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When I began researching the history of politics and the Olympics, it only made complete sense to start in the very beginning, with the ancient form of the Olympics. I didn't want to restrict myself to the modern games, because I wouldn't be fully answering the question. Throughout this source, I learned about historical events that muddied the simplicity of these events. This included announcements of treaties, banishment of key figures, and game manipulation (thanks Alexander). It is evident that, similar to modern day, international relationships (although they were limited to a particular part of the world) were crucial in successfully running the games. Relationships among Greece, Rome, and even Egypt greatly affected how the games would turn out, like who would compete and who was even able to watch.

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Did politics ever affect the ancient Games?
Politics were present at the ancient Olympics in many forms. In 365 B.C., the Arcadians and the Pisatans took over the Altis, and they presided over the 104th Olympiad the next year. When the Eleans finally regained control of Olympia, they declared the 104th Games invalid.
Some valuable political deeds were recorded at Olympia. An inscription on a victory statue honored Pantarces of Elis not only for winning in the Olympic horse-races, but also for making peace between the Achaeans and the Eleans, and negotiating the release of both sides' prisoners of war.

Harvard 1933.54, Attic black figure neck amphora
Side A: scene at center; charioteer crossing finish line
Photograph by Maria Daniels, courtesy of Harvard University Art Museums

While the Olympic Games were being celebrated, Alexander had it proclaimed in Olympia that all exiles should return to their cities, except those who had been charged with sacrilege or murder. He selected the oldest of his soldiers who were Macedonians and released them from service; there were ten thousand of these. He learned that many of them were in debt, and in a single day he paid their obligations... Diodorus Siculus, Library , 17.109.1-2

Olympia was also a place for announcing political alliances. Thucydides describes a 100-year military treaty the Athenians, Argives, Mantineans, and Eleans entered into, which was recorded in public inscriptions on stone pillars at the first three cities, and on a bronze pillar at Olympia.

The tyrant of Athens, Pisistratus, exiled Cimon, a wealthy aristocrat, blaming him for a military and political disaster. "While in exile [Cimon] happened to take the Olympic prize in the four-horse chariot...At the next Olympic games he won with the same horses, but permitted Pisistratus to be proclaimed victor, and by resigning the victory to him he came back from exile to his own property under truce." Herodotus, Histories , 6.103.2

Toledo 1980.1022a+b, Attic black figure panel amphora
Side A: four-horse chariot
Photograph by Maria Daniels, courtesy of the Toledo Museum of Art

To read more about these topics, see Further Resources.

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Did politics ever affect the ancient Games?

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Politics were present at the ancient Olympics in many forms. In 365 B.C., the Arcadians and the Pisatans took over the Altis, and they presided over the 104th Olympiad the next year. When the Eleans finally regained control of Olympia, they declared the 104th Games invalid. Some valuable political deeds were recorded at Olympia.

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When the question of Olympic history is asked, the obvious answer is always the example of WW2. WW2 was an unknown time for the entire world, and the Olympics, being one of the only major, international events that isn't for the main purpose of politics, was a prime target for spreading propaganda and 'flexing' a nation's strength. This is exactly what Germany intended to accomplish in the 1936 games that were held in Berlin. During this era, Nazi's were gaining power, and Hitler famously wanted to use the games to test his theory of racial superiority in sports. In a well-known feat, black athlete Jesse Owens took home 4 gold medals for the United States proving him wrong. Interestingly, during my read of the article, I learned that the Indian field hockey team also defeated the German team in a stunning 8-1 game.

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Since the opening of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, the international sports competition has only been canceled three times: once during World War I (1916) and twice during World War II (1940, 1944). Until the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, which postponed the Summer Olympic games for a year, the Olympics weathered politically charged boycotts and two separate terrorist attacks without being canceled or postponed during peacetime.

The 1916 Olympics were supposed to be hosted by the German Empire, which had built an impressive 30,000-seat stadium in Berlin for the event. But with the outbreak of war in 1914, and the eventual involvement of so many nations who sent athletes to the Olympics, the 1916 games were scrapped.
PHOTOS: WWI Soldiers Held their Own Olympics After the War
1920: Germany Disinvited

The 1920 games in Antwerp, Belgium were the first in which a nation was actively disinvited. Germany was blamed for starting World War I, and even though the country was under a new government-known as the Weimar Republic-Belgian, and later French Olympic officials banned German athletes from participating in both the 1920 and 1924 Olympics.

Twenty years after the canceled 1916 games, Germany was again due to host the Olympics in 1936, this time under the Nazi flag. In America, a coalition of Jewish and Catholic groups called on the U.S. Olympic Committee to boycott the games, but was ignored by the committee president Avery Brundage, a professed Germanophile.

Instead, the 1936 Berlin Games were allowed to go on amid a Nazi regime intent on using sport to demonstrate Adolf Hitler's theories of racial superiority. Jesse Owens, the African American track and field star, famously proved Hitler wrong, taking home four gold medals. In a lesser-known victory, India's underdog field hockey team also crushed the Germans 8-1 in the men's final.

World War II Leads to Two Olympic Game Cancellations

The last time the Olympics were canceled was during World War II. The 1940 summer and winter Olympics were both scheduled to be held in Japan, the first non-Western country to host the games, but Japan forfeited its rights in 1937 when it went to war with China. The 1940 games were initially rebooked for Helsinki, Finland in the summer and the German town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the winter, but finally canceled in 1939 with Hitler's invasion of Poland.

London was supposed to host the 1944 summer Olympics, but those were summarily canceled due to the ongoing war. Same for the 1944 winter games in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. London eventually hosted the 1948 games, but banned German and Japanese athletes from participation.

Since its inception in 1894, the IOC has claimed to be an apolitical and neutral body with the mission to promote international peace and understanding through sport. But critics like David Goldblatt, professor of history at Pitzer College and author of The Games: A Global History of the Olympics, point to numerous times when Olympic officials turned a blind eye to violent human rights violations in order to ensure that the games went on.

Games Continued in Mexico City Despite Massacre

Mexico City is a particularly damning example. Ten days before the 1968 summer games were set to open in Mexico City, government forces opened fire on crowds of unarmed student protestors, killing hundreds if not thousands in what became known as the Tlatelolco Massacre.

"The main theme of the Mexico City games was peace with icons of the dove of peace all over the city," says Goldblatt. "The Mexican government slaughters hundreds of students and then unleashes a reign of terror and torture and disappearance, all while the games are going on, but the IOC doesn't blink an eye."

Likewise, the IOC was initially hesitant to ban Apartheid-era South Africa from the 1960 Olympics, but eventually bowed to the pressure of African nations who said they would boycott the games if whites-only South African teams were allowed to play. South Africa was eventually barred from the Olympics from 1960 until 1992, after the fall of Apartheid.

Terrorism and the Olympic Games

Even one of the darkest chapters of Olympic history didn't lead to a cancellation of the games. In 1972, an armed band of Palestinian terrorists attacked the Israeli compound at the Olympic Village in Munich, Germany, killing two Israeli athletes and holding another nine hostage. In the ensuing standoff, all nine remaining Israeli athletes were murdered. Instead of calling off the Munich games, Olympic officials continued the competition after a two-day suspension.

The 1996 summer games in Atlanta, Georgia, were also allowed to go on after a homemade bomb exploded during a free concert in Centennial Olympic Park. Two people died in the early-morning blast and more than a hundred were injured, but only a few hours later, the president of Atlanta's Olympic organizing committee said, "The spirit of the Olympic movement mandates that we continue."

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When World Events Disrupted the Olympics

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Since the opening of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, the international sports competition has only been canceled three times: once during World War I (1916) and twice during World War II (1940, 1944).

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ww2 (but this time nazi's are not allowed)

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ww2 (but this time nazi's are not allowed)

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In one of my articles, I discussed how the 1936 Nazi sponsored Olympic games was a time to prove racial theories wrong. But further down the timeline, the games were cancelled in lieu of rising tensions and the beginnings of World War II. When the games came back, there was great controversy over the decision of host city London to ban Japan and Germany from competing. This article briefly extended upon this situation, and also provided some context behind this decisions. Obviously the Axis' power to completely bomb and destroy this European city contributed largely to their lack of attendance.

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The History of Politics in the Olympic Games | The Takeaway | WNYC Studios

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Historian Kenneth C. Davis takes us on a historical tour of the Olympic Games, and reminds us that the Olympics have always been about politics as much as games.

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When reading this article, it truly felt like the Olympic games during the Cold War were actually like war games, without the violent shooting and bombing. Each nation utilized the Olympic games to display their power, making the game into a tactic to scare the opponents off. It was definitely not the friendly sportsmanship we see in today's games. Originally, following the Bolshevik Rebellion, soviets did not believe in participating in the Olympics. They believed in was a capitalist and western game and did not want to foster that kind of event. However, following political shifts in the 50s, this mindset changed. Now they wanted to participate as a political gambit.

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The Soviet Union and the Olympics | Guided History

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Reading this article shed light on a double standard in today's Olympian politics. Richardson, a iconic track athlete who tested positive for marijuana, noticed a double standard when she was barred from competing while Russian figure skated Kamila Valieva was allowed to compete even after testing positive for performance increasing drugs. As the article stated, the drugs found in Valieva are known to better performance, while the THC in Richardson's system are not. It is definitely unfair, and to me, feels like there are racial undertones. I think there needs to be more clarity on the situation on behalf of the Olympics council. Valieva's drugs could have helped her team win the gold medal, whereas Richardson's would have only negatively impacted her performance.

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Sha’Carri Richardson sees a double standard in allowing Kamila Valieva to compete

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“The only difference I see is I’m a black young lady,” U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson said, after the Russian figure skater is allowed to compete at the Olympics despite a failed drug test.