Image taken on 2009-05-30 05:24:14 by janusz l.

This August (8th-24th) sees Beijing, China, hosting the games of the X X I X Olympiad. Below is listed a potted history of the Olympic games from 1960 to date including a few interesting facts about each games.

Rome 1960

Rome had been chosen to stage the 1908 Games, but the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in southern Italy had intervened. It was some 52 years later that the Games finally arrived in the Italian capital. The Rome games were broadcast by television to all European countries and were watched by millions. However, the competitions themselves were overshadowed by the rivalry between the US and the USSR. In the final medal table the USSR finished ahead of the US by 43 to 34 gold medals.

Olympic Highlights

Running barefoot, Ethiopian athlete Abebe Bikila did not go unnoticed when he entered the marathon. He refused to be daunted by the condescending remarks and left all his opponents behind to cross the finishing line victorious, near Constantine’s triumphal arch.

Aged 20, Wilma Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold athletics medals in one Olympiad: in the 100m, 200m and 4×100m relay. She achieved this extraordinary feat despite suffering from a string of childhood illnesses and recovering from a deformed leg caused by polio.

Cassius Marcellus Clay, later known as Muhammed Ali first came to international prominence by winning the light-heavyweight gold medal. He would later turn professional and embark on a phenomenal career.

Tokyo 1964

For the first time, the Olympic Games were hosted in Asia, Japan invested heavily in the most modern sports facilities as well as in improving the infrastructure of a city containing over 10 million people.

The extraordinary architectural design of the swimming stadium led to it being described as a “cathedral of sports”. Other outstanding new buildings included the judo hall, which was modelled on the architectural style of traditional Japanese temples.

The opening ceremony offered a glimpse into how record-breaking the competition would be, when teams from 93 nations (10 more than participated in Rome) paraded into the Meiji Stadium. However, the high standards set by athletes at the Tokyo Games led some critics to warn about exaggerated expectations for the future development of the Olympic disciplines.

Olympic Highlights

Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser won her third successive gold medal in the 100m freestyle. She was the first woman swimmer to win eight medals (four gold and four silver) – over three Olympics.

Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina added six more medals to her tally, becoming the first woman to win nine Olympic gold medals.

Deszo Gyarmati won gold with the Hungarian water polo team, thus achieving the (then) unique feat of winning medals at five successive Olympic Games

Mexico City 1968

Mexico City’s high altitude – almost 2,240m (7,350ft) above sea level dominated much of the pre-Games discussion: the consensus being that athletes from lowland countries would be at a disadvantage. However several weeks of high-altitude training enhanced the performances of many of these athletes.

There were violent riots in the run-up to the Games, following complaints about the exorbitant amounts of money being invested in Olympic facilities in contrast to Mexico’s own social problems.

Controversy also arose over South Africa’s participation at these Games and the IOC withdrew its invitation under pressure. Doping controls were introduced for the first time and a Swedish athlete was disqualified for having too much alcohol in his bloodstream.

Olympic Highlights

American Bob Beamon was the favourite in the long jump but he exceeded all expectations. His jump of 8.90m beat the world record by 0.55m.

Czech gymnast Vera Caslavska won four gold and two silver medals. These victories were given extra significance by beating the Soviet gymnasts shortly after Soviet tanks had invaded her homeland.

American Debbie Meyer became the first woman swimmer to win three individual gold medals at one Olympic Games.

Munich 1972

The 1972 Munich Games were the largest yet, setting records in all categories, with 195 events and 7,134 athletes from 121 nations. The Games were supposed to celebrate peace, and for the first 10 days all went well.

But in the early morning of 5 September, eight Palestinian terrorists broke into the Olympic village, killed two members of the Israeli team, and took nine more hostage. In the ensuing battle, all nine Israeli hostages were killed, along with five of the terrorists, and one policeman.

The Olympics were suspended and a memorial service was held in the main stadium. In defiance of the terrorists, the International Olympic Committee ordered the competitions to resume after a pause of 34 hours. All other details about the Munich Games paled in significance.

Olympic Highlights

Finnish distance runner Lasse Viren fell halfway through the 10,000m final, but still set a new world record to win the first of his four career gold medals.

The media star of the Munich Games was the petite Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut, whose three gold medals helped establish Soviet dominance in the female gymnastics events and captured the attention of fans worldwide.

Montreal 1976

The 1976 Montreal Games were marred by the boycott of 22 African nations protesting the fact that despite the New Zealand rugby team touring South Africa in defiance of international sporting sanctions, New Zealand was still allowed to compete. To compound the situation, the host nation suffered an unusually long winter, industrial disputes, and a lack of funds, which made it impossible to finish work on the Olympic facilities in time for the opening ceremony.

However, the performances of the athletes did not suffer from the political and national disputes. Despite the problems, the Games were well organized and, following the 1972 terrorist attack in Munich, security was tight.

Olympic Highlights

Nadia Comaneci was the star of the Games. She achieved her first perfect 10 on the uneven parallel bars, and the judges awarded her the maximum mark seven times.

With his victory in platform diving, Italian Klaus Dibiasi became the first Olympic diver to win three successive gold medals, and to win medals in four Olympic Games.

The US and East Germany dominated the swimming events. Only Great Britain’s David Wilkie and the Soviet Union’s Marina Koshevaya (both winning their 200m finals in record times) upset the monopoly.

Moscow 1980

As a result of the US-led boycott in protest at the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, only 80 countries were represented at the Moscow Games. : Notable absentees included Japan, West Germany, and the US.

Western countries have frequently referred to the Moscow Games as being of a low standard, and have raised doubts about the sporting value of the results and medals. Nonetheless, although not of the highest calibre, the Moscow Games were hardly sub-standard: 36 world records, 39 European records, and 73 Olympic records bore testimony to the high level of talent and competition on display.

Olympic Highlights

Soviet swimmer Vladimir Salnikov won three gold medals: in the 400m and 1,500m freestyle, and 4×200m relay. He was also the first to swim 1,500m in a time of less than 15 minutes.

British middle-distance runners Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe faced each other in two memorable duels. In the 800m, Ovett won the gold medal just ahead of his compatriot. Six days later, a determined Coe redeemed himself in the 1,500m, taking gold while Ovett could only manage bronze.

By winning the decathlon, Great Britain’s Daley Thompson became “king of the athletes”, beating home crowd favourite Yuri Kutsenko into second place.

Los Angeles 1984

Although a revenge boycott led by the Soviet Union depleted the field in certain sports, a record 140 nations took part in the first privately funded tournament in Olympic history.

More than 30 sponsors together contributed more than $500 million, while other companies funded the building of new sports facilities, in a deal that allowed them to advertise on the admission tickets.

The ABC television network paid $225 million for the exclusive television rights, thereby ensuring that most events started in the evenings during prime television time in the US. With these vast amounts of money involved, many critics held the view that what had once been a festival of amateur sport was now a purely commercial spectacle.

Olympic Highlights

American diver Greg Louganis remained unbeaten from the 3m springboard as well as from the 10m platform.

Sebastian Coe became the first repeat winner of the men’s 1,500m.

In the women’s 400m hurdles, Nawal El Moutawakel led from start to finish, becoming the first Moroccan athlete to win a gold medal.

British decathlete gold medallist Daley Thompson finished just one point off the world record.

The men’s competition is another story. There are several skaters with gold in their sites, and with the new judging system, the way to the top of the podium has opened up. The two favourites are Yevgeny Plushenko, coming out of retirement to attempt to match his gold from Torino in 2006. Back to back Olympic Gold medal in Men’s has not been accomplished in almost six decades. Plushenko is 27, and he rose to fame and gold medals in a time when great jumping, especially the ability to do a quad jump, was applauded over spins, steps and transitions. The new judging system might not be in his favour.

Another skater likely to be in the medals is Evan Lysacek from the United States. He is the reigning world champion and he focuses less on jumps and more on other elements. So it will be old versus new, but with others also looking for gold. Two other former world champions, Stephane Lambiel and Brian Joubert can do quads and they are both planning two of them in their free program, matching what Plushenko plans. The last two mens’ world champions have not done quads, so that gold is up for grabs, spins and jumps.

In Ice Dancing, the Russian couple of Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin won the 2009 World Ice Dance Championships. They seem favoured to win, but will face the French couple of Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder, who won the championships in 2008, but did not compete in 2009. The surprise here might be the United States 2009 and 2010 Ice Dance Champions, Meryl Davis and Charlie White. And the couple with home ice advantage, Canadian Ice Dance Champions, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are ready for gold.

In the women’s competition, 19 year old Kim Yu-Na, of South Korea is heavily favoured. She is the 2009 World Figure Skating Champion and the 2009 Four Continents champion. She won the South Korean National figure skating title five times and has a string of other successes. She is the 2007 and 2008 World figure skating bronze medallist, the 2007 Grand Prix Final champion, and in 2006 she was the World Junior figure skating champion and the Junior Grand Prix Final Champion. Kin Yu-Na might be hard to beat, with her unique Yu-Na spin, and perhaps cheered on by Canadians, since she has been training in Toronto with 1988 Men’s Silver Medallist, Canadian, Brian Orser.

The Olympics provide a stage for the entire world to, not only watch sports, but also fight for beliefs.  Yet in recent Olympic history, the world has ignored the true calling of the Olympics.

The 2008 Olympics comes at a time when the first African American is running for the U.S. Presidency, Tibet is fighting for freedom from China, and Iraq is searching for its identity from the coalition, among many other world issues.  Why then has the Olympic Committee decided to hold the Olympics in China?

Given the current state of international affairs, many human beings do not respect the decision to hold the Olympics in China. 

On the other hand, China may be the perfect place to make a political statement. 

Often times, athletes in the Olympics are fighting for rights or freedoms in their home countries.  If the world believes that China has violated human rights and freedoms, then what better place is there to bring the world’s eyes to the attention of human injustice?  And who better to protest than the athletes themselves?

The 1968 Olympics is a perfect example of how a controversial location and an unstable international climate could lead to an everlasting memory of the human spirit and a symbol of rights and freedom for oppressed people across the globe.

Mexico City was a turbulant place when the Olympics moved in.  And 1968 was a time of wars and international unrest—America itself was fighting an internal freedom struggle. 

The Vietnam war was in full swing entering its ninth year and Martin Luther King Jr. died shortly before the Olympics in April of 1968. The world, alongside of America, would mourn.

Mexico City was plagued with violence.  Many young citizens of Mexico believed the Olympics was a waste of social funding and authority.  Mexican student protesters were massacred a few days before the Olympics and nearly 300 died. 

The world’s eyes were on the 1968 Olympics not only for the joy and fuffilment of watching the athletes and believing in passion but also because of the international and political climate of the time.

San Jose University African American track runners, John Carlos and Tommie Smith, understood then that this was an opportunity for them to peacefully protest the injustices of the U.S. racial system and the hopelessness of human rights injustices around the world.

Smith took the gold with an impressive 19.5 second 200 meter run.  Carlos finished with a bronze.

The two solemnly walked to the podium where they were adorned with flowers and medals. Both men wore black socks with no shoes and sported human rights badges.  They climbed the podium and their black socks clashed with the white boxes beneath their feet.

Slowly the national anthem began to play.  Both men bowed their heads and proudly raised a fist encased in a black glove into the air in the black power salute. 

These men were good enough to compete for their country but were not good enough to share the liberties that other Americans enjoyed. They understood that.

They used the controversial stage set at the Mexico City Olympics to their advantage.

While they were barred from further competition in the Olympics and were not heroically received in the U.S., Carlos and Smith are looked upon as heroes of the civil rights movements and heroes of human rights around the world.

China, much like Mexico City, is a controversial place to hold the Olympics.  The Iraq war, much like the Vietnam War, is a controversial war.  The Tibetan Freedom Fight, much like the African American Freedom Fight, is one that the world is watching.

If the actions of two men in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City can be a part of the reason why an African American man can run for the 2008 presidential seat, then China is the perfect stage to set the Olympics. 

The world should not boycott the Olympics for its location—instead the world should celebrate the athletes who made the games, and the athletes should use the Olympics to make a small, yet meaningful, difference.

http://www.ishoesclub.com/olympic/html/article_90.html

With news stories focusing on human rights abuse, terrorism, air pollution and doping, it seems that the Olympics are not what they once were. The long-awaited Beijing Olympic Games finally begin this Friday but can they transcend the politics? Can we still be touched by the Olympic spirit?

Growing up in the 1980s, my Olympic heroes were Coe, Ovett and Cram, Carl Lewis, Daley Thompson, and Torvill and Dean. I loved the story of Jesse Owens versus the Nazis and even our feeble Eddie the Eagle pulled at the heartstrings. Into the 1990s and beyond, Redgrave, Pinsent and Co were proper Olympians with Kelly Holmes and Amir Khan providing some inspirational Olympic stories in 2004.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be looking out for our men’s fours rowing team and little Tom Daley, diving for team GB at just 14 years old. But repression of political activists, detention without trial – featuring the scary Re-education Through Labour (RTL) scheme – and censorship in China are unfortunately overshadowing the competition for me and many others at the moment.

This is a great shame for the athletes involved but actually nothing new. Politics have been prominent in the Olympic Games since 1936 when Hitler hijacked them as a piece of Nazi propaganda. Happily, black athletes like the American Jesse Owens were there to dispel the myth of Aryan supremacy.

The 1956 Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia were boycotted by various nations for numerous reasons and 1968 saw the volatile Mexico City games. Two black American medallists, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, gave the black power salute during the United States anthem and were subsequently expelled from the games. Student protesters also tried to use the Olympics to raise awareness of the authoritarian Mexican government.

Tragically, this ultimately culminated in the gunning down of more than 200 protesters by government forces in October 1968, just days before the games began. It emerged many years later that the US government had supported the Mexican authorities with weapons, ammunition, radios and riot control training in an attempt to prevent disruption to the Olympic Games.

The Munich games in 1972 were hijacked by Palestinian terrorists, with eleven Israeli athletes being kidnapped and eventually killed. Hard to imagine how the Olympics could recover from such a shocking event.

In 1976 the Olympics in Montreal were riddled with boycotts, drug allegations and debts. The 1980 Olympics saw the largest boycott ever with the United States and 61 other countries refusing to enter the games in protest against the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan. In response, the USSR, East Germany, Cuba and 14 other nations boycotted the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. Incidentally, this was the first Olympic games for the People’s Republic of China.

Numerous countries around the world have been close to boycotting the Beijing Games, but so far it does not look like this will happen. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) granted Beijing the games in July 2001 under the proviso that human rights in China would improve. Many people believe that the Olympics can be used as a positive political force, citing the banning of South Africa between 1964 and 1992. They believe that this was instrumental in forcing the country to allow black and white athletes to participate together in national sport, a significant step towards equal rights and the end of the oppressive apartheid regime.

According to Amnesty International’s website, Liu Jingmin, Vice-President of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Bid Committee said in April 2001:

“By allowing Beijing to host the Games you will help the development of human rights.”

Jacques Rogge, President of the IOC declared at the time:

“We are convinced that the Olympic Games will improve the human rights record in China.”

In April 2008 Rogge had to remind the Chinese government of their commitment to human rights and ask them to respect it. Only time will tell if they do so.

Over the last twenty years or so, scandals involving perfomance-enhancing drugs have probably eclipsed the political Olympic storms. This has added to the negativity surrounding the Olympic Games and perhaps means that the audience is now more cynical and less impressed than in the old days.

But the majority of the athletes participating in the Olympics have legitimately reached the pinnacle of their sport and deserve our respect. Why not put aside our concerns and cynicism once the opening ceremony starts and just enjoy the thing? Accept that politics are part and parcel of any event involving the nations of the world, and ignore it. Why not let the Chinese people be proud of their athletes and their culture? Why not celebrate outstanding human achievement? Why not let the Olympics bring us together, just for a few weeks?