Feature: Olympic timeline
By Laura Miller
Pierre de Coubertin, a young French aristocrat, now known as ‘le Rénovateur’, revived the modern Olympic Games in 1894.
Born in 1863, some believe Coubertin attributed the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 not to its military skills, but rather to the French soldiers’ lack of vigour.
He decided exercise, more specifically sports, made a well-rounded and vigorous person.
“Let us export our oarsmen, our runners, our fencers into other lands. That is the true free trade of the future; and the day it is introduced into Europe the cause of peace will have received a new and strong ally. I now propose [.] the splendid and beneficent task of reviving the Olympic Games.”
1894 – Athens
First modern games
1900 – Paris
Women allowed to compete, but only in a few events – 11 did.
1936 – Berlin
Criticised as a Nazi propaganda event, Hitler’s theories of Aryan racial superiority were repeatedly shown up by “non-Aryan” athletes. In particular, African-American sprinter and long jumper Jesse Owens, who won 4 gold medals. First year Olympic torch relay re-introduced.
1948 – London
Germany and Japan excluded.
1952 – Helsinki
First year USSR competed, and dominated the games.
1956 – Melbourne
Tensions between Russia and Hungary – because of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution – led to the ‘Blood in the Water’ pool polo match. Hungarian player Ervin Zádor emerged during the last two minutes with blood pouring from under his eye after being punched by a Soviet player. Hungary thrashed the USSR 4-0.
1964 – Tokyo
Recent advent of communication satellites made the 1964 games the first to be broadcast worldwide on television, marking a turning point in the global visibility and popularity of the Olympics.
1968 – Mexico City
Tommie Smith and John Carlos, medal winners for the 200 metre dash, made a protest gesture on the podium against the segregation in the United States. The political act was condemned within the Olympic Movement, but was praised in the American civil rights movement.
1972 – Munich
Boasted the most athletes from the most countries participating in the most events with the most media coverage in the history of the Olympics. Ended in nine members of the Israeli team dead when eight Palestinian militants broke into their rooms in the Olympic Village. A failed attempt by German police to storm the Palestinians and rescue the hostages ended in a shootout.
1976 – Montreal
Boycott by African nations to protest against a recent tour of apartheid-run South Africa by a New Zealand rugby side.
1980 – Moscow
Boycotted by 66 nations, including the United States, Canada, West Germany and Japan, following the Soviet Union’s participation in the Afghan Civil War.
1984 – Los Angeles
The Soviet Union, and 13 Soviet Allies, boycotted the games in response to boycotts against the
1980 Moscow Olympics
1988 – Seoul
Many athletes, most notably men’s 100 metres winner Ben Johnson, failed mandatory drug tests.
1996 – Atlanta
Bomb exploded during celebrations in Centennial Park. Widely rumored that Coca-Cola, a key International Olympic Committee sponsor, was highly influential in the 1996 games being hosted by its home city.
2008 – Beijing
At $44 billion, the most expensive Olympics in the history of the games. But China’s successful bid to host the Games is criticised by human rights activists and Tibetan solidarity campaigners.
