The Olympics Promise to Bring Countries Together Essay

The Olympic Games are a set of friendly competitions that bring countries from all around the world together, but many social, political, and economic problems in the past and present including racial and sexual discrimination and apartheid have prevented the Olympic Games from fulfilling their promise to bring countries together. The Olympics are a set of games that occur every 4 years in the winter and the summer. These games bring countries from all around the world together for friendly competition. The IOC (International Olympic Committee) is the governing body of the Olympic Games. Their headquarters are located in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Olympics are the most important athletic competition in the world. It brings together the†¦show more content†¦In 1968, two black American male athletes made history at the Mexico Olympics by making a silent protest against racial discrimination during the American National Anthem in the victory ceremony. Tommie Smith and John Carlos, gold and bronze medalists in the 200m run stood with their heads bowed and a black-gloved hand raised as the American National Anthem played. Both men wore black socks and no shoes and Smith wore a black scarf around his neck. They were demonstrating against the continuing racial discrimination of black people in the United States. When they left the stand at the end of the ceremony they were booed by the crowd. At the press conference after the event Tommie Smith said: If I win I am an American, not a black American. But if I did something bad then they would say a Negro. We are black and we are proud of being black†(BBC On this Day 1968: Black athletes make silent protest). Smith raised his right fist to represent black power in America, and Carlos raised his left fist to represent black unity. Together they form an arch of unity and power. The black scarf represented black pride and the black socks with no shoes stood for black poverty in racist America. A person from the IOC said it was a deliberate and violent breach of the fundamental principles of the Olympic spirit(BBC On this Day 1968: Black athletes make silent protest). This was a social and politicalShow MoreRelatedThe Cold War Of 1945-19911660 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Soviet Union continue propaganda or resort to an attack? Many democracies across the world like North America, Western Europe, Japan grew in prosperity after World War II ended. The United States became the world’s wealthiest and most powerful country. These democracies rivaled the United States economically. The United States and the Soviet Union had many differences that didn’t cause a full fled war, but a quiet, propaganda and secretive filled war that pushed both to the edge. 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