Recently, I had an out-of-the-blue flashback to my youth, which I'll obviously credit to excitement about the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics. And probably to some introspection about what I'm doing here on this blog. The object of my flashback? Zander Hollander's "The Complete Handbook of the Olympic Games".

Having it pop into my mind had me instantly remember treasuring it, fascinated by the detailed content previewing Los Angeles 1984. I can smell today the well-worn pages and am reminded of how it became a treasured go-to comfort (re)read even after the Games ended.

Although it wasn't as detailed in Games history as David Wallechinsky's "The Complete Book of the Olympics", it had its unique value. In addition to presenting an overview of each sport, Hollander - with co-editor / wife Phyllis - offered mentions of athletes to watch. Since publication was ahead of the Soviet-led boycott, plenty of Eastern Bloc athletes were included as leading podium contenders. For some reason, I most distinctly remember the Bulgarians Anelia Ralenkova, Lilia Ignatova, Diliana Guergieva and Soviet Galina Beloglazova as top prospects for rhythmic gymnastics' debut, with eventual gold medalist Lori Fung of Canada included as the lone western athlete of note. Similarly, and oddly, Hana Ricna - the Czechoslovakian artistic gymnast - has always stood out to me. For sure, referring back to The Complete Handbook throughout the Games, and after, underscored for me the impact the boycott had on competition that year.

The real charm, though, was inclusion of the 1980 medalists alongside blank spaces intended for the reader to fill in with the corresponding 1984 medalists. The Complete Handbook was interactive! Filling the book in along the way was a way to get this young reader attached. And, as a paperback novel-sized book, it was ideally convenient to be at my side.

Little did I know then, but gradually learned over years as a sports fan, that Hollander was an accomplished journalist/editor, with a staggering body of research across multiple professional sports. Sports writers and fans of a certain age should have deep appreciation for his ubiquitously prolific work over more than 20 years.

I'm not sure how I got the book. Perhaps my parents gifted it to me out of premonition of my imminent Olympic fandom. I think I had the Sarajevo 1984 edition, but Olympic fever kicked in for me that summer with L.A. And a love for detail and records, and Olympic athletes started while watching those Summer Games with The Complete Handbook in hand.

I'm also not sure when I didn't have the book anymore, surely lost to the supply of charity donations at some point. Note: I rue that decision as I look at my existing Olympic library. But I do know that I kept it for many years after 1984. I'm glad to have remembered it.

As long-time Sports Illustrated writer Jeff Pearlman put it to The New York Times regarding Hollander's general work, "I smell the book and it reminds me of...excitedly coming home, locking myself in my room, and reading that thing cover to cover." Same.

A recent Instagram post from Tokyo 2020 on an official Olympics-inspired collaboration with local artists at Narita Airport inspired me to loo k back at a pivotal period of Games art in the 1980s.

The practice of art commissions to celebrate an upcoming Games started in earnest with Munich 1972, but Sarajevo 1984 and Los Angeles 1984 are particular Olympics that stood out for its connections with noted modern artists like Andy Warhol, Richard Diebenkorn, David Hockney, and Robert Rauschenberg.

Let's revisit the work.

Sarajevo 1984

Lazar Vujic commissioned a group of noted contemporary artists, including Warhol, Cyril Twombley, Hockney and more, to create works for an "Portfolio Art and Sport" exhibit at his Visconti Art Gallery ahead of the Winter Games. Official posters for the Games were produced. 

Los Angeles 1984

L.A. '84 was certainly noted for its overall custom look, and organizers also commissioned their own portfolio of artists. 15 artists' works were re-purposed for posters as well.

​Although Warhol wasn't asked to contribute to the 1984 Summer Games project, he made his mark on his own. His partnership with Jean-Michel Basquiat on Olympics (1984) became the second-most expensive piece of their collaboration sold at auction.

The duo also worked on Olympic Rings (1985). Both pieces followed the usual style of their collaboration:; Warhol provided a recognizable base, which Basquiat later "defaced".

Tokyo 2020 continues the legacy, with its own selection of artists' work, many of which persist in an abstract, inventive presentation of Olympic enthusiasm.

​Which pieces will become iconic reminders of the Games?

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.

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.

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!)

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)

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.

UIPM World shares an interview with Bence Demeter, looking to follow in deep Hungarian footsteps in modern pentathlon.

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.

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."