{"id":2303448,"date":"2024-07-21T06:10:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-21T10:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/four-times-when-politics-and-the-olympics-have-clashed-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-21T06:14:30","modified_gmt":"2024-07-21T10:14:30","slug":"politics-and-the-olympics-clash-four-times-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/politics-and-the-olympics-clash-four-times-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Politics and the Olympics clash four times &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpolitics-and-the-olympics-clash-four-times-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2303448&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses four instances when politics clashed with the Olympics \u200cthroughout history. It starts with \u2062the 1936 Summer Olympics in\u200c Berlin, where Hitler used the\u200d Games as a propaganda tool for his\u2064 Nazi regime. \u2063The\u200d article also highlights the\u2063 Munich massacre at the \u20621972 Summer Olympics, the boycotts at \u200dthe 1980 and 1984 \u200dSummer Olympics due to\u2063 the Cold War, and the\u200c concerns over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-womens-soccer-team-kneels-for-anthem-wears-black-lives-matter\/\" title=\"US Women&#039;s Soccer Team Kneels for Anthem, Wears &#039;Black Lives Matter&#039;\">human rights<\/a> at the 2022 Winter \u2063Olympics in Beijing. The article emphasizes how politics has intersected\u200b with the Olympic Games on various occasions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Four times when politics and the Olympics have clashed<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1659144\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The Summer and Winter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/olympics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Olympic Games\">Olympic Games<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teddy-roosevelts-stolen-watch-returned-to-82-year-old-great-grandson-after-discovery\/\" title=\"Teddy Roosevelt&#039;s Stolen Watch Returned to 82-Year-Old Great-Grandson After Discovery\">world&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/qatar-500-died-while-building-world-cup-facilities\/\" title=\"Qatar: 500 Died While Building World Cup Facilities\">biggest sporting events<\/a> since 1896, have served largely as a global escape from politics, but there have been times when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/politics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"politics\">politics<\/a> has found its way into the event.<\/p>\n<p>As the greatest athletes in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/god-is-doing-something-pretty-incredible-catholic-app-passes-up-google-tiktok-on-ash-wednesday\/\" title=\"\u2018God Is Doing Something Pretty Incredible\u2019: Catholic App Passes Up Google, TikTok On Ash Wednesday\">world gather<\/a> in Paris, France, for the 2024 Summer Olympics, here is a look back at the moments in past Games when politics crossed over with the Olympic Games.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hitler&rsquo;s Games &ndash; 1936 Summer Olympics<\/h3>\n<p>Germany was awarded the hosting duties for the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin prior to Adolf Hitler&rsquo;s rise to power, but they would be used as a propaganda piece for Hitler&rsquo;s Nazi regime.<\/p>\n<p>The treatment of Jewish people in Germany under the Nazis was already sparking outrage worldwide, which led the United States to consider boycotting the Games. Ultimately, the U.S. would send a team to Berlin, but two American Jews would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ushmm.org\/exhibition\/olympics\/?content=american_boycotters_milton_green&amp;lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"individually\">individually<\/a> boycott the Berlin Olympics.<\/p>\n<p>Hitler tried to capitalize on the event as a showcase of Nazi-led Germany to the world. Germany would be the most successful country at the Games, but America&rsquo;s Jesse Owens&rsquo;s four gold medals helped dispel the Nazis&rsquo; false claims of a superior Aryan race.<\/p>\n<p>The 1936 Summer Olympics are widely seen as the Games most used for propaganda purposes, with Hitler commissioning Leni Riefenstahl to make the propaganda film <em>Olympia<\/em> about the games. The Berlin Games would be the last Olympics until the 1948 Summer Olympics, due to the Nazi invasion of Poland sparking World War II in 1939.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Munich massacre &ndash; 1972 Summer Olympics<\/h3>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-is-media-hiding-that-illinois-has-more-covid-cases-than-florida\/\" title=\"Why Is Media Hiding That Illinois Has More COVID Cases Than Florida?\">political debate<\/a> by some Middle Eastern countries over Israel&rsquo;s right to exist has also been an issue at several Olympics.<\/p>\n<p>One of the darkest moments in Olympic history came in 1972 at the Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, when Palestinian terrorists took 11 Israeli athletes and officials hostage in the Olympic Village. Attempts to rescue the hostages were unsuccessful, and all 11 Israelis were killed, along with a West German police officer. The Olympics would pause for one day before resuming.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FILE &ndash; Members of Israel&rsquo;s Olympic team place black ribbons in their pockets after a memorial service mourning their comrades killed in Tuesday&rsquo;s Arab terrorists attack and subsequent police shoot-out leave the Olympic stadium in Munich, then West Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 1972. The German government said Friday, April 21, 2023 it has set up an international commission of experts to review the events surrounding the 1972 attack on the Munich Olympics, a panel that was part of an agreement reached last year with relatives of the 11 Israeli athletes who were killed by Palestinian militants. (AP Photo, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The massacre has been seldom mentioned at subsequent Olympics, but during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Summer Olympics in July 2021, a moment of silence was held for the victims. <\/p>\n<p>At various Olympic Games, athletes from some Middle Eastern countries have refused to compete against Israeli athletes. At the most recent Summer Olympics in 2021, Algerian judo athlete Fethi Nourine <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/olympics\/algerian-quits-olympics-rather-take-israeli-judo-match-n1274896\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"withdrew\">withdrew<\/a> from the competition rather than compete against Tohar Butbul, an Israeli.<\/p>\n<p>Another instance of anti-Israel sentiment in a recent Olympics occurred at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro when Lebanese athletes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/sport\/olympics\/36998989\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"refused\">refused<\/a> to share a bus to the opening ceremony with the Israeli team.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Boycotts in the 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics<\/h3>\n<p>The Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union dominated world politics for most of the second half of the 20th century, and the Olympics were not immune to the politics of the two world superpowers.<\/p>\n<p>In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to the condemnation of the U.S. and various other countries. President Jimmy Carter announced in early 1980 that if the Soviet Union did not withdraw from the country, the U.S. would not send a team to the Summer Olympics later that year in Moscow.<\/p>\n<p>The Soviet Union would not withdraw from the country and the U.S., along with 64 other countries, joined in the boycott. The 1980 Summer Olympics had the fewest participating countries since the 1956 Summer Olympics.<\/p>\n<p>The decision for the U.S. not to participate did complicate the closing ceremony, where Moscow was set to hand off the Olympics to Los Angeles, the host of the 1984 Summer Olympics. Olympic tradition stipulates that the flag of the next host country be raised at the closing ceremony, but the Carter White House refused to allow the American flag to be flown in the ceremony, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2021-10-05\/short-history-of-la-weird-city-flag\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"according to\">according to<\/a> the <em>Los Angeles Times<\/em>. The LA 1984 Olympic organizers ultimately found a workaround &ndash; raising the Los Angeles city flag, alongside the flags of Greece and the U.S.S.R.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The flag of the city of Los Angeles, top, flies next to the national flag of the Soviet Union during closing ceremonies of the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympic games at Lenin Stadium, Sunday, August 4, 1980. Because the United States boycotted the games and refused to allow the U.S. flag to fly, the Los Angeles City flag was used as a substitute to represent the city where the 1984 game will be held. (AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In response to the 1980 boycott, the Soviet Union and nearly all of its Eastern Bloc allies opted to boycott the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Romania was the only Eastern Bloc country to participate in the Los Angeles Olympics. It received a standing ovation at the opening ceremony and had its most successful Olympics in history.<\/p>\n<p>Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union, and their respective allies, would compete together again at the 1988 Summer Olympics.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">China human rights concerns &ndash; 2022 Winter Olympics<\/h3>\n<p>The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, saw calls for boycotts from various countries, mainly stemming from the persecution of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. The actions by the Chinese government against the minority group have been determined by the <a href=\"https:\/\/2017-2021.state.gov\/determination-of-the-secretary-of-state-on-atrocities-in-xinjiang\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"U.S. government\">U.S. government<\/a> and other countries and organizations to be crimes against humanity and genocide.<\/p>\n<p>While some countries weighed a full boycott, several countries instead opted for a &ldquo;diplomatic boycott,&rdquo; where countries declined to send any government officials to attend the Olympic Games. The U.S., United Kingdom, and Canada declared a diplomatic boycott, while other countries did not send officials because of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>With an increased focus on China due to the genocide against Uyghurs, the organizers of the 2022 Winter Olympics made a clear political statement with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. One of the two Chinese skiers who lit the flame was a member of the Uyghur community, according to Chinese state media. During the NBC broadcast of the opening ceremony, one analyst <a href=\"https:\/\/www.necn.com\/news\/sports\/beijing-winter-olympics\/the-torch\/china-sends-message-with-unconventional-controversial-lighting-of-olympic-flame\/2670077\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"said\">said<\/a> it was a clear &ldquo;message to the West.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Paris Olympics begins on July 26 with the opening ceremony on the Seine. The Games will be broadcast by NBC and its affiliate networks, with the opening ceremony being aired live at 12 p.m. EDT and replayed in prime time at 7:30 p.m. EDT.<\/p>\n<p>The 2024 Summer Olympics will mark the third time Paris will host the Summer Games. At the closing ceremony on Aug. 11, Paris will hand the Games to Los Angeles, which will host the 2028 Summer Olympics.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1659144\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1659144\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here are four instances when politics and the Olympics have clashed throughout history. The Summer and Winter Olympic Games have traditionally been a global escape from politics, but there have been moments when political issues have infiltrated the event. From Hitler&#8217;s use of the 1936 Berlin Olympics as Nazi propaganda to the tragic Munich massacre in 1972, politics have intersected with the Games in various ways. The Cold War also influenced the Olympics, with boycotts in the 1980 and 1984 Summer Games due to the Soviet Union&#8217;s invasion of Afghanistan. More recently, the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing faced calls for boycotts over China&#8217;s human rights abuses against the Uyghur minority. These instances highlight the complex relationship between politics and the Olympics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2303449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/olympic-controversies.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[5673,4825,5894,32076],"class_list":["post-2303448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-clash","tag-olympics","tag-politics","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/olympic-controversies.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2303448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2303448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2303448\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2303449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2303448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2303448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2303448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}