Politics and the Olympic Games

In the past, the Olympic Games have been disturbed by political issues . In 1936 the IOC chose Berlin as the site for the Summer Games. A few years later, Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party rose to power, and Hitler used the games to show how strong Germany was .

In 1968 two Black American runners protested against their government and raised their fists when the American national anthem was played.

In 1980 the USA—and many other countries—didn’t send athletes to the games in Moscow because the Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan a year before. In return , the Russians and other Communist countries refused to take part in the 1984 games in Los Angeles.

The worst day in Olympic history came on September 5th, 1972 during the Munich games. Eight Palestinian terrorists broke into the Olympic village and killed two Israeli athletes. 9 others were taken hostage . They wanted the Israeli government to release over 400 Arab prisoners in Israel . During a battle with German policemen, all hostages and the terrorists were killed.

Opening ceremony of the 1936 Berlin Olympics
Image: Bundesarchiv, B 145 Bild-P017045 / Frankl, A. / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE,
via Wikimedia Commons