A Brief History
On July 27, 1996, at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, a pipe bomb exploded killing 2 and injuring 111. The perpetrator was caught seven years later. This terrorist act is one of several Olympic incidents that go against the Olympic principles of ethics, comradery, peace, brotherhood and all that is good about humanity. Politics and hate have no place in the Olympic Games, but sometimes these factors intrude anyway.
Digging Deeper
Some incidents where the Olympic ideal was betrayed include:
In 1972, the Munich Olympics were marred by a terrorist attack that cost 17 lives.
In 1980, 66 countries refused to participate in the Summer Olympics in Moscow for political reasons, and in 1984, the Soviets returned the favor by boycotting the Games in LA.
Cheating has marred the Olympics at times, and in 2017 the Russian team was banned and 48 Russian Olympians were stripped of medals for PED use.
Note: Here is a link to the Olympic Charter.
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: What is the worst Olympic scandal?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Alexander, Kent and Kevin Salwen. The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle. Harry N. Abrams, 2019.
Fuchs, Jeremy. Total Olympics: Every Obscure, Hilarious, Dramatic, and Inspiring Tale Worth Knowing. Workman Publishing Company, 2021.
