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1936, Berlin
Hitler wanted to show the whole world that germans were superior to other races. -
Period: to
Politics in the olympics
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1948, London
Germany and Japan were not invited to London because of their war-time roles, while the Soviet Union was invited but did not show up. -
1952, Helsinki
West Germany participated for the first time, and the USSR returned to the Olympics after a 40-year absence. The USSR initially planned to house its athletes in Leningrad (now St Petersburg) and fly them into Finland each day. In the end, separate housing facilities for Eastern bloc athletes were set aside. -
1956, Melbourne
China withdrew after the International Olympic Commission recognised Taiwan. The conflict between USSR and Hungary was brought on-stage when they faced each other for the water-polo semi-final. The game was terminated by the referee after a fierce exchange of kicks and punches. Hungary who was leading at the time, was credited with a victory. -
1960, Rome
The Rome Games marked the end of South African participation in the Olympic Games. Its racist apartheid regime meant the country was excluded until the 1992 Barcelona Games. -
1968, Mexico City
Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who finished first and third in the 200 metres, gave the Black Power salute during the national anthem as a protest against racism in the US. -
1972, Munich
The Munich Game was most often remembered for the terrorist attack that resulted in the death of 11 Israeli athletes. -
1976, Montreal
Around 30 African nations staged a last-minute boycott after the IOC allowed New Zealand to compete. New Zealand's rugby team had recently played in the racially segregated South Africa, who had been banned from the Olympics since 1964. Taiwan withdrew when Communist China pressured the host country (and trading partner) to deny the Taiwanese the right to compete. -
1980, Moscow
Over 60 nations including West Germany and Japan boycotted the Moscow Games to protest at the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. -
1996, Atlanta
A pipe bomb exploded in Atlanta's Centnnial Olympic Park killing two people and injuring a further 110. -
2008, Beijing
The 2008 Games, due to be staged in Beijing, have provoked outrage from human rights groups who say allowing China to host the Games legitimises its repressive regime.