Peace, Hope, and Pure Olympic Spirit?

Everyone from an early age, learns about the Olympics and themes inspired by it: Hope, Peace, Unity and the good old Spirit of Competition. But are the Olympics really as positive as we make it out to be?

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I hope that this medal inspires the kids at home to put down guns and knives and pick up a pair of trainers instead.

Erick Barrondo

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While the core of the Olympic Games have stayed the same, they have significantly changed along with the changing world of sports, popular culture, and social culture.  Continuing to adapt with the introduction of new sports and the inclusion of more nations embracing diversity and the unique culture of each.

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Though Jamaica is not typically known to have competitors in the Winter Olympics, in 1988 the first ever Jamaican bobsleigh team was able to qualify for the games and compete in Calgary. (Photo: M. Smelter)

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Along with the changes within the games, changes in the political and technological world have also altered the way we experience the Olympics.

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Photo by: Tom Page

The change in sports culture might be most clearly seen in the sport of fencing. Fencing has been elevated from a sporting event to a show or spectacle with the introduction of raised and lit strips.  These changes have contributed to an outside appeal from long time fans and newcomers to the sport. These changes are a few among many that have developed and have been showcased at each Olympics over time.

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This ability to conquer oneself is no doubt the most precious of all things sports bestows

Olga Korbut

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Also, as a result of the Olympics’ global inclusion, it became an appealing stage to people of power for expressing political agendas.

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The Olympics became a tool. It was used by the host nation's leaders like in 1936 at the Berlin Games in Nazi Germany.  Hitler tried to use the games to spread his message of hate and division while Germany was in the global spotlight. (Photo: Sudduetsche Zietung Magazine)

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Thankfully however, national leaders were not the only group of people to use the Olympics to send a message. Athletes in opposition to oppression or in support of a movement  were able to use the games to sway the populace towards a certain way of thinking.

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Jesse Owens sprinted and leaped to victory disproving Hitler’s claims and jumpstarting  a series of highly politicized and press driven Olympics. (Photo: Die Olympischen Spiele)

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We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self discipline, and effort.

Jesse Owens

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Politicizing the Olympics was repeated and more outwardly expressed by Tommie Smith and John Carlos in the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico City, Mexico where they displayed the Black Power symbol while receiving their first and third place medals on the podium.  (Photo: Galaxy FM Flickr)

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Both Smith and Carlos competed in the 200 meter final for the United States. Though Smith was injured, he was still able to take the first place position and break a world record in the process. (Photo: mezcal&tequila flickr)

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Over time, the picture of the three athletes on the podium has become widely known as the first coordinated protest on an Olympic podium. However, it is a little known fact that the silver medalist, Peter Norman, also took part in the protest by wearing an Olympic Project for Human Rights pin and by suggesting that Smith and Owens share one pair of gloves.  News of Norman’s involvement in the protest sparked major controversy in Australia.

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I am building a fire, and every day I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match.

Mia Hamm

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While not everyone gets a chance to use an Olympic Podium moment to stage a protest, the press surrounding an upcoming Olympics certainly can be.  A more globally aware generation inspired by multiple social movements are part of what have fueled the growing use of the Olympics as a vehicle for the distribution of ideas and an introduction to different ways of thinking.