Berlin 1936:

Awarded to Berlin in 1931, a year before the Nazis rose to power, Hitler regarded the event as a tool for propaganda and an opportunity to promote Nazi ideology. Many countries considered boycotting the event in protest of anti-Semitism but ultimately did participate. Highlights included African-American athlete Jesse Owens winning four gold medals in various competitions to disprove Hitler’s theories on Aryan supremacy.

Mexico City 1968:

Once again, racial issues dominated the Games. South Africa was absent after the majority of black African nations threatened to boycott the Games if they were invited. During the medal ceremony of the 200m race two African-American sprinters, Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their black-gloved fists – a symbol of the black-power movement. Both athletes were banned and sent home.

Munich 1972:

The Munich Games were overshadowed by the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches. During the second week of competition, Palestinian guerrillas gained access to the Olympic Village, and took the Israeli team hostage. The drama culminated in a bloody airport shootout which resulted in the deaths of all hostages and five out of the eighty hostage-takers

Last week I spoke to Lynne Evans who competed at the 1972 Games for the British archers. Hear her fascinating account of the events:

Moscow 1980:

A total of 50 nations boycotted the Games in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The Soviets retaliated four years later by boycotting the LA games.

Meanwhile, talks between Tibetan envoys and Chinese government authorities have begun. Today Chinese President Hu Jintao said he hoped the summit, taking place in the Southern town of Shenzhen, would be a success. However, he also made clear that he would like the Bhuddist leader to acknowledge that Tibet is an integral part of China and not an independent entity. The Dalai Lama insists he doesn’t want independence, but a high level of autonomy, for the predominantly Buddhist Himalayan region. Many Western observers believe that negotiations are doomed to fail.

A summit would be the first meeting held by members of both factions since violent demonstrations began in Tibet in March. Western observers have claimed that Beijing officials may use the talks simply to give the impression of being willing to engage in dialogue, in order to pacify critics and buy time. The Dalai Lama’s envoys are likely to use the opportunity to voice their concerns over China’s handling of the protests and put forward a proposal to bring peace to the region. However, China will not acknowledge talks as official negotiations.

Question: When China was awarded the Olympics in 2001, its committee claimed that the event would help the development of human rights – has it done this?

Answer: “When the games were awarded, there were statements from the Beijing Olympic Organising Committee and they were very pro the idea that it would help the development…”

Q: “Is this relay an appropriate occasion for protest against China’s human rights violations?”

A: “I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for people to protest…”

Q: Many people say politics and sports shouldn’t mix, and that the spirit of the games shouldn’t be overshadowed by the political context. How do you feel about this line of argument?

A: “For me it’s a bit ridiculous really, because – what are sportsmen? They’re ordinary individuals like ourselves, and for that very reason should be aloud to speak out and speak about issues that conern them…”

The BBC’s failure to report these protests yesterday underlined the arguments of the demonstrators. Journalists at the BBC could hardly have missed the group of over 1,000 Chinese students gathered in front of the Beeb’s Manchester offices to voice their anger. While bosses did issue a statement denying their allegations and claiming that BBC coverage had been fair, there was no mention of these protests on the channel’s evening news programmes. As Chinese journalist Lee Siu Hin has pointed out, the network’s lack of coverage doesn’t bode well for it.

Western correspondents in these countries have described the atmosphere as “hostile”, claiming that the mutilated relays left no-one entirely satisfied and the Olympic spirit rather tarnished. Despite still facing criticism from the West, Chinese officials will be relieved that tensions have died down with just under half the international destinations of the relay remaining.

Nevertheless, the big Western media organisations are still taking a fervent interest in the matter. The likes of CNN and BBC have come under sharp criticism from Chinese audiences around the world for what they call biased reporting. A group of Chinese media watchdogs have even started Anti-CNN, a site on which inaccuracies in Western media reports are spotted and pointed out. Under increasing pressure, CNN has attempted to convey the Chinese perspective on the issue:

In late March German Chancellor Angela Merkel became the first leader to boycott the opening ceremony in protest of China’s treatment of Tibet. Merkel had previously enraged the Chinese leadership by receiving the Dalai Lama in Berlin for private talks. French President Sarkozy is also considering the possibility of a boycott and has called on Chinese authorities to reopen discussions with the Dalai Lama. In the US, Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has applauded Brown’s decision and encouraged President Bush to do the same. Bush has confirmed his participation at some stage of the event.

On Tuesday seven demonstrators were arrested in San Francisco before the torch even arrived, after they had climbed up the Golden Gate Bridge and attached a pro-Tibet banner to it. During the actual relay yesterday, the torch disappeared out of view for an hour, before reappearing a mile inland. Officials decided to take a shorter route to avoid clashes with demonstrators, but neither this measure nor the increased police security were able to prevent confrontations.

Meanwhile China has condemned what it called “attempts to sabotage and destroy” the torch relay. Although experts are calling it a “grotesque embarrassment” and negative PR for Beijing, the government has also announced that it has no plans to cancel the on-going event (Should it be boycotted? What do you think?).

“I think it really shows to the Chinese people that you can’t fool the world. They have to be broad minded; they can’t just listen to their Chinese TV and then read the Chinese book…”

- Tashi, Tibetan protestor

“‘Free Tibet’ doesn’t mean ‘independent Tibet’. It’s a misconception for most people. When most Western people say ‘free Tibet’ they are simply blindly supporting…”

- Yi Bi, Chinese student and pro-China demonstrator

“My fellow torch bearers got attacked with a fire extinguisher, another one got hit with paint…”

- Lawrence Sinton, carried the torch near St. Paul’s Cathedral

*Reactions courtesy of Camilla Menezes*

London became the centre of heated protests yesterday as the Olympic flame passed through its snow-clad streets. Despite the chilly weather conditions thousands of activists lined the 31-mile route (see map), demonstrating against China’s human rights record and treatment of Tibet. According to the BBC, 35 were arrested as individual demonstrators repeatedly stormed the ring of policemen protecting the torch-bearer. One man even attempted to smother the Olympic flame with a fire extinguisher.

The resulting scenes – security forces wrestling activists, as masses of protestors waved flags and shouted slogans (see original footage) – weren’t far removed from a sporting event. But the political debate, increasingly difficult to extract from this summer’s games, was impossible to overlook. The link between sports and politics was highlighted further by Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s decision not to touch the torch despite greeting it outside 10 Downing Street – a diplomatic move aimed to appease both Tibetan supporters and Chinese officials in equal measures.

Meanwhile in Beijing, China’s state-controlled television networks opted not to show scenes of protest and demonstration. Instead reports focused on peaceful images of the Chinese ambassador handing the torch to a British runner. With another 20 countries left for the torch to travel through, the Chinese censors ought to have their work cut out for them in the coming months. Next stop: Paris, a city well acquainted with the concept of demonstrating and revolting.