Protesting Against Racism at the 1968 Olympics

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Protesting Against Racism at the 1968 Olympics

Demonstrators and protesters vary from religious, environmental, social, civil, and political rights groups. They use the Olympic games to get their message or beliefs across to a larger viewing public. Some demonstrations and protests are quite peaceful, while others, are chaotic and often lead to violence. These individuals can be seen as early as the opening ceremonies and as late as the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. Many athletes also have demonstrated their support to some of these groups. Tommie Smith, John Carlos, Cathy Freeman, and Naim Suleymanoglu, just to name a few, are among the individuals who have exercised their beliefs in social, civil, and political rights of their people through their actions before, during, or even after their sporting events. These types of demonstrations offer the viewing public the informative events occurring around the world and should be continued throughout the years. These demonstrations will be a part of the games for a very long time because of the problems encountered in today's society.

The 1968 Olympic games held in Mexico City were among the most controversial games ever hosted. This was the time of high tensions of racism in the United States, which was escalated by the assassination of both, Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, along with the Civil Rights Movement. According to Senn (1999,p.137), an American, Harry Edwards, called on black athletes to protest the general condition of blacks in the United States by refusing to compete under the American flag in the Olympic games. Edwards wanted black athletes to boycott the games, but at the end some athletes, including Tommie Smith and John Carlos, decided to parti...

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... of an individual in understanding the different aspects of the demonstrators or protesters beliefs.

Bibliography:

WORKS CITED

Turkey mourns end of Suleymanoglu legend. (2000, September). Agence France Presse.

Boogaard, A. (2000, October 1).

Gloster, R. (2000, August 24). Athletes won't be punished for carrying Aboriginal flag. The Associated Press

Plaschke, B. (2000, September 13). While Australians get behind Cathy Freeman, they keep distance from most Aborigines. Los Angeles Times, p. D1

Powell, S. (2000, September 13). Olympics / She's running for her race. Newsday, p. A76.

Schaeffer, K. and Smith, S. (2000). The Olympics at the millennium. Rutgers University Press.

Senn, A. E. (1999). Power, politics, and the Olympic games. Human Kinetics.

Turkish Press Scanner: Pocket Hercules. (2000, September 20). Turkish Daily News.

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