The Most Political Olympics

[Guest]

1) 1972. Tragic results. Black September.
2) 1968. Fists of Freedom (Smith & Carlos).
3) 1936. Hitler, plus both relay selections (4x1 and 4x4).
4) 1980. The US Boycott.
5) 1984. The Soviet Boycott.
6) 1976. The African Boycott.
7) 1988. The Ben Johnson Scandal.

[Guest]

>7) 1988. The Ben Johnson Scandal.
Apropos describing that as political.

[gh]

1956 Melbourne: the Soviet Invasion of Hungary in '55 leads to at least a few major athletes pulling out of Melbourne in protest, and the Soviets and Hungary have the famous "blood in the pool" water polo match.

1988 political?! Only in the mind of those Canadian conspiracy theorists.

[Guest]

>1988 political?!
>Only in the mind of those Canadian conspiracy
>theorists.
He who can see the IP addresses knows all.

[Guest]

The 1988 referrence was NOT meant to be a pro-Ben Johnson thread. Peace.

[Guest]

Forgot to add about 1988: Didn't Cuba stay out? Peace.

[Guest]

How 'bout 1996. Olympic Park bombing, allegedly done by an anti-abortion activist. Also, why was Wilson Kipketer NOT allowed to run under the Olympic flag? Peac.

[Guest]

>How 'bout 1996. Olympic Park bombing, allegedly
>done by an anti-abortion activist. Also, why was
>Wilson Kipketer NOT allowed to run under the
>Olympic flag? Peac.

I spelled "Peace" wrong.

[Guest]

At least since 1936, they all are. Now money controls the Olympics, but only a fool would think that moneyed interests are divorced from politics.

[dj]

1908:

I believe 1908 was also the first Olympics (other than 1906) when countries were invited to send national teams, rather than specific athletic clubs being invited.

National control led to many problems which hadn't been encountered before. The events best remembered today include: American failure/refusal to dip the flag; Halswelle winning walk-over 400m; the Dorando Pietri marathon collapse, finish, DQ; English bobbies winning tug-of-war in hobnail boots.

Almost all of the ruckus was an international squabble between the English and the Irish-Americans.

[gh]

From Tom Ecker's fabulous book, "Olympic Facts & Fables":

<<The London Olympic Games came to an end, but the bickering between the United States and Great Britain continued. The British produced a 60-page book entited "Replies to Criticism of the Olympic Games," in whcy they printed the many complaints and praotests lodged by American athletes and officials, with British responses to each of them. As a result, the sports organizations of the two nations severed all relations.

<<A British author, Thomas Rugby Burlford, continued to stir the controversy with the publication of his book "American Hatred ands British Folly." His subsequent books were "Gruesome America" and "Facts For Irish-American Liars.">>

(bet you won't find those on Amazon!)

[Guest]

Munich, 1972.
People DIED as a result of political issues.
You can't get worse than that...