to fund his journey to a German meet and the IOC prevented him from adding more Olympic medals to his already impressive tally of 12.

Nurmi, however, gained his revenge when he led the Olympic flame into the Helsinki Stadium in 1952.