Politics in Sports
The Olympic Games are a worldwide competition that brings people of different cultures and backgrounds into one united area where they compete in their specialized sports. These events, however, are not purely entertainment like they should have been. Today’s societies are more dependent on politics and therefore so are sports and the athletes competing, sometimes even without their own will. In various occasions across the world politics was the main reason for athletes to withdraw from athletic events such as the world cup, Olympics, and any other worldwide or region wide competitions. On the other hand politics sometimes are the reason that some teams re-establish themselves and get back into the world scene in sports. This two sided issue creates the question whether politics and sports should be mixed and if so when is it appropriate. In my analysis I will attempt to explore the various historic occurrences and their outcomes to assist me in reaching my conclusion about this topic. The Munich Olympics happened in 1972, there were 121 nations participating including the state of Israel. The Munich Olympics were a significant event for Western Germany (Germany was divided at the time), not only because it was a major event watched worldwide, but also because it was the first Olympics Germany hosted after the past the Nazi regime. Germany, Mindful of the connection, was anxious to take the opportunity of the Munich Olympics to present a new, democratic and optimistic Germany to the world, as shown by the Games' official motto, "the Happy Games." The Israeli team had requested to be placed in a more secure location because of concerns for their safety as they were placed close to a gate in a segregated part of the Olympic village but the German authorities denied them and assured that there will be extra security in the building they stayed in. The Olympics started as a great success with great atmosphere; however, in the beginning of the second week a group of
Bibliography: Reeve, Simon. One Day in September: the full story of the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre and Israeli revenge operation "Wrath of God". New York: Arcade Publishing, 2001. Print Richards, Huw. A Game for Hooligans: The History of Rugby Union Wise, Mike. “Clenched fists, helping hand."Washington Post 10 May 2006: Section 7. Print Anne Applebaum (2002-02-12). "North Korea: Threat or Menace?". Slate Epstein, Adam. Sports Law (The West Legal Studies Series): Volume 2002, Clifton Park, NY : Thomson/Delmar Learning, 2003