The Munich Olympics opened on August 26, 1972. The following day, Shirley Povitch wrote in the Washington Post: It was a smashing effort by the opulent city-state of Munich, only seven miles from the Dachau of foul memory, to compensate for Germany's remembered sins of that era. For the crowd of 80,000 in Olympische Stadion and almost one billion television viewers around the … [Read more...] about Munich Olympics Open – August 26, 1972
olympic controversy
Chinese Gymnasts – How Young Were They? August 21, 2008
Chinese Gymnasts won the "women's" team all around Gold Medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. They were led by He Kexin, who also took a Gold Medal in the individual uneven bars. Even as they were competing, there was rampant speculation that He and several of her teammates were "under aged". The official age minimum set by the International Olympic Committee at the time of … [Read more...] about Chinese Gymnasts – How Young Were They? August 21, 2008
Mary Decker Trips and Loses Chance for Gold – August 10,1984
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10Qys5W-aKE The Women's 3,000 Meter run made its debut at the 1984 Olympics, in Los Angeles. Much attention was focused on the race because one of the favorites, Zola Budd, was born and raised in South Africa. In January of 1984, the 17-year-old Budd, running barefoot in Stellenbosch, South Africa, broke Mary Decker's world record in the 5,000 … [Read more...] about Mary Decker Trips and Loses Chance for Gold – August 10,1984
Babe Didrikson Robbed of Olympic Gold August 7, 1932
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUKNj_tpi14 Babe Didrikson won a silver medal in the Women's High Jump at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. She actually cleared the same height as the gold medalist, her American teammate and rival, Jean Shiley (5' 5.25"), however in a bizarre ruling, the judge said that Didrikson's leap was illegal. Apparently the judge didn't think that any of … [Read more...] about Babe Didrikson Robbed of Olympic Gold August 7, 1932
1936 Olympics Open, Nazis Rule August 1, 1936
Nazi Germany hosted the 1936 Olympics. On August 1 of that year, Adolph Hitler welcomed the world to Berlin for two weeks of fun, and nothing but fun, with just a little bit of political propaganda thrown in. In 2011 on the 75th anniversary of the Berlin Olympics, Frank Deford wrote in Sports Illustrated: While, of course, nothing can approach the horror of the … [Read more...] about 1936 Olympics Open, Nazis Rule August 1, 1936