Document 2Source: Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the International Olympic Committee, 1894
May joy and good fellowship reign, and in this manner, may the Olympic Torch pursue its way
through the ages, increasing friendly understanding among nations, for the good of a humanity
always more enthusiastic, more courageous and more pure.
Document 3Source: On This Day , BBC, October 17, 1968
Two black American athletes have made history at the Mexico Olympics by staging a silent protest
against racial discrimination.
Tommie Smith and John Carlos, gold and bronze medalists in the 200m, stood with their heads
bowed and a black-gloved hand raised as the American National Anthem played during the victory
ceremony.
The pair both wore black socks and no shoes and Smith wore a black scarf around his neck.
They were demonstrating against continuing racial discrimination of black people in the United
States. Within a couple of hours the actions of the two Americans were condemned by the
International Olympic Committee.
. . . Two days later, the two athletes were suspended from their national team, expelled from the
Olympic village and sent home to America.
Document 4Source: “Massacre Begins at Munich Games,” This Day in History (September 5, 1972), History
(www.history.com )
During the 1972 Summer Olympics at Munich, in the early morning of September 5, a group of
Palestinian terrorists stormed the Olympic Village apartment of the Israeli athletes, killing two and
taking nine others hostage. The terrorists were part of a group known as Black September. In
return for the release of the hostages, they demanded that Israel release over 230 Arab prisoners
being held in Israeli jails and two German terrorists. In an ensuing shootout at the Munich airport,
the nine Israeli hostages were killed along with five terrorists and one West German policeman.
Olympic competition was suspended for 24 hours to hold memorial services for the slain athletes.
Document 5Source: U.S. Department of State Archive, 1980
In 1980, the United States led a boycott of the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow to protest the
late 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In total, 65 nations refused to participate in the games,
whereas 80 countries sent athletes to compete.