Exploring How the Olympic Ideal Has Been Undermined by Social and Political Protest
In attempting to answer the question I will cover the following points
firstly defining the key terms. I will then give a brief historical
overview of the issue of how the Olympic Games has been used by
nations and groups to make political statements.Using examples from
the Olympic games I will discuss how the Olympic ideal has been
undermined by social and political protest. To conclude I will review
the current issue of politics and the Olympics and where I think it
will go in the future.
The Olympic ideal is amateurism, playing for the love of sport not for
the money. This is what De Coubertin believed the Olympics should be
about, also he believed the Olympics should be used to bring countries
out of war with each other and bring them together. When talking about
the Olympics and protests that have gone on in the Olympics, there are
a few terms that come up. A non-systematic protest is a protest that
is taken out by a social group. For example Tommy Smith and John
Carlos with the gloved salute to represent 'Black Power' in Mexico
1968. Another term is a systematic protest which is a protest
demonstrated by a nation as a whole. For example the mass boycott in
Moscow 1980. This took place because of the USSR's invasion of
Afghanistan in 1979, the USA did not approve of this so boycotted the
games. Reconciliation is where you make up for something that has
happened in the past. An example of this is the awarding of the 1964
games to Tokyo to heal old wounds following the bombing of Horishima
on the 6th August 1945. Recognition is where you recognise someones
achievements. For example the entry of East Germany as an independant
state and its success in Munich 1972. Propaganda is the organised
dissemination of information to assist or damge political cause. An
example of this is in Berlin 1936 where Hitler tried to use the games
to promote his super race.