The Modern Olympics

1. The Modern Olympics Athleticism, Glory, Politics, and Spectacle

2. 1936 Olympics The Impact of Jesse Owens

3. Rise of Hitler The stage the new German Nazi regime had been set in 1936 Berlin, Germany was awarded the Olympics, and to them it was a chance to show the world how Germany had recovered from World War I The games were actually awarded to Germany in 1931, before Hitler and the Nazi’s came to power. At the time the world did not know much about him. Or for that matter, Jesse Owens

4. The Aryan Race The Hitler Olympics did not feature amateurs like most Olympics. Hitler trained professionals to dominate. Hitler considered the Germans part of the Aryan race, which was similar to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Empire builders. Or in other words, people that ruled their time period

5. Torch Relay There was no torch relay in the ancient Olympic games. Hitler created it though, to try to tie together the ancient Greeks with the Third Reich. In reality, the torch passing was a pagan tradition. It had nothing to do with the games of ancient times. Hitler literally rewrote the history of the games. Made a mockery of the tradition to that point.

6. Torch Relay Ctd… The torch was carried through Eastern Europe to Germany, the purpose was to show off German Power and attract attention. The purpose was not to start a tradition, but was a political spectacle. However, the torch relays current role is tradition, and a celebration of the host country.

7. Torch Relay

8. Hitler and the Games With the world watching, Hitler knew it was a tremendous opportunity to show off his regime He also believed that it was a time to prove the physical superiority of the Aryan Race, or as he deemed it, the “Master Race”. In other words, the idea that Germany was naturally stronger, faster, and smarter than all other races.

9. Owens Owens, the son of an African American cotton picker from Alabama, quickly became the favorite in the 1936 Olympics During the Long Jump, he fouled twice in Germany and was one more foul away from being disqualified. He looked over at Hitler’s Box. It was empty. It was Hitler’s way of saying he was part of an inferior race and would give an inferior performance. A stadium of over 100,000 people starred down Owens and cheered against him. Owens began to panic

10. Ludwig Owens did have one fan in a German named Carl Ludwig. He was a German long jumper and was a perfect specimen of the “Typical German”. A perfect “Hitler athlete”. The German instructed Owens to put a mark on the track several inches before the takeoff board. With the advice of Ludwig, Owens qualified. Later in the competition, the two would battle for gold.

11. The Long Jump Finals The battled ferociously, and the sheer athleticism of Owens won over the crowd, to the dismay of Hitler (Who was in attendance at this point). It did not matter to them that he was black, he was by far the best athlete Ludwig put his arm around Owens and congratulated him. This was a bold move because Hitler was in the crowd, and could have resulted in death.

12. Bond between Legends Owens reportedly said, “ It took a lot of courage for him to befriend me in front of Hitler. You can melt down all the medals and cups and they wouldn’t be a plating for the 24 Karat piece of friendship I had with him at that moment” The two never saw each other again. Ludwig as it turned out was killed in Sicily in 1943 fighting for the Germans

13. Success Jesse became extremely popular in Germany. Germans would stand up and cheer Hitler during the games. However, when Owens would enter the stadium he would get an ovation twice as loud. His friends still alive recall that “ If the whole world was like Jesse Owens, there would be no discrimination. Even if you were anti-black, after two or three minutes of meeting Jesse Owens you liked him.” Owens won 4 gold medals: 100m, 200m, long jump, and the 4x100m relay

14. Owens

15. More Owens

17. Owens’ Return Owens was greeted by many fans and a ticker tape parade in NYC upon his return. Despite this he still faced discrimination for most of the rest of his life, based on the color of his skin.

18. Owens’ Return Ctd… Owens recalled, “I wasn’t invited to shake hands with Hitler, but I wasn’t invited to the White House to shake hands with the President either.” Owens was presented a Medal of Freedom by the President. However, it was by Jimmy Carter, president during 1976.

19. The Legacy of Jesse Owens Owens never got a chance to compete in the Olympics again. They were cancelled in 1940 and 1944 due to World War II. As revered as Owens was, he couldn’t compete in many races because he was black. He competed against horses and motorcycles to earn a living. His old roommate stated, “I’ve never seen any athlete that ran like him. He floated. It was almost unbelievable the way he ran. There was no wasted motion. Today, nobody could beat him.

20. 1955 Olympics The Flying Housewife

21. 1948 The world had just witnessed one of the bloodiest conflicts in human history. The women’s rights movement was a long ways away, and women’s rights not on anyones mind One woman brought it to the forefront

22. Koen Fanny Blankers-Koen, a Dutch woman who was a track and field star in the Netherlands Friends convinced her to compete, but by 1948 she was 30 and had 2 kids Her husband was a former Olympian. In 1928 he reminded her of British Journalists calling her to old to compete.

23. Koen Competes Koen was a big hit. She won gold in the 100 and was the first Dutch woman to win the gold. She was dubbed, the “Flying Housewife” In the 80m hurdles she got a terrible jump. Koen finished neck and neck with a British girl. When the British anthem came on, she thought she lost. However it was just the royal family entering the arena and a few minutes later she was named the winner

24. Records Broken The 200m in 1948 was the first time women competed Koen Destroyed the field, finishing in 24.4 seconds. Audrey Winston finished second, .7 seconds behind. That is still today the largest margin of victory in a 200m final. She almost missed her final gold medal because she was out shopping for a raincoat.

25. Her Legacy She got an autograph from Jesse Owens in 1936, and equaled his gold medal output in 1948 She gave birth to a son in early 1949…proving that during the Olympic Games she was pregnant She returned to the Olympics in 1952 and retired in 1955. In 1999 she was named female athlete of the century by the International Association of Athletics Federation

26. 1960 Olympics These games were located in Rome, (not NY numbskulls) Italy. A marathon runner from Ethiopia named Ababe Bikila stole the show. He set a world record with a time of 2:15:16.2. Before Rome he had only competed in 2 marathons. The weather was reported over 100 degrees. So the marathon began at night. That is not why he was remembered

27. Yo Son Where Your Kicks At? When Bikila arrived in Rome, he did not own a pair of shoes. Sponsor Adidas tried to help, but after trying a few pairs on he said he would rather compete in the Olympics barefoot instead. He sprinted down the finish line barefoot to beat out the favorite, and took home the gold

28. One Fast Man Back home he was honored by the Ethiopian Emperor In 1964 he raced again and successfully defended his gold medal, finishing 4 minutes and 8 seconds ahead of runner up, Basil Heatly of Great Britain. John Lucas, an Olympic Historian and Professor at Penn State stated, “I have never seen anything like them. When you watched Ababe, you felt like you were watching a gazelle.”

29. Glory to Tragedy The fact he trained in high altitude helped him during races In 1968 he ran again in Mexico City, but retired halfway through with a bone fracture in his left leg He was presented a Volkswagen Beetle by the Emperor of Ethiopia as a reward. Tragically he crashed the car and became a quadriplegic. He died 13 years after winning his first gold medal.

30. The 1968 Olympics Mexico City: A Wake Up Call to the World

31. 1968 There is perhaps no Medal Ceremony more memorable than that of the 1968 Olympics. Tommie Smith and John Carlos took home Gold and Bronze in the 200m dash. Instead of celebrating their victory, the two conspired to launch one of the boldest political protests in Olympic History

32. Protest on the World Stage Smith and Carlos wore a black glove. Smith on his right hand, to represent black power, and Carlos on his left, to symbolize black unity. On the medal podium they raised their gloved fists in the air They closed their eyes, bowed their heads, and turned away from the American Flag as it was raised in the background and the anthem played.

33. Protest on the World Stage Ctd Neither man wore shoes, just socks to represent black poverty. The photo of the political display made headlines worldwide. The 1968 Olympics were the first televised live and in prime time. Other athletes followed the path of Smith and Carlos, but nowhere near the publicity of the two.

34. Additional Protest Long Jumper Bob Beamon wore black socks on the medal stand. Members of the 400m relay team raised their fists in the air, but not during the national anthem Silver medallist in the 200m, Australian Peter Norman, a white man from Australia wore a OPHR Badge from Australia. OPHR – Olympic Projects for Human Rights, was the group Smith and Carlos were involved in. Ironically, Smith and Carlos were pallbearers for Normans funeral in 2006.

35. Lone Star Explaining in a news conference, Smith said, “If I win, I’m an American, not a Black American. But if I did something bad, then they would say ‘a negro’. We are black and we are proud of being black. Black America will be proud of what we did tonight.” The protest was non-violent going along with the actions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the time.

36. Negative Feedback In Mexico City, Smith and Carlos were booed on the medal stand The International Olympic Committee (IOC), led by Avery Brundage did not want politics brought into their Olympics. Smith and Carlos were able to keep their medals, but were banned from competing in other events during those games and tossed from the Olympic Village.

37. Reaction in the U.S When Smith and Carlos returned to the U.S., each faced death threats Carlos said that his first wife committed suicide as a result of being shunned by her husbands actions. Most Americans recognized the photo, yet did not understand the meaning. To this day many feel it was a disrespect to the county that allowed them to compete.

38. Afterwards Afterwards both struggled to finish school. They also tried professional football, but with very limited success. The two athletes were traumatized after 1968, and their lives forever changed, with constant threats to their well being Today they are heroes, with many now trying to make up for the wrongs of others. They won the Arthur Ashe Award at the ESPY’s in 2008.

39. Munich, 1972 Controversy, Politics, and Tragedy

40. Munich In 1972 there was a feeling that Germany had a chance to erase the militaristic style of Nazi Germany from everybody’s mind The games were in Munich. These Olympics were originally dubbed the Olympics of peace and joy.

41. The Crisis On Sept 5th 1972, 5 members of the Black September group invaded the Olympic Village, taking 11 Israeli athletes, coaches and officials hostage. One of the athletes was David Berger, a weightlifter from Cleveland who had duel citizenship between Israel and the U.S. Before this, the Olympic Village was a place Athletes could wander freely, and was believed to be safe as well

43. Tragedy in Munich The Germans attempted to make a rescue attempt but it was botched, and all 11 athletes were killed. The Black September had hoped the events would draw attention to the Palestinian cause and help release some of the Palestinian prisoners. Jim McCay, a broadcaster relayed the news of the events with his famous line, “They’re all gone”

44. Overprotection Mark Spitz, swimmer and star of the Olympics (won 7 swimming gold medals) was sent to Britain. He was Jewish, and others thought he would be a possible target. His seven gold’s are a record still today, but he was criticized for talking about possible endorsements and movie making right after the tragedy.

45. Changes The Germans military took over. Kenny Davis, captain of the U.S. Men’s Basketball team stated, “ It’s amazing, because at the beginning of the Olympics, it was a really beautiful day. But after that, they turned it into a military camp. It really wasn’t much of an atmosphere for the games to be played in.”

46. The Games Go On There was argument to cancel the games Avery Brundage was anti-Semitic, and actually supported Hitler in many of his policies, but many Jewish athletes supported his decision to continue the games Olympic Historian David Wallechinsky notes “Canceling the games would have meant a victory for the terrorists.”

47. Failure To this day there has never been a moment of silence or a tribute to the lost athletes during the games. “They’d like to sweep it under the rug” said Dr. Benjamin Berger, David’s father. “They’ve never acknowledged it in any subsequent Olympics. It should have been done right away, especially in 1976. We’ve pretty much given up hope that something will be done now.”

48. Recognition In Cleveland, a statue with broken rings was built in David Berger’s honor. A documentary about the tragedy, “A day in September” won an academy award.”

49. Cold War Battles U.S. vs. Soviet Union

50. Cold War Abroad Politics had always played a role with the Soviet Union Hungary, a Soviet satellite nation, rebelled against the Soviet control in 1956, months before the games started. The water polo team was world renown. Stalin preferred the Soviet team train with them as a “teacher/student” relationship to increase Soviet success in the games.