The Influence Of The Olympics During The Cold War

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During the Cold War, the Olympics were severely influenced by politics, regardless of their original values. Almost fifty countries boycotted in the Moscow Olympic or did not participate in the opening ceremony. The athletes could not fight under the national flag. People cannot call this as the biggest, worldwide sporting event with which we enjoy supporting and cheering on the athletes. Certain Olympic games are indelibly associated with politics (Runciman 39). These relationships severely ruin the original values of the Olympics and cause serious problems. For example, intentional selection of the host countries, unfair judgments and the opportunity to get medals, segregation, and certain problematic actions such as boycotts and controversial performance. Clearly, some IOC members disagreed with the insertion of politics into the Olympics (Whiteside). The Tokyo Olympics will take place in …show more content…

The comparison of the London Olympics shows us clear facts. London Olympic in 1948, Japan and German could not participate at all because they lost in the World War two. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not invite these countries because of the pressure from the other countries who won the war. David Runciman, leader in Political Thought at the University of Cambridge said, “The London games of 1908 and 1948 rarely feature in stories of political Olympics. They seem to belong to another world, one in which sport was far removed from politics. For these earlier Olympics there was little security, minimal political oversight and practically no government expenditure. But the impression that they were therefore non-political events is quite misleading. Like all Olympic games, they were shot through with politics. -In 1908, sport was seen as an extension of politics, and in 1948 it began to be seen as an alternative way of doing politics”

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