Many are viewing these uniforms as a protest of Russia’s new
laws against gay rights. In fact, many athletes are showing their support. From
Sweedish high jumper Emma Green Tregaro painting a rainbow on her nails to tow
Russian athletes Kseniya Ryzhova and Tatyana Firova kissing
on the podium, everyone seems to be showing that they don’t support these laws.
As it turns out, this was not the first time the Olympics were used to make a political statement. At
the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, bronze and gold medals were stripped from two
African American 200-meter dash sprinters. When Americans Tommie Smith and JohnCarlos stepped onto the podium to accept their medals, they were barefoot. They
did this to represent the poverty that so many black Americans were struggling
with. They also wore necklaces and scarves for those who were lynched and when
the Star Spangled Banner played they raised their fists in a black-power
solute. These men wanted to make a stand, so instead of boycotting the Olympics
all together, they decided that this would make a more lasting impression. Even
thought they had their medals stripped, they did make a statement for the Civil
Rights Movement.
Even
Jimmy Carter used the Olympics to send a message. After the 1979 Soviet
invasion of Afghanistan, he threatened that the United States would boycott the
Moscow Olympics if Soviet troops didn’t leave Afghanistan in a month. Sure
enough, when this demand wasn’t met, the United States boycotted the 1980
Olympics.
Clearly
the Olympics have been grounds for political statements for years, but like
many Americans, when I watch the only thing I usually notice is the sports. So
should we be more aware of the political statements around us? Should the
Olympics be a place of politics?
I think that the Olympic Games definitly have so many political prespectives surronding them. I often thought about the irony as a players from two countries at war with eachother could play such a seemingly normal match of soccer for example. I think that there is a need to notice some of these political statements surronding the games, but I don't think that there is an extreme need for it. While it is nice to know a small background of the countries competing, I feel like the Olympics should be seen as they are, friendly sport matches designed to unite the world.
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