Politics and the Olympic Games: the various boycotts of the Olympic edition

The Olympic Games These are the great sports festivals, but they are often overshadowed by the political situation. Although one of the sayings of the Games is to leave the various conflicts that prevail in the world for a little more than two weeks of their duration, the truth is that they are present in many cases.

It has become common in different Olympic editions for different countries to refuse to participate in the Games. All because of the various conflicts that clouded the Olympic spirit and that caused some events to become protagonists also due to non-sporting standards. These are the boycotts who scored the Games.

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 (Getty); 7 and 9 (MD file)

Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon and Cambodia in Melbourne 1956

Suez Canal Crisis

The 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, held between November and December, were undoubtedly boycotted Games. There were many political situations that affected the development of the Olympic event. One of these was the Suez Canal crisis, which Egypt nationalized in July of that year, which resulted in the Sinai War. The United Kingdom, France and Israel intervened in Egypt and, as a result, the African country and its allies decided to protest by refusing to participate in the event in Australia.

2

Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland and Liechtenstein in Melbourne 1956

Soviet invasion of Hungary

Between October and November of the same year, the Hungarian revolution broke out, with a wave of national protests against the policies imposed by the USSR on the country. It grew as days passed against the Stalinist government. The USSR decided to intervene in Hungary through military intervention. In protest, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Liechtenstein refused to participate in the Melbourne Games. It happens, as a curiosity, that the equestrian Games have already been held in Stockholm in the month of June, where the Spanish delegation of that sport was present. This second place is due to the fact that the horses have to undergo a six-month quarantine to enter Australia due to current health issues, which has made the equestrian festival in the ocean country unfeasible.

3

China in Melbourne 1956 and Tokyo 1964

Participation in the Taiwan Olympic

The Republic of China, also known as Taiwan, participated in the Melbourne Games in 1956. It was at odds with the People’s Republic of China due to the country’s recent civil war. China claims that Taiwan is part of its territory and therefore cannot compete as an independent country. In protest, he refused to participate in the Games. The situation was repeated eight years later in Tokyo 1964.

4

Indonesia and North Korea in Tokyo 1964

Sanctions in Indonesia

China was not the only one absent from Tokyo 1964. It should be noted that South Africa was banned due to its apartheid policy. In this case, therefore, the African country is missing because of the sanction. Also because of the sanctions, at first, Indonesia will leave, which was sanctioned by the IOC for preventing the presence of Chinese and Israeli athletes on its territory in the 1962 Asian Games for political reasons. Indonesia held a parallel multi-sport event (New Emerging Forces Games) months before Tokyo 1964 and the IOC tightened its sanctions, warning that athletes who participated in it would not be able to compete in Tokyo.
Finally, the Olympic body lifted Indonesia’s veto as a country a few weeks before the Games, but international sports federations maintained sanctions against athletes who participated in those parallel Games. In protest, Indonesia withdrew from the Games days before their start and North Korea, which also had athletes sanctioned for that parallel competition, also boycotted the Olympic edition.

5

More than thirty African countries in Montreal 1976

Participation in the New Zealand event after playing a rugby match in South Africa, which was banned by apartheid

The boycott was officially announced at the height of apartheid in South Africa. This situation caused the African country to be expelled as a member of the IOC, leaving it outside the world of sports. However, the New Zealand rugby team played a match against South Africa shortly before the Games. This caused the African countries to be aggrieved because they understood that the New Zealanders had violated the regulations. However, the IOC disallowed New Zealand, causing a chain reaction from the African continent block.
In response, more than thirty countries boycotted the Games, mostly from Africa, but also including Taiwan, Iraq and China. Niger, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Upper Volta, Algeria, Cameroon, Chad, Benin, Egypt, Gabon, Ethiopia, Congo, Uganda, Zambia, Zaire, Mali, Malawi, Madagascar did not attend the Olympic event , Ghana, Guyana, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Gambia, Kenya, Togo, Tanzania or Tunisia.

6

The United States and its broad bloc of allies in Moscow 1980

USSR invasion of Afghanistan

The 1980 Moscow Olympic Games were the Olympic Games with the least international participation since the various boycotts of Melbourne 1956. It all came after the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan, which caused the United States to decline participation and, with it, the support for his decision from his broad bloc of allies. Some sixty-five countries refused to participate in the Games, of which only eighty were present. It all started with the support of most of the United States authorities for the boycott.

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USSR and seventeen other allied countries in Los Angeles 1984

Response to the Moscow boycott in 1980

The next Olympic Games were in Los Angeles in 1984. In them, the Soviet bloc returned the boycott of Moscow in 1980. The only exception was Romania, which participated. Thus, the USSR, Afghanistan, Albania, German Democratic Republic, Vietnam, South Yemen, North Korea, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Cuba, Laos, Iran, Hungary, Mongolia, Libya, Poland and Angola did not participate in the Games. .

8

North Korea and allies in Seoul 1988

Differences between South Korea and North Korea

North Korea requested the Games be shared between Seoul and Pyongyang, amid ongoing disputes with South Korea, in a political climate where reunification of the two countries is prized. The possibility was discussed, including North Korea’s demand for exactly fifty percent in the organization for each country. However, the IOC determined that this was impossible due to logistical reasons, the idea initially took hold and was later discarded. North Korea ended up withdrawing from participation in Seoul in protest and Albania, Cuba and Ethiopia supported their decision.

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Diplomatic boycott of the United States and allies on Beijing 2022

Human rights violations in China

The last major political conflict in the Olympic Games to focus on was the Beijing 2022 winter edition, although it did not affect the participation of countries or athletes in the competitions. The United States has announced that it will not send diplomatic representation to China, a decision supported by Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Lithuania, the Netherlands or Denmark. The reason, the denunciation of “genocide and crimes against humanity” by the Xi Jinping regime in the Asian giant.

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