The Olympic Games of 1972 and 1980 were games to remember for their surprising outcomes. The Cold War had been going on for since 1947 and the bitter rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union was at a peek. Both the United State’s basketball team and the Soviet Union’s hockey team remained undefeated until these games. During these Olympics, the superior team was beaten by the weaker one, and tensions between the two nations were affected. Each nation experienced extraordinary Olympic victories, but for very different reasons.
The 1972 Munich Games was shocking for many reasons. The Munich Massacre was a devastating blow to the Olympic reputation. The world watched in horror as eleven Israeli men were slaughtered for a radical cause. Soon afterwards, the United States played Russia for the gold in basketball and the enmity was evident on the court. Team USA was favoured to win as they had won the gold in all past Summer Olympics since 1936. The Soviets ended up winning in what was to become one of the most controversial games in Olympic history.
By the end of the fourth quarter Team USA was leading by one point. After the buzzer went off, the United States started to celebrate it’s one point victory. But the buzzer was premature, the scoreboard clock was wrong and there was still three seconds left in the game. The Soviets took advantage of those three seconds to claim victory over Team USA, making it the first loss for the United States since the sport was introduced.
The United States reacted to the loss very poorly, the coaches were seen arguing with the games officials and the American referee refused to sign the scoring sheet out of spite. The team would not accept their silver medals, being convinced they we...
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...defended. The Soviets were forced to concede, for the first time in a long time, and accept Team USA as the victors. The nation was celebrating with the hockey team; they viewed this as a victory against the Communists as well as a miracle for the American gold medallists.
The Olympics brings the world together, in hopes to crown one nation the best at the athletic disciplines. The competitions do not just cause rivalry between teams, the emotional connection people have with patriotism also enable the sport to function as substitutes for the political conflict. The loss for Team USA in 1972 was seen as a loss for the whole of America to the Soviets, as if they lost an actual battle. The win for the U.S. in 1980 served as a victory against the entire Soviet Union. The Cold War was alive during the Olympics. The Olympics gave an international platform to patriotism.
In 1931, before the Weimar Republic was seized by National Socialists, Berlin was announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to be the location of the 11th Olympic Games. Since the Games origins in Athens, the Olympics have evolved to introduce the code of equality of all races and faiths for nations- all of which was controversial during the Third Reich. However, because of the aftermath of World War I, many accounts suggest that the Nazi regime used the 1936 Olympic games as a showcase of the transformation of the country. But due to many restrictions placed around committees, historians can trace that anti-Semitic ideas and beliefs were abundant during the Games. Due to much controversy, some of the restrictions were to be revoked
The controversy in Berlin Olympic Games was that the some of the Jews excluded from the Olympic team were actually world class athletes. The athletes left Germany, along with other Jewish athletes, to resume their sports careers abroad.The Nazis also disqualified Gypsies.The Olympics were intended to be an exercise in goodwill among all nations emphasizing racial equality in the area of sports competition. But the Nazis thought that only the Aryans should participate in the Olympics games to represent Germany.Then after that controversy then the committee of the Games wanted to move the Olympic Games to another country.This was because usually the U.S. got the most medals because they sent the most athletes.
To the U.S. team, the win over the Soviets was just another hockey game, even though it was special to them. To the nation, it meant much more. The game was proof that America could still hold its own in the world, and could compete with the most powerful countries. Having been caught in the Cold War for decades, defeating the Soviets on the ice provided hope that they could be defeated elsewhere as well. Hockey grew in the United States thanks to the popularity of the Miracle on Ice. The game was an opportunity for Americans to feel pride for their country again.
In 1979, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, and the lessening tension between the US and the Soviets was put on full blast. Due to this, the hockey game between the US and the Soviets in the semifinals wasn't just any game. It was during the Cold War, a period of great tension between the US and the USSR....
The peak of competitive chess during the Cold War was in the 1972 World Chess Championship. By examining the match, the conditions surrounding the games, and the players, this investigation assesses: “How did Cold War tensions affect the 1972 World Chess Championship?” This investigation uses sources from chess historians, as well as chess grandmasters themselves.
Hill, Christopher R. "The Cold War and the Olympic Movement." History Today. History Today, 1999. Web. 18 May 2014. .
The 1980 Olympics Games in Moscow was supposed to be the usual multi-sport, international event where athletes from all nations come to prove their athletic ability. However, the Soviet Union’s invasion in Afghanistan led the United States to respond by withdrawing from the Olympic Games. As a result, a total of sixty five other countries, did not attend the Olympic Games. Although a number of countries did not participate in the Games, the Games went on as planned.
Theme: Many events of The Nazi Olympics surround this sporting festival to make it one of the controversial events in sport history. Not only does Mandell cover the 1936 Olympic Games themselves but he gives insight to the history of the modern games, participation by the United States, the role of the games in the Nazi propaganda efforts and portrays heroes and key figures. Mandell wrote about the intersection of sport and politics and how world leaders set the agenda, not the athletes. The Nazi’s used the 1936 Olympic Games as a way to reinforce their political and racial goals. Although they were founded as part of a vision of world peace, the 1936 games became a stage for political disputes. The Nazi Olympics takes an in depth look at the efforts the Germans made to show the rest of the world that they had again become a powerful nation under the leader of Adolf Hitler. The events that followed the games in Germany, mainly the Holocaust and World War II overshadowed the Berlin games. However, it is very important to note that a world gathering like the Olympics took place in a country that was in the process of eliminating an entire race of people. The games were a huge success in regards to the Nazi regime, they were able to fool the world and prove to Germany that they were a peaceful and stable nation.
Bachrach, Susan D. The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936 Boston, MA : Little, Brown and Company, 2000
The Melbourne Olympics were said to be “The Friendly Games”. But the global tension of the cold war resulted in a bruising and Bloody water polo match against Hungary and the Soviet Union which resulted in a lot of the players coming out bleeding or bruised. The tension was also high because the Soviet Union had been taking advantage of the control they had on Hungary which allowed them to study their tactics and training methods. This made a lot of the members of the Hungary Olympic team to leave the games and go to the United States of
Modern Day Olympics are a huge tradition that sweeps the screens of televisions across the world. Competitors take the arena with uniforms that dawn their countries colors and designs that are meant to resemble their designated flag. For months the news is centered around the games; the preparation, the athletes, and of course the competition. Countries aren 't obsessed, they are inspired and full of pride seeing athletes from their country compete and show their incredible skill. This tradition dates back to ancient Greece where the games began. Tony Perrottet writes about the traditions of the ancient game in his book The Naked Olympics.
The two countries did not like each other and were on the verge of destroying each other with a couple of bombs. Although the main reason for the boycott was President Jimmy Carter’s problem with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He decided that if they did not pull their troops out then he would start a boycott and ask others to join. His response did not make the soviets stop the invasion so in 1979 he decided that we would not send any athletes over to the games. The United States boycott of these games would lead to the Soviet led boycott of the 1984 games in Los
How did politics affect the Olympic Games in 1936, 1968 and 1972? In 1934, the death of President Hindenburg of Germany removed the last remaining obstacle for Adolf Hitler to assume power. Soon thereafter, he declared himself President and Fuehrer, which means “supreme leader”. That was just the beginning of what would be almost 12 years of Jewish persecution in Germany, mainly because of Hitler’s hatred towards the Jews. It is difficult to doubt that Hitler genuinely feared and hated Jews. His whole existence was driven by an obsessive loathing of them (Hart-Davis 14).
The Olympic Games are the leading worldwide sport event that held every 4 years, featuring thousands of international athletes from more than 200 nations participating in a variety of sports competitions. Although the Games are about winning the sports competitions, they also provide a platform for the nations throughout the world to learn different cultures and share uniqueness. The Games are important, and have to be held because they transmit a message of friendship and peaceful between nations.
...verall these games played a big impact on our country and many others; also sports were changed in these games.