Politics have once again have thrust themselves into the Olympics, and athletes must walk the line between social protest and the right to compete.
— contains numerous bylaws meant to foster “political neutrality.” No protesting on the field of play, no wearing of symbols or flashing hand gestures. That sort of thing.Think back to Nazi Germany using the 1936 Berlin Olympics as a propaganda tool or Palestinian terrorists kidnapping and murdering Israeli team members in 1972 in Munich. The United States and Soviet Union traded boycotts in the 1980s and Chechen rebels threatened to attack the 2014 Sochi Games.
Bidding came down to Beijing and the untested city of Almaty, Kazakhstan, after several European candidates withdrew. China won in a close vote and recent events suggest that, if the IOC had picked Almaty, there might not have been a Winter Games this year. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing that an athlete can take a stand,” said Tucker West, an American luger. “Athletes have a voice and why not use [it]?”
“The people that we’ve met … have been wonderful,” she said. “I know that those issues don’t represent the entire country because there are so many good people.”“I am part Chinese and that has instilled a love for the country in me,” she said. “There’s just a lot to it and it’s not so black-and-white.”With L.A. hosting the 2028 Summer Games and Salt Lake City bidding for the 2030 Winter Games, it should be no surprise that U.S. Olympic leaders have adopted the IOC’s stance on China.
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