Games and Rings
  • A Blog for Olympic Sports Fans

Do Olympic Boycotts Even Work?

3/10/2021

 
As the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing approach, scrutiny on China as a host is back in focus. Its on-going record of human rights abuses  - most recently, between the treatment of its Muslim minority to the subjugation of Hong Kong - is depressing. And, it's a legitimate question on whether such a regime should be showcased as host of a "sportswashing" event like the Olympics.

That this conversation is happening shouldn't come as a surprise. It was certainly previewed in the contest to host these Games. As more palatable candidates dropped out of the bidding race, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was left with two options in 2015: Beijing and Almaty. Despite experiencing similar concerns ahead of its hosting of the 2008 Summer Games, China really was the lesser of two evils...Kazakhstan was and is no humanitarian state, either.
Picture
July, 2015: Thomas Bach announces Beijing as the host of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
So, Beijing it is, unless the IOC inconceivably decides to move the event. So, the calls for an Olympic boycott are increasing. Some of it is political grandstanding - in the United States, at least, an easy way to pressure the current administration while preaching righteousness. But athletes are chattering, too, while China remains defiant.

Which begs the question...do Olympic boycotts even work? Let's look at history.

1956 Melbourne
​

Multiple nations stayed away from Australia's first Summer Games, for a variety of reasons. In response to the Soviet Union's invasion of Hungary just before the start of the Games, Spain, Switzerland, and the Netherlands pulled out. Egypt, Lebanon, and Iraq boycotted as a result of the Suez Crisis with Israel. And, China (the Peoples Republic) officially boycotted since China (Taiwan) was allowed entry. 

At that time, probably only the Netherlands' absence affected general competition quality. And, decades later, it's viewed by the Dutch as "the black page in the Olympic history for the Netherlands". It's hard to argue that the boycott influenced outside events, as the trajectories of the Cold War, Middle East crisis, and Chinese territorial fights continued well past 1956.

1964 Tokyo

Due to political discrimination at the separate Games of New Emerging Forces (GANEFO) in 1963, those participating athletes were barred from the 1964 Games. Thus, Indonesia and North Korea pulled all their athletes from the Olympics.

The resulting legacy of the 1964 boycott is simply a missed opportunity to see North Korean Sin Kim-Dan, then the world record-holder, compete in the women's track 800 meters. That had promised to be one of the more intriguing events on the track.

As for GANEFO? Built as a direct competition to the Olympics by Indonesia, it was officially dead by 1970.

Read More

Highs and Lows of Olympic Fandom

3/3/2021

 

Thoughts on Two Compelling Sports Documentaries

Am finally getting to jot down some thoughts on two documentaries I watched recently, both featuring Olympic sports, and both now available in the United States via Amazon Prime streaming. Watching the two in close order elicited conflicting emotions on being an Olympic fan.

Carolina Marin: I Can Because I Think I Can (2020)
​(book version available, too!)
Picture
Filmed before the Covid-19 pandemic rescheduled Tokyo 2020, Carolina Marin offers a look at the challenges the Olympic badminton champion faces in defending her title.

Entering the Rio 2016 tournament as the number one seed, Marin became the first non-Asian player to win an Olympic women's singles gold, and became a Spanish hero. The series picks up in early 2019, after Marin has won her fourth European title and third world championship. Tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in a late January match, her plans for a second Olympic gold are in jeopardy. Carolina Marin looks back at how Marin got started in the sport and made leaps in success with her coach, Fernando Rivas, and follows her as she works to regain competitiveness by the end of the year. As 2020 begins, she is presented with a major new challenge to her focus, as her father has a coma-inducing accident.

Presented in four episodes, Carolina Marin is a reminder of why we root for athletes - their humanity, their struggles, their passion and drive. Marin is a unique champion, and one can't help but root for her as she works to reclaim her top perch in the game. Her on-going story is a prime example of the inspiration Olympic athletes provide.

On the other hand...

Tainted Blood: The Untold Story of the 1984 Olympic Blood Doping Scandal (2017)
Picture
Filmmaker Jill Yesko's documentary on the United States' 1984 cycling team is from 2017, but surprisingly I only encountered it a few months ago. It's a sobering reality check on what can, and does, happen to elite competition when doping opportunities tempt.

The U.S. hadn't won an Olympic cycling medal since Stockholm 1912, and the Los Angeles 1984 Games presented an exciting opportunity to stop the drought. And stop the drought, indeed...the U.S. came away with nine medals across both road and track events.

Turns out, much of the team's overall success came from now-banned blood transfusions. This was brought to light shortly after the Games, but Yesko takes a deep dive into the how and why, interviewing former athletes and team officials on the details. While not strictly prohibited at the time of the Games, the secretive practice of blood transfusions was certainly widely viewed as unethical, and possibly unsafe. How it occurred at the less-than-upfront hands of team leaders is the heart of the Tainted Blood.

It's a depressing reality check on the willingness to find an easy way to success when offered. And, more depressing to know that the problem still exists. Cycling's track record of clean competition remained poor throughout much of the following years, and today, sports of all stripes still face the challenge of ensuring fairness. As a sports fan, I much prefer the world view of hard work-equaling-success that Carolina Marin​ offers.

A Little Roundup

11/5/2020

 
UIPM World shares an interview with Bence Demeter, looking to follow in deep Hungarian footsteps in modern pentathlon.
Picture
Bence Demeter via uipmworld.org
Team GB announces the start of their Tokyo 2020 triathlon team...even though official qualification hasn't actually happened yet.

Swimmer Josh Prenot is using his physics degree in a bid to make an Olympic appearance.

​Count Simone Biles as an LGBTQIA ally.

Snowboarder Reira Iwabuchi talks with the FIS on how she has been training, cheesecake, and getting her driver's license.

Can two-sport star Tessa Lavey make it back to the Olympics for Team Australia in basketball?

Decathlon medalist finally has found a consistent training site ahead of Tokyo 2020.
Picture
Damian Warner via CBC.ca
Who will win World Athletics' Male and Female World Athlete of the Year?

Banned swimmer Shayne Jack makes an emotional public appeal on SAS Australia.

Tokyo 2020: Can once-powerhouse Team India make it back to the Olympic podium in field hockey?

More India: The Olympic Channel's "Shakti" video series looks at the paths to Tokyo 2020 taken by four star women across gymnastics, karate, wrestling, and archery.

Double Olympic gold medalist Rafael Nadal becomes only the fourth man to win 1,000 Open Era singles matches on the ATP Tour.

Olympic.org remembers a stirring moment of fair play in judo at Los Angeles 1984. "We must return to the core values of sport: an athlete must respect his/her opponent."
Picture
Mohamed Ali Rashwan via Olympic.org

A Little Roundup

8/17/2020

 
The IAAF's Diamond League returned to serious action on Friday, highlighted by Joshua Cheptegi's world record in the 5,000 meters. It was a record that had stood for 16 years, and one targeted by the world champion this year. Between that performance and the slew of other continental and personal records set across the meet - including Faith Kipyegon's .17-off the 1,000 meters world record - it's apparent that a lot of folk were ready for fast times right about this time of year. "This time of year", of course and unfortunately, is one week after when Tokyo 2020 athletics were to have been contested.

Thank You Monaco.

1 World record
3 Area records
11 World leading performances
2 Diamond League records
3 Herculis meeting records
9 national records#DiamondLeague #MonacoDL pic.twitter.com/MdaU3GbeWh

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 14, 2020
And, Cheptegei may not be done yet!

Ahead of the Monaco meeting, budding Olympic superstar Noah Lyles opened up to Tokyo 2020 on his mental health challenges as he looks forward to next year's Games.
Picture
Meanwhile, another U.S. sprint star, Justin Gatlin, previews his 'side of his story' as he looks ahead to his career winding down, and shares his 'Gatlin UNTOLD' documentary.

The Guardian took a quick look recently at Observer Magazine's coverage of Montreal 1976, dubbing it 'the troubled Games'. Though, not sure the point of The Guardian's brief share, other than maybe take an opportunistic dig.

As part of its on-going Olympic retrospective, The Associated Press looks back at Atlanta 1996 as a milestone Games for women athletes. I certainly remember, here in the United States, that that was a definite media storyline, with good reason as the U.S. women dominated gymnastics, basketball, soccer, and softball in very visible and lasting fashion.
Picture
Javelin star Julius Yego weighs in on his prospects for the postponed Games with Capital Sport.

I knew that name was familiar! The Chinese Global Television Network reports that Zhou Jihong is targeting a vice-president role next year with FINA. Zhou was the first of a long - a very long - line of Chinese diving gold medalists when she won the 10-meter platform event at Los Angeles 1984. Amongst other accolades, she is the first Chinese diver to have been inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. I'm at-the-moment agnostic on her expected candidacy, but I sure love the memory of excitement watching the then-unknown Chinese team make a grand statement at those Games.

Uh-oh: Cross-country star Petter Northug, Jr. finds himself in a tough spot, after a traffic stop leads to a drugs scandal for the retired athlete. Owning up to it in an Instagram post, Northug awaits legal fallout.
View this post on Instagram

Jeg har gjort en stor feil. I går kveld ble jeg stoppet av politiet i fartskontroll. Jeg kjørte altfor fort, og ble også tatt med på legevakten til blodprøve. I tillegg fant politiet en mindre mengde narkotika hjemme hos meg. Det dreier seg om kokain. Jeg er fortvilet og redd for hva fremtiden vil bringe, og utrolig lei meg for alle de som jeg nå har skuffet, igjen. Jeg vet at det nå blir en straffesak. Da skal jeg ta ansvar for det jeg har gjort.

A post shared by Petter Northug Jr (@jantelov1) on Aug 14, 2020 at 1:15pm PDT

A reminder on the disadvantages a lot of the world's athletes face when aiming for sport success...who wouldn't root for these South Sudanese?

The Olympic Channel
's Nick McCarvel checks in on the long, unique rivalry - and bond - between tennis stars and multi-medalist sisters Venus and Serena Williams.
Picture
On a roll McCarvel also shares an engaging interview with Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizerone, reigning silver medalist ice dancers, revealing what they've been up to in the last months and their evolution in style.

Qatar 2032?: Again, please...no.

R.I.P. to Gergely Kulcsar, one-time giant of track and field, and three-time medalist.

August 12th, Hungarian Athlete Gergely Kulcsár passed away at the age of 86. He represented Hungary in the men's Javelin Throw event at four Olympic Summer Games (1960-1972), winning Silver in Tokyo (1964) and Bronze in Rome (1960) and Mexico City (1968).https://t.co/BZ4T55wGmh pic.twitter.com/6w9m8NsexC

— Lost Olympians (@LostOlympians) August 13, 2020

On This Date, September 2: Peter Ueberroth is Born

9/2/2014

 
Picture
Peter Ueberroth was born on September 2 1937 in Evanston, IL USA. He's best known for his organization of the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, during which he built a private sponsorship and commercial effort that provided a revenue surplus of $250million after the Games.  As this financial success was previously unheard of, it served as a sponsorship model from then on for the Olympics, and combined with the enthusiastic popular support of the competition despite the Soviet-led boycott, the LA Games are often viewed as reviving the lagging movement as a whole.  After LA, he also served as the Commissioner of Major League Baseball and as Chairman of the US Olympic Committee.

    About This Blog

    Highlights from the world of Olympic sports, focused on the athletes, and as seen through the cheeky lens of this one particular, passionate fan.

    Navigate It

    ​A Little Roundup
    Biweekly links to select Olympic sport headlines and news, with a focus on the athletes

    Let's Get Social
    Biweekly selection of intriguing, provocative social posts from Olympic sport athletes
    ​

    Athletes Worth Watching
    Weekly roundup of features on emerging Olympic sports athletes to keep an eye on

    ​Ramblings and Things
    ​
    I have my own thoughts on Olympic sport news and athletes sometimes!
    Read more about me.

    Picture
    At Rio 2016's Barra Olympic Park
    Header: Kallimamaro stadium in Athens, site of the first modern Olympics in 1896

    Follow Me

    Picture
    Tweets by @GamesandRings

    Picture

    Picture

    Favorite Sites

    The IOC
    The Olympic Channel
    The Olympic Museum
    Olympic World Library
    ​
    Team USA
    World Athletics
    ​Athletics Integrity Unit
    WADA
    Court of Arbitration
    Around the Rings
    Inside the Games
    GamesBids.com
    ​AP Olympics
    NBC Olympic Talk
    NY Times ​Olympics
    USA TODAY Olympics
    Wiki Summer Olympics
    Wiki Winter Olympics
    ​Athlete365
    ​Olympic Historians
    World Olympians Assoc.
    ​Games Architecture​
    Art of the Olympians
    Olympic.org Results
    ​Olympedia
    ​Olympstats
    ​
    Olympian Database
    ​On This Day in Sports
    ​Olympic City Project
    ​
    Keep the Flame Alive
    ​Totallympics
    ​Qualifying to the Games
    ​Lost Olympians
    ​
    Olympians 1964 to 2020
    Outsports
    ​
    Queerstory Files
    Tokyo 2020
    ​Beijing 2022
    ​Paris 2024
    ​Milan Cortina 2026
    Los Angeles 2028


    Categories

    All
    A Little Roundup
    Alpine Skiing
    Aquatics
    Archery
    Artistic Swimming
    Athens 1896
    Athens 2004
    Athlete Spotlight
    Athlete Worth Watching
    Atlanta 1996
    Badminton
    Baseball
    Basketball
    Basketball 3x3
    Beach Volleyball
    Beijing 2008
    Beijing 2022
    Biathlon
    Bobsled
    Boxing
    Breaking
    Canoe/Kayak
    Cross Country Skiing
    Curling
    Cycling
    Cycling BMX
    Cycling Mountain Bike
    Cycling Road
    Cycling Track
    Demonstration Sports
    Diving
    Equestrian
    Fencing
    Field Hockey
    Figure Skating
    Freestyle Skiing
    Golf
    Gymnastics
    Handball
    Ice Hockey
    IOC
    Judo
    Karate
    Let's Get Social
    London 1908
    London 1948
    London 2012
    Los Angeles 1984
    Los Angeles 2028
    Luge
    Melbourne 1956
    Mexico City 1968
    Milano Cortina 2026
    Modern Pentathlon
    Montreal 1976
    Moscow 1980
    Munich 1972
    Nordic Combined
    Olympics
    Olympic Sports Media
    On This Date
    Other
    Paralympics
    Paris 2024
    Rhythmic Gymnastics
    Rio 2016
    Rome 1960
    Rowing
    Rugby Sevens
    Sailing
    Seoul 1988
    Shooting
    Short Track Speedskating
    Skateboarding
    Skeleton
    Ski Jumping
    Snowboarding
    Soccer (football)
    Sochi 2014
    Softball
    Speed Skating
    Sport Climbing
    Squash
    Summer Olympics
    Surfing
    Swimming
    Sydney 2000
    Table Tennis
    Taekwondo
    Tennis
    Tokyo 1964
    Tokyo 2020
    Track And Field
    Trampolining
    Triathlon
    Volleyball
    WADA
    Water Polo
    Weightlifting
    Winter Olympics
    Wrestling


    Archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014


    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly