2022 – Beijing, China: Outpouring Globally

Vivid colors flash across the immense network of LED display screens.  Percussions from powerful fireworks rumble the stadium seats.  Ceremonial music belts out through the multitude of high-end speakers.  Acrid grey smoke emitted by the aerial display wafts in the brisk nighttime air.

Everything is smoothly choreographed and efficiently optimized.  The setting and décor exude a winter wonderland.  This is a glorious celebration, welcoming a rapidly developing and productive country to the world.  For the second time already this century. 

The same “Bird’s Nest” stadium, built for the historic 2008 Summer Olympic Games, has been repurposed for this 2022 Winter rendition.  This is the first city ever to host both seasonal Olympiads.  For an event where all the mountain competitions have been publicized to be occurring on fake snow, it’s a surprisingly chilly at under 20°F in the arena this night. 

The Parade of Nations commences, each athlete and country allowed their own fleeting moment of glory on the global stage.  Sequentially, countries stroll out onto the pulsing walkway, translucent bright-blue base etched with white geometric lines that mimic cracked ice.   

An appropriate Chinese knot plaque, reminiscent of a snowflake, which is the theme of the entire event, is carried by a stocking and dress clad hostess of similar frosty aesthetics. The English text identifies each consecutive country in the procession. 

Aside from Greece entering first, and the host nation of China being last in line, the order is seemingly random.   

Turkey, their 7 athletes being the 2nd country to walk across the mock-frozen bridge. Norway directly preceding Kazakhstan.  A trio of “A” nations: Albania, Argentina, and Azerbaijan, alphabetically correct, but right in the middle of the lengthy parade. Thailand, ahead of the Netherlands, who’s ahead of Ireland.  The Czech Republic is irrationally 68th on the list.  Australia’s large contingent of participants, amusingly appearing 3rd to last.   

However, organizational clarity arrives with the realization that the countries are ordered based on the number of brush strokes in the 1st character of each nation’s Mandarin Chinese written name.  Thus, the seemingly random procession falls neatly in line, both metaphorically and figuratively.  

The groups range from 0 athletes, due to COVID testing and already ongoing events, to over 400 impassioned individuals, proudly representing their Chinese heritage.  Outfits are just as varied, from the full snowsuits rocked by several equatorial-inclined countries, to the bare chest and tradition patterned skirt of the lone representative from American Samoa.  

All told, over 2,500 participating athletes from over 90 nations eventually cross the stage. The proceedings are facilitated by countless local volunteers, including many children performers, both visible and behind the scenes. Unfortunately, this monumental effort is sparsely viewed, with attendance in the stadium under 50%, and worldwide Olympic TV viewership at the lowest level in decades. 

The entire tenor of the Opening Ceremony can be summed up simply by observing the activities of Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.  Perpetually unmasked, he sleeps through the Ukraine contingent’s entrance, then stands, clapping stoically as his Russian underlings traverse the stadium. 

In reality, this conglomerate of Olympians is completing under the ROC, or Russian Olympic Committee, moniker, a result of the International Olympic Committee, or IOC’s, 4-year ban in 2017 due to an exposed countrywide doping scandal.  This will be the last Olympics that the proud athletes of Russia are not allowed to compete for the flag of their homeland.   

While the communist dictators of China and Russia are prominently on display, several other political leaders are noticeably absent.  Many western nations, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States have chosen not to send any diplomatic representation to China; a protest for the various ongoing humanitarian atrocities purported to be perpetuated by the host nation. 

All of the live speeches, and television commentary, of the evening walk a fine line between the spirit of worldwide athletic competition, and the unavoidable global geopolitical tensions. 

Chinese leadership selecting a young cross-country skier of Uyghur Muslim descent to light the ceremonial torch. After the Opening Ceremony, this minority activist spoke out against Western world consensus of oppression, in favor of ongoing “reeducation” campaign in some parts of China. 

The IOC president, urging countries to honor the accepted Olympiad truce, a period which typically runs across a week on either side of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This message was reinforced by the multitude of Chinese children in cozy winter garb, raising lighted dove-shaped props, as they sang the event’s “Snowflake” theme song.  This message was clearly directed at one region of the world.  

The U.S. primetime Opening Ceremony TV broadcast, offering a carefully curated production to American viewers, with heavy focus on compassionate athlete stories. However, the typical well-known corporate sponsors, and heartwarming participant-inspired commercials, were decidedly absent as the network struggled to find a neutral platform in this polarized world.  [REF] & [REF]

1906 – Athens, Greece: Original Greenster

The American national anthem blares, as a pair of Old Glorys are raised, alongside a lone Union Jack.  The nearly 50,000 spectators in attendance politely nod their approval and appreciation for the trio of athletes on the podium. Suddenly, this tranquil scene of linear red, white, and blue hues is thrown into chromatic chaos.  

An emerald green flag, with canary yellow graphics, mysteriously appears, not hoisted in the traditional rope line manner, but instead using manual means, via a nimble human scaling the slender, 20-meter-tall, metal pole to display this additional banner. 

The golden logo on this new pendant is clearly visible, a stylized harp, with a multitude of shamrocks underneath. The “Erin Go Bragh”, a universally recognizable symbol of pride for one specific nation.  Ireland.   

While the American and British offerings float listlessly in the slight breeze, the new Irish contribution is waving vigorously, on account of the fervent, muscular arm grasping its top, left corner.  This appendage is attached to Peter O’Connor, a spry lad who has decided to repurpose his substantial jumping prowess into deft climbing.  

Considered the best track and field leaper in the world, he has just come in 2nd to his American archrival in the long jump, in a contest conveniently judged by the team manager of this adversity.  This sketchy scheme proved the last straw for O’Connor, who has been continually shafted since arriving in Athens.  Granted, his best effort was 0.125 meters short of his apparently superior competitor, a gap unlikely to be manipulated by any adjudication folly.  

Upon event registration just days before Peter, and his pair of compatriots, found out they couldn’t participate as Irish natives, due to the Gaelic Athletic Association’s failure to be recognized by the Olympic governing body.   

This was a staggering blow for 3 young men who rolled into town sporting the same green costumes which personify the landscape of their Irish homeland.  The only thing worse for a lover of the Irish Iles than being denied to compete under one’s own home flag is being lumped in as a Britt.    

O’Connor is credited as the first athlete to bring political protesting into the Olympic realm.  He earned a gold in the triple jump later in competition this same year, defeating his Irish countryman, but this time the duo decided not to climb the flagpole together.  

While this 1906 iteration was eventually dubbed the Intercalated Games, due to its 2-year off-Olympic cadence, the global participation and ancient Greek host site make this protest a noteworthy historical event.   

Peter O’Connor’s established the official long jump record in 1901, which stood as the Irish mark for an astounding 89 years.  Clearly, he was ahead of his time from both an athletic and political standpoint.  While O’Connor choose to go passionately rogue, independent Olympic participants would soon have a more neutral option by which to be represented.  

The now-ubiquitous, 5-ring, Olympic flag, originated less than 2 decades later for the 1920 Antwerp, Belgium Games, designed with each monochromic hoop representing a competing continent.  This interlinked symbol was meant to represent unification coming out of the global challenges of World War I and the Spanish flu.  Apparently, Oceania and Antarctica weren’t relevant back in the day. [REF] & [REF]  

1936 – Berlin, Germany: Onward Propaganda

The roar of the 110,000-person capacity crowd is thunderous, in this massive, modern stadium.  This is the activity which most in attendance, especially the host nation’s patrons, have been anxiously waiting for.

The event is a 4-person relay, but by the first handoff at the 100-meter mark, the competition is already essentially over, barring a baton gaff by the leading squad.  That’s what happens when you start off with the fastest sprinter in the world. 

The actual race takes less than 2/3rds of a minute for the winning team, with the victorious American quartet tallying a time of 39.8 seconds to be exact, a new Olympic record which will stand for another 20 years.  

The Italian squad comes in 2nd, 1.3 seconds behind, with the German’s settling for the bronze by only 1/10th of a second, the finest possible resolution for timepieces of this era. 

But the real story isn’t the result of the race, but the competitors in it.   

Jesse Owen’s won 4 gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games.  However, he wasn’t even planning to run in this track and field relay race.  His participation in this event shines a light on the political negations which occurred behind the scenes throughout this seemingly open, supportive celebration of sport.   

The two Americans, Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller, who were supposed to participate in the 4 x 100 meter relay were both Jewish, a seemingly irrelevant fact which was apparently quite important to coaching leadership of all teams involved in the race. These poor individuals, who suffered through the 9-day, rough seas, slow boat journey from New York to Berlin, never actually got to touch the track in competition.    

This unplanned athlete swap demonstrates the antisemitism and political posturing which personified the 1936 Games, and not just within the German ranks. 

Many consider Jesse Owens’ track and field accomplishments against the Nazi competition a testament to the flawed premise of Aryan race superiority, which it most certainly was.  However, during the 1930’s, African Americans and Jews alike were perpetually oppressed in the United States, especially in the South.  Through the practices of Jim Crow Laws and segregation tactics, these groups were not able to equitably compete in organized sports, or even general life.   

Owens’ success is a demonstration of athletic skill, and emotional fortitude, in the face of attrition, as opposed to one privileged nation dominating another.   

This was the first Olympics where global politics became evident and influential in the athletic proceedings. Germany was awarded these Summer Games before the Hitler and the Nazis came to power, and they used this convenient worldwide stage to push a savvy propaganda campaign.   

The Nazi platform claimed heir to the classic Greek antiquity culture, a key part of Olympic heritage, by touting athletic prowess and physical beauty which even the gods would aspire to.  Participation in sport was heavily encouraged across Germany, primarily to demonstrate the preeminence of the Aryan race. 

Hitler and his cronies even took the time to develop plans for a stadium which they envisioned would theoretically become the permanent Summer Olympiad home of the future. 

While the Germans executed a lovely show on the worldwide stage, with modern venues, and lavish parties, they had been banning Jewish citizens from formal athletics for several years leading up to large-scale public display.   

Many nations threaded to boycott these Summer Games in Berlin, but most major countries, include the United States, attended these contentious competitions, which unfortunately foreshadowed more sinister events to come. Spain, on the premise of social labor practices, and Ireland, touting independent governance, did boycott this event, in what turned out to be psychic foresight. 

This political escalation played out over the next several Olympic cycles.   

Japan was awarded the 1940 Summer Games in 1936, and would have been the first non-Western country to host an Olympiad.  However, World War II caused the subsequent pair of quadrennial occurrences to be cancelled, with Japan and Germany understandable not being invited in 1948, when the global competition resumed in London, England. 

There is one tradition which carries on from Berlin 1936.  The now-ubiquitous Olympic relay, culminating with the lighting of the new torch with the perpetual flame.  The original route snaked through Europe, starting in Athens, Greece, and ending in Berlin, Germany.  

Ironically, Hitler eventually retraced in reverse the path of this Olympic torch relay, with the Axis powers conquering every country along the way.  Among the millions to die in the Holocaust were at least 11 athletic participants from the 1936 Olympics.  [REF] & [REF]

1956 – Melbourne, Australia: Obvious Bloodshed

The dark-brown, leather-paneled, ball flies through the air, shedding tiny droplets of water as it rotates.  Grazing a rubber swim cap, nicking a bent elbow, piercing a frothy splash, then eluding a paw of outstretched fingers, the object is finally stopped.  By a white mesh of sturdy netting.  It’s a goal.

Almost immediately, the yellow bulb-lit scoreboard above the pool increments up one digit.  The documented tally now reads Hungary 4 – Russia 0, late in the second half.  This is a drumming; a dominant performance by one team against their arch enemy, in every sense of the word. 

Minutes later, with just 90 seconds remaining on the clock, the ref’s whistle blows to identify a coach’s time out, and the players come to a temporary halt.  However, one battle between two combatants continues in the corner of the pool well after the stoppage.  

While not captured on camera, it’s clear to all those in attendance for this match that something is amiss. 

Ervin Zádor, Hungary’s star player, having already tallied half the goals on the board, exits the pool, red liquid gushing from a cut over his right eye.  The polarized and incensed crowd, already decidedly pro-freedom, is now whipped into a frenzy.  Fighting between spectators ensues, exceedingly even the hidden, underwater violence between these Eastern European combatants over the past 32 minutes.  

With chaos abounding, both in the pool and in the stands, the officials, with the aid of police reinforcement, have no choice but to call the game.  Understandably, in Hungary’s favor. 

Bloodshed in the water that day mimicked bloodshed on the battlefield less than a month earlier. This contest personified not only the pinnacle of men’s water polo, but also the same region’s geopolitical tensions.   

Two weeks prior to the match, the Soviet Union crushed the Hungarian Revolution in a violent conflict.  The uprising was started with peaceful protests from students in Budapest at end of October.  Within a week, Russian tanks and soldiers rolled in, overwhelming the local Hungary protesters, and killing 20k citizens. 

Hungary, coming off the men’s water polo gold in 1952, was the odds-on favorite to win the competition again. The teammates, already the best in the world, were further impassioned by the atrocities in their homeland, which they were forced to watch with the world from their hotel rooms in the opposite hemisphere, halfway around the world. Hence the December timeframe for these 1956 Summer Games. 

In these troubled times, the Hungarian players came up with a match strategy to taunt and incite the Russians into violence.  Water polo, already physical game, kicked up another level in the pool that day. 

Hungary went on to beat Yugoslavia 2-1 to win the gold medal, their 4th Olympic title in men’s water polo. Unfortunately, Zádor was not able to compete due to injuries sustained in the semifinal match. 

While many Hungarians chose to attend with 1956 Games despite the tumult along the Soviet border, others were less committal.  The countries of the Lichtenstein, Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland all skipped the proceedings in solidarity and support of Hungary.   

This Olympic year represented the first wave of countrywide boycotts by individual nations.   China chose not to participate due to the acknowledgment of an independent Taiwan by the IOC, a recurring theme which also came up in 1960 and 1976, before the official island moniker of Chinese Taipei became recognized.  Egypt, Iraq, and Lebanon all passed on attending, based on the drama surrounding Egypt’s nationalization of the Suez Canal.   

In typical fashion during times of geopolitical turmoil, the United States government got heavily involved; coordinating the defection of 46 athletes at the 1956 Olympics, including several Hungarian water polo players.  In fact, Ervin Zádor settled in California as a swim coach, counting the legendary American Olympic diver Mark Spitz among his star pupils. 

Athlete defection understandably started coming out of World War II, motivated primarily by desire for elite competition, as opposed to basic physical safety.  However, the 1956 iteration of the Olympic Games proved more that any prior that it’s impossible to separate sports from politics. 

On a positive note, this was the first year that athletes from all nations walked together intermixed in the Closing Ceremony.  This is a unifying Olympiad tradition which continues to this day.  [REF] & [REF]   

1980 – Moscow, U.S.S.R.: Outright War

It’s the 16th straight day of Olympic competition.  And the last of this Summer Games.

Speaking of competition, this final event doesn’t entail much.  A trio of medals which have been fiercely battled for by over 50 competitors in recent Olympiads, are now going to be allocated between just 16 participants.  Thus, nearly 20% of the qualifying athletes will be going home happy. 

This sport requires a lot more than simply human prowess.  Robust, newly built, red brick walls.  Finely tailored outfits, with more regard given to fashion than function.  Wooden poles, to girthy for handheld operation. Precisely manicured grass, which quickly deteriorates during competition. Most importantly, a second, equally critical, mammalian participant. 

Considering the depleted line-up, there’s one country who feels especially confident.  The host country of the Soviet Union.  Considering the men’s squad has already earned a collaborative team gold for this discipline in dominant fashion, multiple individual accolades are essentially guaranteed.  

Each horse and rider, participating as a harmonized unit, take to the course sequentially. After 2 rounds of competition, with the lowest score counterintuitively determining the winner, the podium is filled.  Just hours before the Closing Ceremony, the final judging decisions of these Games are made.

In an event where the U.S.S.R. was bullish to sweep the podium, their best rider lost the gold to Poland, their Eastern European understudy, by just 1.5 points.  The bronze also eluded the grasp of the remaining Soviet mounts.

Despite this final failure in a relative sense, during the past few weeks, a venerable wealth of riches was amassed by the host nation.

The disappointing silver medal earned in this men’s individual equestrian jumping competition brought the Soviet Union’s tally to an absurd 195 metal discs of varying color and composition.  This is a record total for a single country which still stands to this day.  The U.S.S.R. garnered over 30% of the total available prizes this year.

Granted, the opposition in 1980 wasn’t exactly robust.  The most prolific jumpers in the world, be they human or horse, from Europe to North America, were nowhere to be found. 

65 countries, led by the United States under the presidential guidance of Jimmy Carter, protested these Summer Games, based on the Soviet Union’s recent invasion of Afghanistan.  Carter even utilized boxer Muhammad Ali to drum up support for the boycott, via a propaganda trip through Africa.  

Many Islamic nations chose not to partake, but surprisingly several Afghani athletes competed. Despite American leaders’ goal for a complete boycott, a few European allies: Britain, France, Greece, and Italy, who have been key participants since the original Olympics, decided to participate.

Overall, only 80 nations attended in 1980, down from a peak of 121 in 1972.  Even within countries there was misalignment, as individuals from 15 participating regions rocking the Olympic Ring flag, instead of their own nation’s banner.  This unifying act was clearly meant to symbolize the separation of historical sports participation from the more modern political strategizing. 

The use of widespread boycotts as a political statement actually started 4 years earlier in 1976.  During this iteration, 28 African nations pulled out just days before Summer Games in the Montreal, Canada.

This unified protest was a result of the New Zealand rugby team choosing to participate in a 3-month tour in racially segregated nation of South Africa.  When the IOC did not take action against New Zealand, pretty much the entire country of Africa, led by Tanzania, shunned the Games.  

Even Egypt joined the cause, after competing for the first 3 days.  This widespread dissent resulted in substantial financial tourism loss for the country of Canada, inconveniently during their first time hosting. 

While the 1980 protests proved to boon to the Soviet Union from a performance standpoint, and was less influential on their economy in these times of polarized global travel, they choose to return the favor when the opportunity presented itself.

4 years later, with Los Angeles holding the Olympic Games, the entire Warsaw Pact, precipitated by the U.S.S.R, don’t compete.  This boycott was a direct retaliation from the United States’ actions during the previous Summer Olympiad. 

East Germany and Cuba also join the protest in 1980, despite the multitude of competitive athletes these nations possessed.  During the heart of the Cold War, with increasing military tensions between the two dominant world powers ramping up, every facet of life was affected, including sports.

This global athletic clash began way back in 1952, at the Summer Games in Helsinki, Finland, when the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R. predictably came in 1st and 2nd in the medal count.  And so, the battle between capitalism and communism, in all manner of combative venues, was born.

The disagreement of governance styles continued in 1988, sparked by public elections held in the host city of Seoul, South Korea right before the Games; a clear strategic ploy to highlight their commitment to the democratic process.  Immediately, the nations of North Korea, Cuba, Ethiopia, and Nicaragua displayed communist allegiance by skipping the Olympics.  

The pair of nations on the Korean Peninsula wouldn’t truly make peace until Pyongyang hosted the 2018 Winter Games. 

It wasn’t until the post-Cold War games of 1992 in Barcelona, Spain that the entire world reunited in athletic competition.  This period of global stability saw Germany compete under one flag for the first time in several decades.  After the fall of the U.S.S.R., many new Eastern European nations including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovenia all participated as independent nations.  Even South Africa returned to the Olympiad in 1992, after a 32-year ban due to apartheid.  

The unifying athletic spirit of the Games had finally returned to its intended glory.  [REF] & [REF]

2014 – Sochi, Russia: Objective Governance

The weather is balmy, as evidenced by the multitude of humans tanning on the sand, lounging in the park, and meandering on the streets.  There’s a reason this remote resort town on the northeast coast of the Black Sea is popular for summer tourists, who flock from near and far.  

Off-season traffic at this holiday locale is decidedly lighter.  Except this year. 

That’s what happens when you host a Winter Olympics in a beach town.  In fact, throughout these entire Games, the weather has averaged over 50°F, and the thermometer has never dipped below freezing, day or night.  A winter wonderland indeed. 

These Sochi Olympics have been plagued by a venerable cornucopia of controversies.  Protests demanding admission of the Corinthian Genocide which occurred throughout the 19th century.  A general lack of honest, democratic governance in the host country.  The blatant disregard for LGBT rights of both citizens and visitors alike. 

And that’s before considering the sub-standard event venues, poor climate for frozen activities, and logistical difficulties of athlete travel.  This entire Olympiad was personified by disparate opinions.   

An open letter penned by over 200 prominent writers, intellectuals, and scientists in protest of Russia’s anti-gay policies.  President Xi’s first attendance at a major sporting event since becoming China’s president in 2012.  These are just a few of the opinionated incongruencies. 

Considering this multitude of dynamic factors, it’s no surprise that the first “political boycott” of the Olympic Games occurred in 2014.  The top leaders of Britain, France, Germany, and the United States all refrained from attending the Opening Ceremony, where such influential dignitaries are typically present. 

Granted, the long, logistically complex, trip required to visit Sochi likely didn’t hurt.  In their stead, many countries sent openly gay representatives, in direct opposition to Russia’s harsh societal practices.  And thus, the Olympiad developed another layer of political posturing, while still allowing the athletes, who the entire event is meant to highlight, to participate unencumbered.  

There’s one individual who became especially vocal about the importance of separating governance goals from athletic aspirations at this time.  The current International Olympic Committee president, Thomas Bach, who made his mind known shortly after the Western dignitaries failed to show in Sochi, with the following public statement. 

“Sport can only contribute to the development of peace if it’s not used as a stage for political dissent.” 

Granted, there’s no shortage of ulterior motives surrounding this comment, like nearly all IOC communications and actions throughout the years.

Thomas Bach was a former Olympic gold medalist, as a member of the foil fencing team.  Ironically, his ultimate physical achievement was earned in 1976 in Montreal, and the boycott of the Soviet Union by his West German homeland in 1980 kept him from winning more medals.   

His hatred still burns, as his ongoing presidency at the IOC is highlighted by the 4-year ban of Russia during the 2017 doping scandal.  As with many elements of Olympic location and participation, motives and results are inexorably intertwined.   

The International Olympic Committee, dubbed as a neutral, independent, governing body, is not exactly an impartial entity.  It’s hard for any organization driven by money and power to act nobility. 

The list of suspect activities within the IOC is lengthy, and growing every year. 

This almighty, power-tripping, organization has a history of directly banning countries for all manner of reasons, from war activities to apartheid to doping scandals.  While many of these exclusions were completely justified, its often the countries which are not banned from competition who draw the most attention.  Not surprisingly, these judgments often involve polarizing politics and monetary incentives.   

The recently conducted Tokyo 2021 Summer Games is a perfect example of this administrative hypocrisy.  

There were many globally, and the Japanese citizenry in particular, who thought the risk of bringing a worldwide contingent together during a pandemic was not worth the risk.  However, the overwhelming financial considerations, in the form of TV broadcast contracts, and venue construction costs, predictable won out.   

Beyond the inequitable humanitarian issues associated with the COVID-19 virus spread and support in developed versus emerging lands, several other troubling IOC-related topics surfaced in the global media.   

The country of Myanmar competed in 2021, despite claims of Muslim genocide, plus an ongoing anti-democratic coup.  Meanwhile, despite details surfacing that a qualifying Olympic wrestling participant was executed without due legal process, other, apparently thoroughly vetted, Iraqi athletes joined the Parade of Nations in Tokyo.  

The delaying of the entire Japan operation by a year, the first time ever the Olympics have been rescheduled as opposed to cancelled, did little to dissipate these atrocities.   

Under the cover of the seemingly independent Olympic flag, the IOC chooses to provide an awkward outlet for oppressed athletes, rather than taking a bold stance against oppressive countries.  This approach clearly favors nations over individuals, and paves the way for continued alignment with the dignitaries who pay the IOC’s bills. 

Another source of constant frustration is the IOC Charter Rule #50, which prohibits athletes from showing any political gestures at Olympic events.  This falls under the IOC’s overarching sentiment that “sport is neutral and must be separate from political, religious or any other type of interference.” 

There are numerous precedents where this ruling was invoked, most notably the infamous “Black Power” display by American sprinters on the Mexico City podium in 1968.  However, in this current age of perpetual social networking and individual self-expression, this archaic mandate is becoming increasing impossible for the IOC to regulate and enforce.   

Official uniform accoutrements.  TV interview content.  Equipment brand logos.  Innocuous hand gestures.  Online social media posts.  Peeing in the snow.  Where does the line get drawn?   

These days, messaging regarding racial and gender inequity are part of everyday life, with the opposing sides on many issues becoming increasingly polarized.  With the benefit of time, many individual’s protests of the past, which were vehemently shunned by the IOC on the spot, have aged well with time.   

This phenomenon will likely be the same for future proactive statements made by young, impassioned athletes, in the face of ancient, stodgy administrators.  It feels like being back in high school, except on the national stage this time. 

Without an official enforcement presence on the ground, demonstrations outside of the Olympic venues are dictated by and regulated by local government protocols.  This IOC policy provides broad leeway for authoritative regimes, a classification which nearly every major government in the world currently falls into. 

Issues have been raised about how independent the IOC actually is.  This organization’s existence relies on donations from large nations and continuing revenue from Olympic activities.  That’s probably as far as anyone needs to dig to reveal their true motivations.  

While this important Olympic governing body espouses equity through participation in sport, behind the scenes their actions are much more muddled.  [REF]  & [REF]

Paris Summer 2024 . . . Milan Winter 2026 . . . Los Angeles 2028: Obvious Conflicts

The disappearance of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, shortly after she made sexual assault allegations against a top Communist Party member, is a microcosm of how the Olympic Games have devolved.  After worldwide uproar, Shuai reappeared, seemingly unharmed, in a series of short social media videos, which reeked of government manipulated content.  

This is what the previously inspirational worldwide sporting celebration has a deteriorated to. 

China’s humanitarian challenges are perpetually a topic of interest, with the Olympic global media stage amplifying the issues even more.  The 2008 Summer gathering was plagued by atrocities in Tibet and unhealth migrant labor practices in rural areas.  This 2022 Winter iteration is highlighting sterilization of the Uyghur people and hindered democracy in Hong Kong. 

As a result, political boycotts may be justified, provided the motives are pure, and the stance taken effective in driving change.  It’s not clear that a few nations’ Presidents not attending the Opening Ceremony accomplishes either goal.    

During the past few Olympic cycles, far fewer dignitaries were already traveling due to COVID-19 restrictions. Apparently, even the rich are hindered by the same masking, mobility, quarantine, and testing hindrances which torment the commoners.  Therefore, these VIP boycotts are largely a display of pompous showmanship and political posturing. 

The biggest losers are the elite athletes, many of whom make long journeys, away from their family and friends, to participate in spirited competition against their adversarial colleagues.  This small segment of individuals devotes the most productive years of their life into training for a single event which only occurs every 4 years. 

At least most leaders have realized that full country or region Olympic boycotts are very detrimental to these athletes.  These individuals only get a few opportunities to participate at peak physical performance in their lifetime.  In this regard, diplomatic boycotts may be a better approach.  There’s no need for additional politics in this already polarized world, but ruining the dreams of aspiring Olympians is even worse. 

Fortunately, geopolitical activity at the Olympic Games throughout history has been generally passive.  Of course, there is one notable exception.  Summer 1972 in Munich, Germany, which ended with a decidedly unfortunate and deadly series of events.   

Predicable involving one of the most volatile regions of the world for several millennia, the Israeli versus Palestinian religious conflict took center stage in early September of 1972.   

What started as a simple hostage situation quickly deteriorated.  2 Israeli athletes were killed in the original act at the Olympic dormitories.  By the end of a botched negation, which lead to an airport tarmac fire fight, 17 individuals, including all 11 hostages, and 1 police officer, were dead.  Most of the activity during this tenuous 24-hour period played out on the worldwide television stage, with understandable outrage and backlash.  

Unfortunately, this more aggressive terrorist action may be a harbinger of activity to come in the future.  The Olympics are one of the few events which are truly global, with participants from every corner of the world in attendance. 

While worldwide access to information has rapidly accelerated in recent years, the curation and manipulation of such feeds has changed equally quickly.  Simply examining the social media reporting disparities from the Beijing 2022 Opening Ceremony demonstrates the general polarization of global geopolitics, not just between nations, but also within them.   

While this 2022 Winter celebration of athletic prowess is certainly not tainted by geopolitical tensions as much as many past Olympiads, it paints a clear picture regarding where the future of this event is headed.  A worldwide gathering meant to celebrate physical human potential and the unifying power of sport is being reduced to dogmatic partisan theatre.  Unfortunately, this political posturing is unlikely to subside in subsequent years.   

To this day, host countries continue to use the global stage provided by the Games as a platform for their propaganda agenda, whatever it may be.  Specific motivations have changed over time, but the desired for political influence remains evergreen. 

It’s undeniable there’s a need to separate sports from government, especially in this increasingly polarized world. The restriction of free speech and open display by the IOC is not helping the situation.  Ironically, in this twisted world, neutrality is now a political statement. 

The Olympic Games used to capture the eyes and hearts of the world, with impassioned storylines of underdog overachievement and generational dominance.  However, in recent years, the storylines have shifted to mocking outfits, criticizing judges, and bashing stadiums.   

The elite athletes who used to be the focus of the display have now become an afterthought in many cases. Hopefully, the Olympiad can return to the original Grecian glory of the 1st century BC, which the current quadrennial athletic gatherings are meant to honor.  [REF] & [REF]

Olympic Oddities:

• Breakdown of every nation in the 2022 Beijing Parade of Nations with information on order of entry, # of participants, and selected attire.  [REF]

• Emblazoned political diatribe on the 2022 Beijing Opening Ceremony which is decidedly Western-leaning, but still offers valid points for both sides in this political theatre.  [REF]

• The unknown tale of Marty Glickman, the Jewish-American who lost his spot to Jesse Owens on the 1936 relay team, but went on to become a revered sports commentator in New York City.  [REF]

• Freedom’s Fury is a riveting documentary on 1956 Olympic semifinal men’s water polo match between Hungary and the Soviet Union, incorporating all the geopolitical turmoil associated with this match.  [REF]

• Details on the cost to host each Olympics this century, with Sochi, Russia 2014 topping the list.  [REF]

• Well-written piece describing the ineptitude of IOC presidents throughout history, with explanation of their ulterior motives.  [REF]

• Amazing curated breakdown Olympic activity by country, not just over time, but also organized by sport.  Some nations are just better at some events.  [REF]