Exploitation of olympics

• The Berlin 1936 games were used to showcase the Nazi party, show German aryan supremacy and for Hitler's political propaganda. Germany showed their efficiency completing the big olympic stadium and village on time and with athletes training full time to show supremacy.
• Lutz Lang was a model of the Nazi party intended to show their superiority with aryan blue eyes and blonde hair. African American athlete Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals causing great upset as Hitler wouldn't place the medals round his neck or shake his hand.
• The Mexico city 1968 games withdrew South Africa from the games. This was due to the apartheid regime with other countries not wanting to turn up if South Africa attended the games.
• During the medal ceremony African American athletes Tommy Smith and John Carlos protested against lack of civil rights in the USA. The black power salute consisted of athletes wearing black gloves and raising their hands representing black power/unity and carrying their shoes representing poverty.
• Smith and Carlos were both banned from the games for this display and Australian athlete Peter Norman who wore a human rights badge and the suggested the use of black gloves selectively wasn't picked for the next games.
• The Munich 1972 games involved the Palestine group black September holding 11 of the Israeli team hostage. The terrorists requested the release of 234 palestine prisnorers being held in Israeli. All the hostages were killed along with sevral terrorists at the airport.
• German authorities tried to rescue the hostages at the airport but failed. However controversially the games still went ahead with many people shock, horrified and uneasy after the events.
• The Moscow 1980 games were boycotted by many western nations led by the USA. They boycotted the games because the USSR had recently invaded Afghanistan. It caused protests, controversy and divided opinions.
• The Los Angeles 1984 games were boycotted by the eastern bloc/communist nations. They said the reason was over commercialisation and lack of security. However it was revenge (tit for tat).