The Olympic Games and Politics

BACKGROUND

Historically, Opinion Polls have shown that most of us think that there is too much political interference in the Olympic Games (90% agree in 1990), but most of us admit that it’s difficult to keep politics out (50% in 1980).

In the last 60 years the Olympic Games have seen more than their fair share of Politics. South Africa was excluded in 1962 because of its Apartheid policy and not allowed to return until 1992. 1968 there was debate about cancelling the Games, because of the political situation in Mexico. The 1980 and 1984 Games were famously boycotted because of Russia’s behaviour in Afghanistan. And Paris 2024 excluded Russia and Belarus because of the war in Ukraine. Even in 1968 there was debate about cancelling the Games, because of the political situation in Mexico. All of this you can read about in Wikipedia, but in the Archive we have data on British public opinion about these issues.

Let’s start with the 1968 Mexico Games [1]

The political background was the exclusion of South Africa. In the NOP Review of Sept 1968 it was reported: ‘There is no doubt that the public would like politics and sport to be kept apart. Two people out of three believe that South Africa should be allowed to take part in the Olympic Games, and only 25% think that South Africa should be excluded on racial grounds’. [2]

In Oct 1968, in view of riots in Mexico, the NOP review reported on the questions asked in their Omnibus: Should the Olympic Games go ahead? Is the 7,000 ft altitude fair? Should women have to take sex tests? Should athletes be allowed to take performance enhancing drugs? The headline results were as follows [3]:

• Although the rioting in Mexico City was headline news at the time, 76% thought the Games should go ahead as planned. Only 19% were in favour of cancelling them.
• 56% thought it unfair that the Games should have been held at an altitude of 7,000 ft.
• 53% (including 58% of men, but only 49% of women), thought it right that female competitors should have to undergo sex tests
• Almost unanimously, the public believed that athletes should not be allowed to take drugs to improve their performance. Drugs were condemned by 94% and approved by only 4%

The 1968 Games saw the first instance of the Black power salute when African American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos, the gold and bronze medallists in the men’s 200-metre race, took their places on the podium for the medal ceremony wearing human rights badges and black socks without shoes, lowered their heads and each defiantly raised a black-gloved fist as the “Star Spangled Banner” was played, in solidarity with the Black Freedom Movement in the United States. We also saw Czechoslovakian gymnast Věra Čáslavská quietly turn her head down and away during the playing of the Soviet national anthem. The action was Čáslavská’s silent protest against the recent Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia [1].

Is there an element of ‘plus ca change…’ there, perhaps? The world seems not to have altered too much since 1968!

The 1980 Moscow Games and 1984 Los Angeles Games.

Perhaps the most interesting and relevant issues to us today about Politics and the Olympic Games are the 1980 and 1984 boycotts due to Russia’s policy in Afghanistan. Led by the US, some 65 Countries did not participate in the Moscow Games in 1980. And led by the Soviet Union, Russia and its allies did not participate in the Los Angeles Games in 1984. (Lots more detail in Wikipedia).

1980 Moscow Games [4][5]
In 1980 the political situation was dominated by Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Combat took place throughout the 1980s. The war resulted in the deaths of approximately 3 million Afghans, while millions more fled from the country as refugees.  Mrs Thatcher and President Carter called for a boycott of the Moscow Games. British Public Opinion in January to March, though, was in favour of Britain going to the Games, with two thirds agreeing. Those who were for a boycott, were not totally hardline – of those in favour, when asked whether, ‘if the government decides on a boycott but the athletes decide to go anyway, the government should prevent the athletes from going or allow them to go’ two thirds said they should be allowed to go.

A Yorkshire TV poll made an attempt to get behind the simple figures of support for a boycott and investigate the reasons why people felt some action was necessary. All those respondents who favoured some form of action were given a list of four reasons and asked which ones applied in their case. Answers here showed a fair degree of realism – far more people said it was “to make a gesture” than thought it would have any real effect:

At the same time 80% of the public thought that South Africa should be allowed to take part in the Moscow Games (though they had been banned since 1962 and the Apartheid policy was still in place).

In general the ‘Keep Politics out of Sport’ feeling was the main public view. But it was a feeling tempered with realism. When asked whether politics ‘could’ be kept out of sport the British Public were evenly split.

In the event, led by the US, 65 Countries (including Britain) did boycott the Games as a protest against Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan. However,  British athletes did attend.  Represented by the British Olympic Association they participated in various events across 14 sports. A total of 219 competitors (149 men and 70 women) took part in 145 events. Despite the American-led boycott, the UK government allowed its athletes to choose whether to compete.  There was a boycott of the opening ceremony, but British athletes still competed in the Games. A thoroughly British compromise?  Note that the US athletes never competed, President Carter forbade them.

1984 Los Angeles Games [6][7]
In 1984 Russia and its allies retaliated by boycotting the Los Angeles Games, claiming that their athletes would not be safe from protests and possible physical attacks. The British public felt quite strongly about this, and when asked why they thought Russia and her allies had refused, they responded (to options on a show card) as follows:

Asked about Politics and the Games in 1984, 90% agreed that there was ‘too much political interference in the Olympic Games these days’, and 81% agreed that ‘the original ideals of the Olympic Movement is being lost these days’. [7]

And as if that wasn’t enough, another political aspect of the Games was Zola Budd, a bare-foot, middle-distance, South African runner who had acquired British Citizenship, and had  been selected to run for Britain.  In general people favoured the decision (61% in favour) but they were not pleased that she had been fast-tracked for her British citizenship in order to do so. (67% agreeing that she should not have received special treatment) [7]. In the event it did not go well. Budd and Mary Decker (US) collided half way through the 3,000m race – mainly because they were both used to running alone, ahead of all competition, and in this race they were running in a pack with each other and 2 other runners (see Wikipedia).

Conclusions

As ever, history repeats itself. Russia and Belarus were excluded from the Paris Games because of the war in Ukraine. It somehow feels inevitable that governments treat such major sporting events as opportunities to make political capital. It is the case that people really don’t want politics interfering in the Games – but only half agree that it is possible to exclude them. Do we just have to accept that ‘Politics is as much part of sports as it is of life’?

One solution might be to give the Games a permanent home in Greece, where it all began. 51% of the British Public agreed with that suggestion in Sept 1984. The idea has been raised again since – perhaps it’s time to take it seriously?

Further questions to explore for your EPQ

• How much does Politics interfere in other sports or sporting events?
• Trace the development of the Black Power Salute from 1968 to today. What happened to the two US athletes?
• What other Political events have affected the Olympic Games
• Trace the Olympic reaction to performance enhancing drugs

Notes and sources

[1] The Mexico City Games were held unusually late in the year: 12 to 27 October 1968 – in Mexico City.

[2] Sept 1968 NOP Bulletin 1968 October – NOP Reports – The AMSR Online Archive (oclc.org) Politics and sport – should SA take part in Olympics / should the Rhodesian cricket team be allowed in Britain?

[3] October 1968 NOP Bulletin 1968 October – NOP Reports – The AMSR Online Archive (oclc.org) Riots in Mexico – should the Olympic Games go ahead / is 7,000 ft altitude fair? / women sex tests / drugs

[4] NOP Political, Social, Economic Review Issue no.24 1980 April – NOP Reports – The AMSR Online Archive (oclc.org) Moscow: Should British athletes go? / Should games be boycotted? / Would it affect Russia policy in Afghanistan? / Should SA take part? / Politics and sport

[5] NOP Political, Social, Economic Review Issue no.25 1980 June – NOP Reports – The AMSR Online Archive (oclc.org) What action should be taken against Russia re Afghanistan? (page 5). Should games have been cancelled? / Should British athletes go? / Should Carter/Thatcher have called for boycott? / Keep Politics out of sport (page 10)

[6] NOP Political, Social, Economic Review Issue no.48 1984 June (Incomplete) – NOP Reports – The AMSR Online Archive (oclc.org)  Zola Budd – should she be allowed to be part of the British Olympics team? – yes, but she shouldn’t have been given special treatment re British citizenship

[7] NOP Political, Social, Economic Review Issue no.49 1984 September – NOP Reports – The AMSR Online Archive (oclc.org)  Level of interest in LA Games / Why Russia and allies pulled out / Too much political interference in Games / Permanent home in Greece?/ Original ideals lost.