Gayathri Menon, Grade 11
UWC Mahindra
Over the past few weeks, I found myself obsessing over the involvement of politics in international sports for a research paper of mine. Several sleepless nights spent researching the ideals of competitive sport and whether sport and politics are inexplicably connected in international arenas occupied most of my waking thoughts. Have I come to a solid hypothesis? Not yet, but I have gained some invaluable insight into the nature of international sports.
I remember watching the 2008 Beijing Olympics, wide-eyed and curious, the colour of each national flag enrapturing me. The overly grandiose stadiums and pride plastered on the victors’ faces did not mean much to my childish eyes but mean so much more to my current academic pursuit. While five year old me saw streamers, confetti, and pretty flags, what I see now is national pride, political gain, and a spectator’s adoration for sport. It is not too extreme to say that the Olympics gather immense crowds, not only to stadiums but also to tv channels and streaming platforms. Such fixation on events provides the host nation with a unique opportunity- to either utilise or exploit media attention for their gain. There are arguments against such a claim; some would go to the extent of accusing me of tarnishing the ideals of Olympism (philosophy of the Olympic games) for it.
Orwell had once stated that serious sports “ is war minus the shooting”. In other words, it becomes a non-military ground for the display of national strength and a socio-political endeavour. Olympism tries to bring together athletes from all over the world, thus basking in the glory that it strives to work towards peace. An attempt at a pacifist organisation, Pierre de Coubertin (the Father of the Modern Olympic Games), had high hopes for the Olympic movement. His ambition with the games mirrored the increased mingling of nationalities in the 19th century, which he feared would cause turbulent times in the future. However, despite wanting to bring athletes together without giving into animosity and politics, in certain cases, the Olympics themselves became a playground for states to act on their ambitions. The 1936 Berlin Olympics hosted by Germany is one such example, where Hitler’s ambitions of regaining lost German glory and desire to use sport for propaganda outlined the event. Hitler half-hearted attempts at whitewashing the streets of Berlin, excuses of inclusion of Jewish athletes and mistreatment of athletes that form minority communities are the remnants of the event.
This type of politicization is one of the darker realities of national representation in sports. In some cases, it might rob the athletes out of personal pride or fame, as they are reduced to being their nation’s representative, but in others, this does not happen. This involvement of politics in the Olympics is not merely carried out by the host nation, but as can be inferred from the other states. Boycotts overshadowed the 1976 Montreal and 1980 Moscow Olympics for politically-charged reasons. I do not make this statement in an attempt to undermine the states for making their political decisions but as a mere fact that the Olympics does see its fair share of politics.
As counterclaims to the involvement of politics and the Olympics, there exist several examples of peaceful, celebratory ones that do not show nations trying to strong-arm one another. However, when athletes arrive decked in their national colours, with anthems blasting in the background and international media attention on them, one can hardly be blind to the element of nationalism in the Games. With nationalism, comes the politicization of different natures. I will not exaggerate my claim by feigning ignorance to the several other peaceful Olympic Games, but rather, I choose to highlight that politics finds itself nestling in the heart of this international sporting event.
The future of the Games does not seem bleak, with corporations, authorities, states, and media pitching in to make the event a success or a statement. The tinge of politics does not show any signs of being washed away, as national representation and rising global tension show the use of the Games as a high-stakes event for showing national strength. It could even be argued that the Games mirror the political events of their times, seeing political involvement in times of high global tension.
Moving forward, spectators should keep the involvement of state and international matters in the Games in mind as there are consequences of blindly supporting states. Ask yourself questions on how your support for an athlete could potentially translate into support for a state, or where your personal beliefs lie as you cheer for the Games. This might come forth as tarnishing the pristine, unadulterated ideal that sports are for many individuals, but there are political consequences for sports in an increasingly globalised world. In a longs-shot, spectator awareness of the involvement of politics might even help to move closer to the original ideals of the movement by choosing to see the athlete before seeing the state. At the same time, you can hardly expect the spectator to be colour-blind when the Games are adorned in the national colours of the attending states.
I remember watching the 2008 Beijing Olympics, wide-eyed and curious, the colour of each national flag enrapturing me. The overly grandiose stadiums and pride plastered on the victors’ faces did not mean much to my childish eyes but mean so much more to my current academic pursuit. While five year old me saw streamers, confetti, and pretty flags, what I see now is national pride, political gain, and a spectator’s adoration for sport. It is not too extreme to say that the Olympics gather immense crowds, not only to stadiums but also to tv channels and streaming platforms. Such fixation on events provides the host nation with a unique opportunity- to either utilise or exploit media attention for their gain. There are arguments against such a claim; some would go to the extent of accusing me of tarnishing the ideals of Olympism (philosophy of the Olympic games) for it.
Orwell had once stated that serious sports “ is war minus the shooting”. In other words, it becomes a non-military ground for the display of national strength and a socio-political endeavour. Olympism tries to bring together athletes from all over the world, thus basking in the glory that it strives to work towards peace. An attempt at a pacifist organisation, Pierre de Coubertin (the Father of the Modern Olympic Games), had high hopes for the Olympic movement. His ambition with the games mirrored the increased mingling of nationalities in the 19th century, which he feared would cause turbulent times in the future. However, despite wanting to bring athletes together without giving into animosity and politics, in certain cases, the Olympics themselves became a playground for states to act on their ambitions. The 1936 Berlin Olympics hosted by Germany is one such example, where Hitler’s ambitions of regaining lost German glory and desire to use sport for propaganda outlined the event. Hitler half-hearted attempts at whitewashing the streets of Berlin, excuses of inclusion of Jewish athletes and mistreatment of athletes that form minority communities are the remnants of the event.
This type of politicization is one of the darker realities of national representation in sports. In some cases, it might rob the athletes out of personal pride or fame, as they are reduced to being their nation’s representative, but in others, this does not happen. This involvement of politics in the Olympics is not merely carried out by the host nation, but as can be inferred from the other states. Boycotts overshadowed the 1976 Montreal and 1980 Moscow Olympics for politically-charged reasons. I do not make this statement in an attempt to undermine the states for making their political decisions but as a mere fact that the Olympics does see its fair share of politics.
As counterclaims to the involvement of politics and the Olympics, there exist several examples of peaceful, celebratory ones that do not show nations trying to strong-arm one another. However, when athletes arrive decked in their national colours, with anthems blasting in the background and international media attention on them, one can hardly be blind to the element of nationalism in the Games. With nationalism, comes the politicization of different natures. I will not exaggerate my claim by feigning ignorance to the several other peaceful Olympic Games, but rather, I choose to highlight that politics finds itself nestling in the heart of this international sporting event.
The future of the Games does not seem bleak, with corporations, authorities, states, and media pitching in to make the event a success or a statement. The tinge of politics does not show any signs of being washed away, as national representation and rising global tension show the use of the Games as a high-stakes event for showing national strength. It could even be argued that the Games mirror the political events of their times, seeing political involvement in times of high global tension.
Moving forward, spectators should keep the involvement of state and international matters in the Games in mind as there are consequences of blindly supporting states. Ask yourself questions on how your support for an athlete could potentially translate into support for a state, or where your personal beliefs lie as you cheer for the Games. This might come forth as tarnishing the pristine, unadulterated ideal that sports are for many individuals, but there are political consequences for sports in an increasingly globalised world. In a longs-shot, spectator awareness of the involvement of politics might even help to move closer to the original ideals of the movement by choosing to see the athlete before seeing the state. At the same time, you can hardly expect the spectator to be colour-blind when the Games are adorned in the national colours of the attending states.
Bibliography
http://ezproxy.oberlin.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/873113390?accountid.=12933
http://ezproxy.oberlin.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/873113389?accountid=12933
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http://ezproxy.oberlin.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/873113390?accountid.=12933
http://ezproxy.oberlin.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/873113389?accountid=12933
http://ezproxy.oberlin.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1764137367?accountid=12933
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