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Birth of international Olympic movement

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First female participants in the Olympic games

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1908 Establishment of standard rules and selection of judges

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1912 modernization of Olympics--> electronic timing and photo finish in track and field events.

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The Origins of the Modern Olympic Games from 1896 to 1912

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The Origins of the Modern Olympic Games from 1896 to 1912

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First Olympic games were held in 776BC in Ancient Greek. But the first modern Olympics were held in Athens 1896 this was the first time when the games were held under the funding of IOC (International Olympic Committee).

The reason why the first modern Olympic games were held in Athens is to revival Ancient games and symbolize European humanism and Unity.

During this time period there were a growing trend of Nationalism happening in Europe. Olympic games were used first time as a showcasing platform. Countries used medals to show industrial and moral power.

In the early modern Olympic games the participants were mostly Europeans, colonies were left out or their best athletes were representing the ruling power.

Even tho Nationalistic competition was huge during this time, Olympic games were used to demonstrate cultural superiority and Unity among "civilized" people. Games were one way to showcase Europe's "higher" culture.

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First games after WWI

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More women participating in the Olympic games 277 (compared to paris 1900 22 women participants)

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A 1935 political cartoon by Jewish British artist John Henry Amshewitz

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A 1935 political cartoon by Jewish British artist John Henry Amshewitz

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Jesse Owens challenged Hitler's idea of Aryan "super race".

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Poster for the 1920 Summer Olympic Games held In Antwerp

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The interwar games and politics 1918-1939

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The interwar games and politics 1918-1939

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During the interwar period Olympic games were heavily influenced by political, ideological and social movements across the Europe, the key elements that highlighted this period was Nationalism, Peace, Reconstruction, Women's Rights, Authoritarian propaganda Anti colonial awareness.

the same pattern continued during this time. Countries used Olympic medals to showcase their national strength, Medals and victories were seen as symbols of national superiority.

1920 Olympic games being a symbol of peace and global solidarity that brought people together after WWI, including the first time that Olympic flag was presented and the Olympic rings were the symbol of the world's five continents coming together.

The games in 1928 in Amsterdam Showcased more female athletes than before. Reflected broader movements to social equality.

Totalitarian regimes such as Nazi-Germany used the Berlin 1936 Olympics to promote ideological ideas. Hitler's idea was to showcase the superiority of Aryan race. Before the games the Nazi Germans tried to ban Jewish and Black people from participating. But threatened with boycotts these idea was shut down. But antisemitism was a big part of Berlin games. Hitler striped down every athlete who were Jewish or had Jewish backgrounds except one (Helene Mayer).

This is a clear example of Nazi Germany’s organized antisemitism. Although the Olympics were an opportunity to showcase the country’s grandeur, the leaders of Nazi Germany were still willing to forgo potential medal-winning athletes just because of their background.

The interwar Olympics were not just about sports they were stage for political battles and platform to show uprising ideologies. This made the games highly political, full of propaganda and symbolic of Europe's turbulent interwar period.

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Trying to unify the world through sports

First Olympic games after the Second World War were held in London 1948 idea was to show that war torn Europe could recover and be united through sports. Despite the idea of unity Germany and Japan was banned from these games. These games symbolized Europe's return to international cooperation after.

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First time that USSR attending Olympic games

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First televised games --> Europe showing sport spectacles to the world

Rome Olympic games in 1960 were a milestone and symbolic in Olympic games history. These games were the first widely televised games, Europe had the change to export its model of sport spectacle to the world.

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Heidi Krieger one of the victims of the GDR doping program.

(1968)

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Germany tried to show how the country has developed from the war period --> dark turn after the terrorist attack

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The "most political games of modern time".

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Soviet boycott forced Eastern-European countries to withdraw from the competition.

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Last Olympic games that were held during the cold war period

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First games post cold war period

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Divided Germany reflected the Cold War in many ways, and this was also evident in sports during that era. Winning became more important than genuine sportsmanship, as shown by the widespread use of doping. In particular, East Germany’s athletic success was largely the result of a doping program supported by the Soviet Union.

1952 Helsinki Olympic games was the first time the USSR participated in the Olympics, marking the beginning of the superpower rivalry within the Games as well. Sports became a peaceful way to show power. The same showcasing continued during this time period. Each side used medals as proof of their own strength and they were often reflected to a ideological superiority (communism vs. capitalism).

Germany intended the 1972 Olympic games as "more than a sporting event". The country wanted to demonstrate to the world how its politics, economy and society had transformed after the second world war. The idea of world peace through Olympics and sports were destroyed when a Palestinian terrorist group attacked Israeli Olympic team during the games. Although this Attack was completely unrelated to East-West conflict, it showed how politics had entered the Olympic Area.

1980 Moscow Olympics showcased truly how the cold war effected the Olympics, the Olympics became direct political weapon. Year before the Soviet Union had invaded Afganistan which reflected the 1980 games. United States led a boycott supported by 65 countries including West-Germany refused to participate. USSR respond to this boycott by using the games to display socialist unity and strength.

1984 Los-Angeles The “eye for an eye” politics began to influence the Olympics. In response to the 1980 boycott Soviet Union and 14 soviet bloc allies boycotted the 1984 games. European countries like Poland, West-Germany and Czechoslovakia didn't compete. At the same time Western nations like UK, France and Italy competed fully. This showcased how Europe itself had split between these two superpowers and how it effected the Olympic games.

1988 Soul Olympic games were the last ones to be held during the cold war period. This time Both sides competed without any boycotts. These games were held in relatively peaceful environment and showcased the end of ideological confrontation.

1992 Barcelona Olympics. First post cold war games. Berlin wall had fallen and Soviet Union collapsed which meant changes in the games. Unified Germany competed under the same flag and former eastern bloc countries such as Estonia, Slovakia Czech Republic etc. appeared independently. This sift from rivalry to European Unity provided a platform for European domination in the games and media aspect which turned games into a global commercial event.

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Olympic homecoming

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Human rights questions were brought up before Beijing olympics

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Environmental Impact was huge concern before the Rio games

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People protesting before the games started due to Covid-19 risk

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Cleaning of Seine river before the olympics

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Modernization in the Olympic games 2000-2024

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Modernization in the Olympic games 2000-2024

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The Olympics are becoming bigger spectacles year after year, and with that, the pressure has also increased. The Games have evolved into global events watched by billions, which has made host nations especially attentive. Modern values such as sustainable development, equality, Green stadiums, public transport, energy efficiency and human rights must now be widely considered in the organization of the Olympics.

In the 2000s, Olympic-era advertising, sponsorship, and athlete promotion have exploded. Months before the Games even begin, advertisements start running on television and social media, and top athletes’ faces become highly familiar through various campaigns.

Although today’s global Olympics no longer display the same kind of propaganda seen, for example, at the 1980 Moscow Games, they still remain a political stage. European countries and the EU have practiced “soft power” during the Olympics of the 21st century, such as demonstrating European values (democracy, equality and sustainability).