Olympic Games

The Olympic Games, or Olympics, is an international multi-sport event taking place every two years and alternating between Summer and Winter Games. Originally held in ancient Greece, they were revived by a French nobleman, Pierre Frèdy, Baron de Coubertin in the late 19th century. The Games of the Olympiad, better known as the Summer Olympics, have been held every fourth year since 1896, with the exception of the years during the World Wars.

Modern Olympics

After the initial success, the Olympics struggled. The celebrations in Paris (1900) and St. Louis (1904) were overshadowed by the world's fair exhibitions in which they were included. The so-called Intercalated Games (because of their "off-year" status) were held in 1906 in Athens, as the first of an alternating series of Athens-held Olympics. Although originally the IOC recognised and supported these games, they are currently not recognised by the IOC as Olympic Games, which has given rise to the explanation that they were intended to mark the 10th anniversary of the Modern Olympics. Most contemporary Olympic historians, however, consider them to be official Olympic Games. Either way, the 1906 Games again attracted a broad international field of participants — in 1904, 80% had been American — and great public interest, thereby marking the beginning of a rise in popularity and size of the Games.

Related Topics:
Paris (1900) - St. Louis (1904) - World's fair - Intercalated Games

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Growth

From the 245 participants from 15 nations in 1896, the Games grew to more than 10,500 competitors from 200 countries at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The number of competitors at the Winter Olympics is much smaller than at the summer edition; 2,400 athletes competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 78 events.

Related Topics:
2000 Sydney Olympics - 2002 Winter Olympics - Salt Lake City

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With over 16,000 broadcasters and journalists present in Sydney, the Olympics are one of the largest media events. In 2000, an estimated 3.8 billion viewers watched the Olympics on television. The growth of the Olympics is the largest problem the Olympics face today. Although allowing professional athletes and attracting sponsorships from major international companies solved financial problems in the 1980s, the large number of athletes, media and spectators makes it difficult and expensive for host cities to organise the Olympics.

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Membership

Over 200 countries currently participate in the Olympics. This is a noticeably higher number than the number of countries recognised by the United Nations, which is only 192. This is because the International Olympic Committee allows nations to compete which do not meet the strict requirements for political sovereignty that many other international organisations demand. As a result, many colonies and dependencies are permitted to host their own Olympic teams and athletes even if such competitors hold the same citizenship as another member nation. Examples of this include territories such as Puerto Rico, Bermuda, and Hong Kong, all of which compete as sovereign nations despite the fact that politically they are considered part of another country and their residents do not carry citizenship from that nation. Also, since 1980, Taiwan has competed under the name "Chinese Taipei", and under a flag specially prepared by the IOC (prior to that year the People's Republic of China refused to participate in the Games because Taiwan had been competing under the name "Republic of China").

Related Topics:
United Nations - Puerto Rico - Bermuda - Hong Kong - 1980 - Taiwan - Chinese Taipei - People's Republic of China - Republic of China

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Political interference

War

Despite what Coubertin had hoped for, the Olympics did not stop wars from happening. In fact, three Olympiads had to pass without Olympics because of war — due to World War I the 1916 Games were cancelled, and because of World War II the games of 1940 and 1944 were also skipped.

Related Topics:
Olympiad - World War I - 1916 - World War II - 1940 - 1944

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Deaths

In 1972, when the Summer Games were held in Munich, West Germany, eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage by Palestinian terrorists. A failed liberation attempt led to the deaths of all of the abducted athletes, along with five of the terrorists and a policeman. This event is known today as the Munich Massacre.

Related Topics:
1972 - Munich - West Germany - Israel - Palestinian - Terrorists - Munich Massacre

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Furthermore exploded a bomb at the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, USA, during the Summer Olympics in 1996. Two persons died and over 100 were injured. The bomb was planted by Eric Robert Rudolph, who is alleged as an adherent of the extremist group Christian Identity, a sect that holds that white Christians are God's chosen people, and that others will be condemned to hell.

Related Topics:
Centennial Olympic Park - Atlanta - USA - 1996 - Eric Robert Rudolph

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Politics

Politics also interfered with the Olympics on several other occasions, the most well-known of which was the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin; the games were used as propaganda by the German Nazis.

Related Topics:
1936 Summer Olympics - Berlin - Propaganda - Nazis

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In 1936, the British Government asked London to withdraw its bid to host the 1940 Olympics so that Tokyo could win this honour. This was done to promote Anglo-Japanese friendship at a critical time in British imperial history. London and the British Olympic Association agreed, and Tokyo got the bid. These Games were, however, subsequently cancelled.

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Soviet Union did not participate in Olympic movement until 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. Instead, the Soviets organized international sports event called Spartakiads from 1928 onwards. Many atheletes from associations organized by communists or close to them chose or were barred from participating in Olympic games and instead particitipated in Spartiakiads.

Related Topics:
Soviet Union - 1952 Summer Olympics - Helsinki - Spartakiads

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In 1963, various newly independent nations set up a challenge to the IOC called GANEFO (Games of the New Emerging Forces), which openly espoused politics in sport. The IOC declared participants in GANEFO personae non gratae for the Olympic Games.

Related Topics:
GANEFO - Personae non gratae

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Boycotts

In 1956 the Games were boycotted by the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland, because of the withdrawal of the Hungarian Uprising by the Warsaw Pact - furthermore the Melbourne Games were boycotted by Cambodia, Egypt, Iraq and the Lebanon, because of the Suez Crisis.

Related Topics:
1956 - Hungarian Uprising - Suez Crisis

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In 1968, 1972, and 1976, a large number of African countries threatened the IOC with a boycott, to force them to ban respectively South Africa, Rhodesia, and New Zealand. The IOC conceded in the first 2 cases, but refused in 1976 because the boycott was prompted by a New Zealand rugby union tour to South Africa, and rugby was not an Olympic sport. The countries withdrew their teams after the games had started; some African athletes had already competed. A lot of sympathy was felt for the athletes forced by their governments to leave the Olympic Village; there was little sympathy outside Africa for the governments' attitude. 22 countries (Guyana was the only non-African nation) boycotted the Montreal Olympics, because New Zealand wasn't banned.

Related Topics:
1968 - 1972 - 1976 - South Africa - Rhodesia - New Zealand - Rugby union - Montreal

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Also in 1976, Canada told the team from Taiwan that it could not compete at the Montreal Summer Olympics under the name 'Republic of China', despite a compromise that would have allowed Taiwan to use the ROC flag and anthem. Taiwan refused and did not participate as a result—until 1984 when it returned under the moniker 'Chinese Taipei'.

Related Topics:
Canada - Taiwan - Republic of China - ROC flag - Anthem - Chinese Taipei

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In 1980 and 1984 the cold war opponents boycotted each other's games. The United States and 64 other Western nations refused to compete at the Moscow Olympics in 1980, for reason of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, but 16 other Western nations competed at the Moscow Olympics. The Soviet Union and 14 of its Eastern Bloc partners countered by skipping the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, arguing the safety of their athletes could not be guaranteed there.

Related Topics:
1980 - 1984 - United States - Moscow Olympics in 1980 - Soviet invasion of Afghanistan - Soviet Union - Los Angeles Olympics in 1984

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In 1988, North Korea boycotted the Seoul Olympics to protest at not being made co-host with South Korea. Three other Communist nations (Cuba, Ethiopia and Nicaragua) stayed away in solidarity, though it was not officially announced as a boycott so as to avoid IOC censure.

Related Topics:
1988 - North Korea - Seoul Olympics - South Korea - Communist

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Iran's general sporting boycott of Israel is manifest not in explicit refusal to compete (which would attract sanctions) but in withdrawals due to "injuries" and similar reasons. During the 2004 Summer Games at Athens, Greece, judoka Arash Miresmaeili intentionally over ate, exceeding the weight-limit and forfeiting his match against Israeli Ehud Vaks; the first time this had happened at the Olympics.

Related Topics:
Iran - Israel - 2004 Summer Games - Athens, Greece - Judo - Arash Miresmaeili - Israeli - Ehud Vaks

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