July 18th 2021
                                                 Geopolitics of the Olympics

Earth is home to an unfathomable amount of human diversity and culture. A gathering of these
groups, together, in one city, for the purpose of intense competition, makes for rivalry and tension
that may remain, even after the scheduled events are concluded.










                                {Greek men, presumably from two opposing city states, facing off in an ancient
                                                                                  Olympic boxing match}














                                  {Pierre de Coubertin, a leading founder of the modern Olympic games}














                                        {Athens, 1896. Home to the first official Olympic games after the revival}













                                        {An Olympic hockey game pitting the USA against the USSR, during
                                                                                        the cold war}











                                    {A mural representative artwork of the upcoming “2020” (2021) Tokyo
                                                                                              Olympics}



                          The Olympic Games: Past and Present

                                                                            Ancient Origins


Games bring people together, they teach lessons, they develop character; they improve culture.
Whether it be semi-competitive, novice, “just for fun”, or professional, games (a subcategory of
which is sports) allow human beings as individuals and groups to compete and express themselves
in ways, which in my opinion, are truly special. The Olympics, as we know them today, may be the
pinnacle example of this unique characteristic present in games. Every two years, rotating evenly
between the summer and winter seasons, the world's nations(1) come together, usually in a major
metropolitan city, to participate in a plethora of athletic events, fit into a span of just a few weeks, in
order to establish and crown an undisputed, champion country. We, as a world culture(2), should
recognize how large of an achievement the Olympic phenomena is for the human race.

The idea of gamified competition between independent nations did not begin in the modern era,
and in all likelihood(3), we do not have reliable record of when the genesis of something resembling
the Olympics began. What is known is where the term ‘Olympics’ came from. There is a town on the Peloponnesian peninsula(4) in western Greece with quite a rich, ancient history, named Olympia. To this day, there is still a population living in the region, but in the minds of people worldwide, Olympia is thought of more as an artifact or legend of what once was. This is because for hundreds of years, the town of Olympia was host to ‘Ὀλυμπιακοὶ ἀγῶνες’, or ‘the Olympic Games’ in the ancient Greek world(5). With our first records of such an event happening in 776 BC, the games, which in the beginning was only but a single footrace event(6), would continue every four years on the Greek Olympiad, adding more and more events as time went on, until the calamatis year of 394 AD. By this time, Greece had long been under Roman rule, a province in the empire, and on this date, the emperor Theodosius I ended the Olympian tradition. Likely the overwhelming reason for this termination of such a storied and historic event was not about the games themselves, but what they represented to the Greek peoples. Unlike our Olympic games today, the Greek games centered
around their mighty Gods, devoting the event to the honour of them, specifically, the God of sky and thunder, Zeus. The Greeks themselves(7) even believed the Gods had invented the rules, whereas today we believe the games we play are merely man made(8). During the 4th century AD, the Roman empire was going through a massive transitional change that would lead to them adopting Christianity as the state religion, a transition that would clash with many devout pagan parts of the empire. Trying to impose Christianity, the Roman establishment identified the Greek Olympics as something that was inherently pagan, irreconcilable, they believed, with their new Christian faith. So, like countless other traditional Greek festivals, the Olympic games would come to an end, under the onslaught of the new religion, Christianity. The Roman empire would fall less than a century later(9).


                                                                        Modern Origins

From the collapse of the Roman empire to the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church, headed by the Pope, held massive power all throughout Christendom, and consequently, the Olympics, being viewed as a pagan tradition(10), did not return during this time. Though even after the ancient games had died, the idea of them never did. Similar to other such fascinations with the Ancient Greek world, renaissance scholars in Europe began to discuss the brilliance of the Olympic games, and even the idea of one day, bringing them back. In the 18th and 19th centuries, there were several attempts at staging sporting events under the name of “The Olympics”, but with no large-scale success. Europe, as well as other parts of the world, was beginning to warm up to the idea of
re-instituting the Olympic games, partly, because ideology and religiosity was changing. The 19th
century is famous for being a time of fierce nationalism, where countries competed in every which
way to assert their dominance and superiority over each other, infamously culminating in the
devastation of World War 1. The competition between nations politically, economically, culturally,
and militarily, reminiscent of rivalries between Greek city states in ancient times, opened the door
for the Olympic tradition to be reexamined; after all, maybe the Greeks were right to use sport as a
way of channeling intense feelings of competition.

In the 1820’s, Greek forces within the Ottoman empire, receiving the help of other European
powers, overthrew the authorities of many local cities and eventually established an independent
Greek state in 1832. Today this is called ‘the war of Greek independence’. This brought cities like
Athens and Olympia back under the control of the Greeks, and what could broadly be called “the
west”. This, at a time when many were openly talking about bringing back the games, led to a strong
momentum and energy, sparking serious discussion and organization of such games, which was
surely made easier through the ubiquitous wealth of the European upper classes during this era,
particularly in Britain. Though it is a Frenchman who is recognized as the founder of the modern
Olympics. In the 1890’s, a passionate young french baron by the name of Pierre de Coubertin
seriously proposed the idea of creating a modern, international olympics. With interest from other
countries, many chose to support the initiative. It was just a few years previous in 1889 when the
young Coubertin, present at the Paris world fair of that year, organized the world’s first Congress on
Physical Education and Scholar Competitions, which allowed him to build an international network
of educators, politicians, aristocrats and leaders in commerce, culture and sport. In June of 1894,
Paris hosted a conference dedicated to international sport, and in attendance were 79 delegates
sent from 9 countries. Coubertin and other advocates emphatically proposed an Olympic
organization be created for the new games, and the plan was unanimously approved by the
delegates. With this, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was formed, metaphorically
representing the decline of Christianity, and signalling the return of the Olympic games. In 1896 it
happened: the first modern Olympics were to be held, it was decided, in Athens(11), Greece,
returning to the ancient, mysterious glory of a time that once was.












                                                                               Olympics “2020”

The formation of an official Olympic committee, followed by the successful planning and execution
of the first games in Athens, led to an international event that saw 14 nations attend, and the home
country, Greece, come out on top with the highest medal count. The rebirth and glory of such a
historical event was too exhilarating for both the planners and general population to leave it as a
one time thing; no, the modern Olympics would continue the tradition, hosting olympics across the
world until the present day.

On September 7th, 2013(12), the IOC announced to the world that Tokyo, the largest city in the world, was chosen as host of the 2020 olympics. This delighted many Japanese ambassadors, as well as others who love the city of Tokyo. Oh if only they could predict the future! During the first few
months of 2020 the world was struck with a conundrum that it clearly could not deal with fast and
effectively; the Coronavirus spread throughout the world, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East,
and of course, Japan, and Tokyo. Like virtually everyone else, the Olympic committee had to evaluate whether or not their job and duties were necessary. With the shutdown of (what felt like) the world, the Olympic planners followed suit, cancelling the games in Tokyo, and announced their
rescheduling for the following year, hopefully post-COVID-19, of 2021. Fast forward to July of 2021,
and they are still ago; the opening ceremony is set to happen on July 23rd.

I write this today not to predict a winner, or analyse each team; the Olympics have always been
about more than sport; it has touted culture, strengthened national identity, and fuelled
competition. I write this to express what the upcoming Tokyo Olympics of 2021 mean to the world
and the countries that inhabit it. Regardless of whether or not an event like this is a good thing, in
the midst of a pandemic and ongoing world conflict, the fact is, it has been planned, and it seems,
there is no turning back now. This is even after a Japanese study found that 83% percent of citizens
don't want the Olympics hosted in Tokyo this year. If that doesn't change the minds of the Japanese
officials, I don't know what will. Better now to analyze what this means for the world, what the
historical contexts are, and what the potential consequences of this event could be in the future.

                                                                               More than sport

 
Entering this summer, I, like many others, questioned the need for the Olympics this year. “Is it the
right time?” I asked, imagining how the event would turn out in the midst of the pandemic and
complex geopolitical tension. I brought this question to my father, in conversation regarding these
global challenges, who has a certain perspective I admire. When I shared my skepticism towards
these Olympics, he responded by saying something that has stayed with me ever since, and led me
to expand my view of the history of the games, and the ones coming up.

“Charlie” he said, “the Olympic games, since their inception, have brought nations together, in spite
of their differences. For a two week period, humanity can manefest it’s competitive, nationalisticrivalries in sport, which in my view, is a good thing. Of course, the Olympics represent more thansport and athletics, but that is just the way we choose to express a much deeper, primal instinct”.

That perspective radically changed my view on the Olympics, and partly inspired me to write this
article. It was optimism that I was missing. When nations have conflict with one another, a situation
we can observe today between America, China, and Russia (as well as elsewhere), the optimist
would say that sport is just what is needed to relieve tension. Besides, this was one of the main
functions of the ancient Greek olympics; a short break from war between city states to instead
compete in athletic competition every Olympiad. In essence, the spirit of this idea is as followed:

- Better to duke it out on the sports field than the battlefield -

The implication here being, we as humans need some form of competition - if not in sport, than on
the battlefield. And this is precisely my fathers point. In a world full of geopolitical crises and
rivalries; a new age arms race, cyber warfare, the scramble for the Arctic, border disputes, the
effects of COVID-19, just to name a few; the Olympics offer an escape, though not perfect(13), from
real, potentially violent conflict in the world. If anything, because the Olympics is about more than
sport, the events give us a chance to see all the beautiful, intense rivalries and narratives that exist
play out not through bloodshed, but on the playing fields, where the best athletes each country has
to offer compete to be crowned champion of the world(14). Olympic history has many such examples of geopolitics mixing with sport.

It is true that one of the main goals of the Olympics is to promote peace around the world. Yet,
many of the narratives surrounding the Olympic games stem from the world of politics. The games
are a symbolic representation of our larger competition. The creation of the Olympics itself, by the
IOC under the leadership of Peirre de Coubertin, was marked by a desire to have the entire world
compete. Take this quote from Coubertin:

“The Games are global. All people must be allowed in, without debate”

Quite a progressive view for his times! Clearly, this was a man who wanted to create a storied event;
an event destined to bring together nations, with all their troubles and conflicts, on to one global
stage. An example, well known in the history of the Olympics, is the games of 1936.
 


                                                                                 Berlin, 1936

These were held in Nazi Germany(15), in an atmosphere where, calling it ‘intense’
or ‘politically charged’, would be an understatement. For starters, Hitler and the
German government attempted to ban Jews from competing, though this ended
up failing, and there was even one person of Jewish descent on the German
national team. The politics, or philosophy, leading into those Olympics went
beyond extreme nationalism. In the mind of the Nazis (and I'm sure, other governments as well), the winner of the Olympics would be crowned not just as the champion
nation, but in addition, the champion race. This was a natural product of Nazi ideology(16). In Berlin
during the games, pamphlets and papers proclaiming the superiority of the ”Aryan race” were
ubiquitous. Clearly, these Olympics became more than sport, more than friendly competition. This
was a geopolitical stage, where international prestige would be awarded to the winning nation, or in
this case, race. There was a lot on the line in 1936, and you know what? The Germans won those
Olympics, no doubt securing in their minds the belief of Aryan superiority. The consequences of
this were, I imagine, huge, but hard to measure.

The Olympics are also a signifier of international relations, meaning, they have the potential to give
insights about how nations are getting along with each other. If the games are cancelled, it means
there must have been a massive, politically destructive event to warrant such a decision, for after all,
the purpose is peace.

                                                                                  Berlin, 1916

20 years before the Nazi’s hosted the Olympic games in Berlin, Kaiser Wilhelm II and the German
empire got the chance to, or atleast, they were awarded the chance to, pre-July 1914. Then,
everything changed, after the now infamous July crisis. Europe, and all of her colonies, friends and
enemies, were at war (except Switzerland). At first, the Berlin games, which were still two years
away at that point, were not cancelled, partly because there was hope that the new outbreak of war
would soon be done with; though also, in spirit of the ancient Greek games, there was hope that
friendly competition could happen despite the bloodshed. Unfortunately, neither of these hopes
came to fruition, and consequently, the Olympics of 1916 were cancelled. The psychological trauma
felt by those who hoped for international peace through sport was massive, as the geopolitical
situation hit a new low; 8,500,000 soldiers died.

Though miraculously, the Olympics returned the following Olympiad, hosted this time in Antwerp,
emotionally awarded to them, “to honour the suffering that had been inflicted on the Belgian people during the war”. America, prideful in its performance, won by a 31 medal margin. Another 9
Olympics would successfully take place, both winter and summer, between 1920 and 1936. At that
point, all had been hosted in Europe or America(17). The games during this 16 year period were ripe
with the same tensions that dominated the political world during the interwar years, although
international stability and peace was always the prerogative. That prerogative once again came to a
dramatic end in 1939.

                                                                              Olympics 1940, 1944

Leading up to 1940, the IOC and the entire Olympic community were ready to celebrate the hosting of the games, for the first time, by a non-European/American nation. This was shaping up to be a big step both for global integration and international relations. Japan would be the host country, and Tokyo, the host city. But in the late 1930’s, there was a bad feeling in the air; the Spanish civil war was raging on, Hitler and the Nazi’s were becoming more authoritarian, and over in the east, Japan was on the attack. This soon affected the Olympics, as the IOC had little choice by 1937. On that year, the Japanese went to war with China, and due to that belligerent action, they forfeited their rights to host the games 3 years in advance. Then in 1939, all out war broke loose, the second of its kind. Once again, the Olympics and the glory of competitive sport, were put on the back burner. 4 years later, in 1944, and the war still in continuance, the Olympiad passed with no games. Would there be a future to the Olympics? Or were they dead, joined in the ashes by so many other human beings?



                                                                                      London, 1948

The war finally ended, leaving in its wake mass destruction all over the world, especially in Europe.
With allied nations like the French, British and Americans attempting to rebuild the world from
catastrophe, convening conferences such as Bretton Woods, and creating organizations such as the
United Nations and World Bank, there was also a call to bring back the Olympics. After 12 long
years, it happened, though there was much debate over whether this was good or not, at a time
when the rebuilding process was nowhere near complete. Regardless, it happened in a city that was
itself heavily bombed and bombarded during the years of the war: London. This Olympics in history clearly shows us the power of the games, to reveal international tensions on the world stage, as well as to send a message. A strong message was sent in 1948: the IOC and Britain did not invite
Germany nor Japan to participate, shunned from the competition. On the flip side, the Soviet Union chose not to participate(18). You know a nation is really mad at another when it bans them from their Olympics!



                                                                                  Tokyo, 1964

Tokyo finally got their opportunity at hosting in 1964. They were the first of any Asian city to do so,
which was symbolic in and of itself. Pretty amazing, this was, as 19 years previous the Americans
had dropped the atomic bomb on Japan(19). These Olympics were widely recognized to be Japan's
chance to redeem itself on the international stage. As the Guardian puts it:

“The Tokyo 1964 Games were intended to complete Japan’s transformation from militarist pariah to
fully-fledged member of the international community”.

Though eyes were certainly on the Japanese, it should be noted that during the height of the cold
war, the Soviets beat the Americans by 4 medals to win the games. All in all, these Olympics were a
remarkable success for Japan, which gives us a positive story to look back on. Geopolitical tension
and fury, like what was seen during the world wars, can sometimes lead to beautiful exhibits of
culture after the fact.

                                                                                     Tokyo 2021

And so, now here we are, the games days away from commencing in Tokyo. In this particular
moment, the world should reflect on the specific era in time passing before our eyes, as the
Olympics takes place. Like Olympics of the past, Tokyo 2021 is filled with intriguing narratives
surrounding different nations of the world. Humans love telling stories, and how can we without
compelling narratives? On the topics of these Olympics, I can think of many off the top of my head,
though everyone has a different world view, and I’m sure the narratives in my head are not the exact same as the ones in yours. Some are geopolitical in nature, while others focus on internal struggle within nations.

1) Several nations of the world are seeking to challenge American hegemony, with the goal of
creating a multi-polar world. China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba are some of the most prominent. If
one can come out on top in Tokyo, it would symbolically crystallize American decline in the
minds of many, potentially demoralizing American athletes, who have been successful for so
long.

2) These are the first post-COVID-19 pandemic Olympics. Whoever wins can prove to the
world, using athletic competition, how well they have rebounded from such a crisis. There is
glory to be had here.

3) Can Japan itself handle such an event with this magnitude and population density? The
world, especially the medical establishment, is watching with great worry as these games
commence in this pandemic environment. On July 17th, the first COVID-19 case was found in
the Olympic village in Tokyo. We will see how this plays out.

When each nation shows up in Tokyo, represented by their athletes, they do so with a purpose. For
the ones on the ground, and many back home, that purpose may be to win a medal for the sake of
sporting glory, something that they will remember for the rest of their individual lives. But for a
nation as a collective, the Olympics tell a much bigger story. For the United States, it could be a
chance to improve relations with Japan, sending the first lady to greet the prime minister in
diplomatic meetings. Or, between the nations China and India, who have had conflict on their
respective borders, the games give them a chance to fight out their struggles symbolically through
sport. There are many purposes, for each country. This is why the Olympics is so intriguing, and why my father was right to have excitement over the return of the games.

How will Tokyo 2021 impact the future? How will these games be remembered?




Notes

1. Essentially the whole world, but not quiet. There are usually a few countries every year that
cannot, or don’t, attend, due to instability, boycotting, or disinterest.

2. A say this not to mean the entire world shares the same culture, but to recognize the things
we do share together, like the olympics.

3. I suspect ancient empires, even before the advent of the written word, were competing
against one another in friendly competition. They were surely doing it on the battlefield, so
it is not a stretch to say there could have been recreational competition.

4. An alliteration that I love. Also, the Peloponnesian Peninsula:

5. Like so many other cultural events and phenomena, especially
in western countries, the Olympics originates from Ancient Greece.

6. Interestingly, in line with ancient Greek culture, athletes would
often compete naked.

7. Atleast, this is what some believed. It is likely not everyone had
full faith in the gods.

8. Well, unless you believe in the god of Abner Doubleday or
James Naismith.

9. Technically just the western roman empire. The east, also known as the Byzantine empire,
would continue for another millennia, until 1453 AD when the Ottomans conquered
Constantinople and defeated the empire.

10. Which it certainly was in Greece, no doubt. Accompanying the games were many sacrifices
made to the gods to honour their greatness.

11. Olympia did not and does not have the infrastructure or economy to handle such an event
anymore, unfortunately.

12. Clearly these things are planned extremely far in advance.

13. The Olympics aren't a perfect remedy, as in the past there have been boycotts and terrorist
attacks that may have even elevated tensions.

14. Without the Olympics or comparable world sporting events, the feeling of being “champion
of the world” would presumably come only through domination and oppression of other
peoples in other forms, such as military conquest.

15. The hosting privileges were not given to the Nazis; Berlin was awarded them in 1931, and
the Nazi party came to power in 1933.

16. Though the ideology of racial superiority can be traced back long before the Nazi party came
to power.

17. Part of the national pride associated with the Olympics no doubt comes from hosting the
games. Not surprising then, that western countries hosted the first several games.

18. I have heard this was because many soviets viewed competitive sport as a tool of Capitalism,
and they didn't want to play into any geopolitical games.

19. Though not on Tokyo