So posits 2016's Cold War Games: Propaganda, the Olympics, and U.S. Foreign Policy by Toby C. Rider, as it explores the growing propaganda-through-sport efforts by the United States as the Cold War with the Soviet Union ramped up in post-World War II era.

Olympic idealists may cringe, but the modern Olympics were structured at the start that made national competitions inevitable. Aside from the recent Refugee Olympic Team*, entries are allowed only through national committees, and national pride and passion is what has historically driven a significant fandom of the Games.

So, as the Soviet Union eyed an Olympic debut at Helsinki 1952, it was increasingly apparent that the emerging world power viewed an opportunity for athletic success to showcase its perceived communist system's success, as it looked to establish relevance in a post-war world. And, the U.S. took notice.

How the U.S. took notice - and responded - in the late 1940s into the 1950s is the focus of Cold War Games. Rider provides a deeply researched look at three elements: how the U.S. looked to leverage the "peaceful internationalism" ideals of the Olympic movement to support western ideas of democracy, how the U.S. worked a public relations campaign within host cities, and the overall effort to leverage the Olympic structure. The Olympics became an element in U.S. foreign policy interest to "...win World War III without fighting it." (Crusade for Freedom's Abbott Washburn).

Presented as an academic study, Cold War Games is exceedingly relevant for those who remember the fever pitch of the U.S. vs Soviet storylines as the Games approached, reaching its peak with the boycotts of Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984. It's a shame, then, that Rider doesn't take his study through that period - although such a reader can draw the line there.

While not strictly an Olympics-focused book - Cold War Games is best seen as an examination of foreign policy through the Games - there is great perspective on Helsinki 1952 and Melbourne 1956 within the context of the Cold War. It's great insight for Olympic and political history fans to digest.

*Perhaps one of the bigger revelations is the idea of a "Refugee Olympic Team" was first proposed in the immediate post-war years, focused on refugees and "non-state" athletes from war-torn European nations. The proposal, which was ultimately rejected by the International Olympic Committee, wasn't entirely altruistic, however, as the emphasis on Eastern European refugees - namely, those fleeing the Soviet-bloc - would have also served as a p.r. coup in the Cold War context.

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
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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.

In a compelling video op-ed published by The New York Times, hammer thrower steps up her voice as an athlete-activist and speaks directly to the IOC's Thomas Bach and the infamous Rule 50.

Congrats! Canadian biathlete Megan Bankes, comes out as gay on the heels of Calgary Pride.

We had a world championship! What would have been a stop on the year's world series was turned into the stand-alone (sprint) triathlon world championships in Hamburg over the weekend. Congratulations to winners Vincent Luis (men), Georgia Taylor-Brown (women), and Team France (mixed relay).

Five-time Olympian Timo Boll is perfect to chat with Olympic.org on table tennis' "evolution".

Congrats to skiing legend Bode Miller, part of the ownership group of Kentucky Derby winner, Authentic.

More skiing: Viktoria Rebensburg, Vancouver 2010 gold medalist, retires after 13 years on the circuit.

Australia's 4x100 freestyle relay team of Ian Thorpe, Michael Klim, Chris Fydler, and Ashley Callus reunite over for some fun twenty years on from their gold medal swim at Sydney 2000. Time has passed, but the team's retelling of it gives me chills, which is what any great Olympic story does. 

R.I.P. to William Yorzyk, original butterfly gold medalist from Melbourne 1956, who passed away at age 87.

Short track legend Victor An is set to mentor the Chinese team ahead of Beijing 2022, joining a top team of coaches preparing China for home success.

Equal Pay: Take that, USA Soccer.

SIfan Hassan and Mo Farah each broke the world record for distance in one-hour runs. Hear their side.

Six years from retirement isn't too late for an interview retrospective on field hockey star and Olympic medalist Teun de Nooijer, is it?

Speaking of retirees, have you been wondering what former U.S. national team rhythmic gymnast Wendy Hilliard has been up to?

Elaine Thompson-Herah tells Tokyo 2020 that she's looking to retain her Olympic titles despite recent injury setbacks.

The Olympic Channel spoke with running great, and one of my favorite athletes, Tegla Lorupe for a brief but sober check-in on her Refugee Team during this pandemic.

Can't wait for the behind-the-scenes of what - and how! - Anders Mol and Christian Sorumgot up to on the peaks in Norway. Awesome shot!

​The 1956 Olympics in Melbourne were staged at the end of a tumultuous year in global politics, and as a major global event, were poised to become a stage for statements and positioning of visible protest. That unfortunate role came to fruition on this date in 1956, when what is considered to be the 1st official Olympic boycott was announced.

On November 6th, In protest of the brutal Soviet crackdown on the attempted Hungarian revolution, Spain and the Netherlands declared a boycott of the Games, to be joined later by Switzerland (Switzerland!). With that dubious inspiration, a few days later, in response to and protest of the Suez Crisis, Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq declared their own boycott. And finally, China (The People's Republic of) boycotted just before the Games when China (er, Taiwan) was allowed to compete as an independent nation.

The result? The number of athletes participating in the Games dropped from four years earlier, by more than 1,500. A good result? Described as a response to frustration as seeing the Games used as a political platform, proposed by local schoolboy John Ian Wing, the Closing Ceremony featured athletes entering and celebrating together - rather than separated by nation - to recognize for a moment the bringing together of people through sport and without boundaries.

I'm a big fan of that last bit. How ironic, then, that without the intrusion of politics and these first boycotts, that tradition may never have started. The threat of boycotts hasn't ended, and neither has the impulse to use the Games as statements. I can't see that ever changing. And, to be honest, I'm not sure I would. Without a minimum of political discussion and impact, we wouldn't have a spotlight on dubious hosts like Beijing and Sochi. While I look forward every two years to the ideal of forgetting about the real world, I recognize the importance of using a visible and public voice to express discontent. Does that mean I support a boycott? No - and thankfully there hasn't been one since 1988. As Sochi dissenters showed, that voice can be carried in other means in today's ready news era. There's no denying that the 1956 Games marked a milestone in using sport as protest. But let's hope that that specific mark of boycotting has passed.