Every four years, there are several groups of people who are as busy as athletes during the Olympics.
Reporters, photographers, various media broadcasters, airlines, local and international securities and yes, even world leaders.
All eyes and ears will be on the Olympics.
History has showed us that Olympics is more than just a mega sports event — it's a combination of political, economical and social ties between nations and cultures.
That said, anything can happen at the Olympics — the good, the bad, and the ugly.
In this article, we will look at some of the significant events that took place during different Olympic Games throughout the years.
Rising Above The Occasion Amidst Racial and Political Tension
While the Olympics is generally associated with the battle of the strongest, the fastest among athletes for a spot on the podium, it is sometimes overshadowed by the subtle power struggles and ideological differences between nations.
Not only that, many athletes too suffer from racial discrimination from their very home country. It's ironic that while they were chosen to represent the country for their skills, their final achievements were less celebrated by their fellow home supporters.
One of the most significant Olympic Games that reflect this tension was undoubtedly the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany.
The Games took place during the reign of Adolf Hitler who used this mega sports event as a propaganda tool to promote the supremacy of the Aryan race — a group of people who descend from the Proto-Indo-European region. In other words, if you're non-white and Jewish, you're considered inferior.
The King of Tracks — Jesse Owens
Born in 1913, African American track and field athlete, Jesse Owens made history by winning four gold medals for his first and only Olympic appearance in Berlin. He won the 100m race, 200 m race, 4 x100m relay race as well as the long jump event.
His winning streak proved that sports excellence goes beyond ethnicity and nationality. Despite winning four gold medals, he was still subject to discrimination in heavily racially segregated America back then.
Let's take a look at a more recent example that took place during the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The Queen of Hearts — Cathy Freeman
Born in 1973, Cathy Freeman was a former Aboriginal Australian sprinter. Her identity captured the duality and racial tension between the indigenous Australian community and the Australians.
While she was renowned for her exceptional skills and gold medal win for the 400-metre race during the 2000 Sydney Olympics,it was her decision to carry both the Aboriginal flag and the Australian flag that won the hearts of Australia despite being warned not to carry the Aboriginal flag.
Her victory and gesture became a national symbol of unity and reconciliation for Australia.
Find out who will be a part of our Malaysian contingent during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Source: Athletics Podiumr
Impact Of The 1980 Summer Olympics Boycott in Moscow
Following the conversation of political tension, we have to talk about the 1980 Summer Olympics that took place in Moscow.
During that period, Cold War tensions between Western countries and the Soviet Union were high. It further escalated when the United States decided to lead a boycott of the Olympic Games as a response to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. As a result, 65 countries including Malaysia participated in the boycott.
This however led to two main impacts:
Denied Opportunity For Athletes
For many athletes, qualifying for the Olympics is a dream come true, and this opportunity doesn't come that easily.
Not every athlete has the luxury to wait for another four years after they have spent so much of their time and money to be in their best form through vigorous training and practice.
One clear example was our very own Malaysian football team who qualified for the Moscow Olympics after beating South Korea twice during the qualification match in April 1980.
Awareness of Political Neutrality in the Olympics
The boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics was a result of deepened political polarisation and interference in the Olympics. In fact, another boycott took place during the next 1984 Summer Olympics, this time by the Soviet Union.
These incidents have pushed the International Olympic Council (IOC) to uphold political neutrality more firmly despite global conflicts.
Learn more about the history and participation of Malaysia at previous Olympics.
Unbelievable Dominance of The Flying Fish — Michael Phelps
The Olympics is a global celebration of range in the world of sports. Everyone loves watching a good game and an amazing athlete.
When it comes to the most decorated Olympiad, we have to talk about the American swimming legend, Michael Phelps. Currently, he holds the record of having the most Olympic medals — 28 medals (in which 25 are gold medals!). Phelps has participated in five Olympic games throughout his professional career.
Let's look at his Olympic journey throughout the years.
2000 Sydney Olympics
This is when Phelps made his Olympic debut, at the age of 15. He participated in the 200m butterfly final and finished fifth.
2004 Athens Olympics
He won his first Olympic gold medal in the 400m individual medley. He later got two bronze medals for the 200m freestyle and 4x100 m freestyle events.
Phelp's winning streak continued for the 200-metre individual medley and 100-metre butterfly event. He was given another gold medal when the USA team won gold for the 4 x100m medley final as he participated in the previous heats.
Medal tally: 6 golds, 2 bronze.
2008 Beijing Olympics
2008 was a superb year for Phelps. He won a total of 8 gold medals in the following events:
- 4x100m medley
- 400-metre individual medley
- 200-metre freestyle
- 4x200m freestyle
- 100-metre butterfly
- 200-metre butterfly
- 200-metre medley
- 4x100m freestyle
Medal tally: 14 golds, 2 bronze
2012 London Olympics
The London Olympics was supposed to be Phelps's last one as he announced his retirement. He won four golds and two silvers in the following events:
- 100-metre butterfly (gold)
- 4x100m medley (gold)
- 4x200m freestyle relay (gold)
- 200-metre individual medley (gold)
- 200-metre butterfly (silver)
- 4x100m freestyle relay (silver)
Medal tally: 18 golds, 2 silver, 2 bronze
2016 Rio de Janeiro
In 2014, Phelps announced that he would come out of retirement to compete professionally again.
At the age of 31, he went on to win five gold and one silver during the Rio Olympics, where he lost the gold for the 200m butterfly to Singaporean, Joseph Schooling.
Medal tally: 23 golds, 3 sivers, 2 bronze
Take a look at these amazing Malaysian athletes who have fought their way to bring back the Olympic medals for our beloved country.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Double Celebration of Skills and Sportsmanship — Sharing Gold Medals
The Olympics is no stranger to medal ties, even for gold medals. For sports event that rely greatly on records instead of score, it's possible to have double gold medal winners like the following examples.
USA's Simone Manuel and Canada's Penny Oleksiak [Swimming]
During the 2016 Rio Olympics, Manuel amd Oleksiak reached the final at identical record of 52.70sec (dead heat) during the Women's 100m Freestyle Final.
If you watched the video of that fateful day, Oleksiak who was only 16 at that time (the youngest Olympiad to win an individual event) was so shocked to see her win and swan across the lanes to congratulate Manuel of their double gold medals.
Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi [Men's High Jump]
Another touching and memorable double gold win took place duriung the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Both of them have succeded to jump over 2.37m but none of them could pass through the 2.9m height.
Barshim and Tamberi decided to share the gold medal instead of continuing with a jump-off. It was Barshim who suggested that idea to the judge.
Before we know it, emotions got a hold of both of them (who are also good friends) as they embraced one another in this beautiful celebration of sportsmanship.
Play and Win Without Limits — Age, Culture, Diversity of Olympics
Perhaps, one of the most beautiful appeal of the Olympic Games is its celebration of limitless potential in sports.
There's no limit on how many times you can compete in the Olympics as long as you qualify for them, and the number of medal sports are bound to increase in time.
Most Olympic Appearance
Age is rarely a barrier as long as you pass the minimal age limit of the sports that you intend to compete in.
Just look at Canadian equestrian rider Ian Millar who has participated in 10 Olympic Games from 1972 to 2012. He was 65 years old during his last Olympic apperance.
On the other hand, German-Italian canoer Josefa Idem-Guerrini has participated in 8 Olympic Games from 1984 to 2008, making her the female athlete with the most Olympic appearance so far.
Newly Introduced Sports
Guess what? Breaking (brekadance) will be introduced as a medal sport during the Paris 2024 Olympics!
16 men and 16 women will compete and judged by a nine panel judge according to these criterias: performativity, musicality, creativity, personality, technique, and variety.
Before that, non-conventional sports such as surfing, skateboarding, sports climbing were previoiusly introduced during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
It is a great breakthrough to see how the landscape of competitve sports has expanded to be more inclusive and to cultivate new talents in different events.
Photo by Michael Afonso on Unsplash
Thinking of picking a new sport or to take your passion for sports to another level?
Head to Superprof to find an experienced sports tutor to guide you according to your interest, learning level and learning pace.
In just a few clicks, you can browse through a wide selection of sports tutors that offer their lessons across different cities in Malaysia. Once you have decided on who to pick, you can proceed to connect with them via the messaging feature at their profiles.
As we're counting down to the 2024 Paris Olympics, don't forget to immerse yourself in the history of how the modern Olympics has evolved into the game that we all get to watch today.
Let's hope for more dynamic performances by the athletes, in terms of good sportsmanship and the ultimate first gold medal for Malaysia!
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