The Olympic GamesWhen the next Olym

The Olympic Games
When the next Olympic Games begin, satellites will carry T.V. pictures of the opening ceremony to millions of people thousands of miles away. From their armchairs these people will be able to see their country's athletes competing in various event. When we consider the size, the spectacle and the commercialisn the modern Olympic Games, it is difficult to remember that they started in Olympia in Greece in 776 BC with only one race. a sprint, for which the prize for the winner wasan olive wreath. Therefore, it is appropriate that the first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens in 1896. The games have also become politically important. They can now be seen by nearly every country in the world and are therefore an ideal platform for political statements. When Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan in 1980, many countries in the West boycotted the Moscow Games. In 1984 some countries decided not to send teams to the Los Angeles Games because they felt there was not enough security and that they were too commercial. In circumstances like these, the Olympic ideal and spirit comes into question. And for athletes there is less value in winning a gold medal if the best of the world's athletes are not competing. The question is- how much longer will the Games survive if nations continue to use them as a political platform?