Olympics and Politics

As the Olympic games start today it is only fitting to do a spot on them.

The charter for the Olympics is for people to put aside their differences for a short period of time and enjoy the camaraderie of each other, and compete for the joy of sports. It was meant as a time for politics and rivalry to be left behind.

The reality of the Olympics is the competitiveness exhibited between rival countries, and the political games sometimes played between nations. Here are some of the most notable moments where politics was an Olympic event.

• 1936 Berlin: Jesse Owens vs Hitler
• 1952 Helsinki: Eastern bloc refuses to share Olympic Village
• 1956 Melbourne: Suez crisis and Soviet invasion of Hungary overshadow Games
• 1964 Tokyo: South Africa not invited because of Apartheid
• 1968 Mexico: Mexican Massacre
• 1972 Munich: Munich Massacre
• 1976 Montreal: 22 African nations boycott over apartheid
• 1980 Moscow: US, West Germany and Japan boycott
• 1984 Los Angeles: Soviet team holds revenge boycott

But not all political ties to the Olympics are bad. In an era when the cold war was at its peak, a team comprised of mainly no-names, led by coach Herb Brooks defeated a Russian powerhouse that had not been beaten in more than a decade.

The moment was the sports version of the space-race and has been dubbed Miracle on Ice.