Olympics

From Strikes To World Wars To Pandemics — The History Of Shutting Down America’s Sports

To bring American games to a stop requires apocalyptic events.

Peter Norman: Unsung Hero of the 1968 Olympic Protest

The Australian sprinter stood in solidarity with Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the Olympics in Mexico City.

The 1936 Olympics Teach Us Why Trump's Lies Are So Dangerous

by Andrew Maraniss

In the face of a mounting threat to humanity, a campaign of lies, inaction, and disinterest in the truth were all equally dangerous. 

Protesting with her Feet: The World’s Fastest Middle-Distance Woman versus Sports Governing Bodies

by Jeffrey R. Kerr-Ritchie

A deeper look into athletics, gender, and Caster Semenya. 

Mythbusting Ancient Rome: did Christians ban the ancient Olympics?

by Caillan Davenport and Shushma Malik

The idea that the athletic contests – held in honour of the Greek god Zeus for over a thousand years – were shut down by a puritanical Christian emperor makes for a good story. But is it true?

The Strange, Dark History of North Korea and the Olympics

by Sheila Miyoshi Jager

The world is hoping a collaboration at the Games will help calm the threat from Pyongyang. The experience of 1988 says we shouldn’t count on it.

How Hitler Invented the Olympic Torch

It was the brainchild of the organizer of the Berlin Olympics.

Brazil Acknowledged History of Slavery in the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony

Including Brazil's history of slavery in the opening ceremony brought cheers from many on Twitter.

Daily Beast says Olympics Black Power athletes are owed an apology

"After Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists in silent protest, sports legend Brent Musburger wrote a hateful screed comparing them to Nazis. It’s time for him to say ‘sorry.’ "

Rio de Janeiro’s Forgotten Legacy of Slavery Shadows the Olympics

More than 2 million slaves came through Rio de Janeiro.

Jesse Owens Wasn’t Alone: New Film Explores Untold Story of the 17 Other Black Olympians of 1936

The director of the documentary Olympic Pride, American Prejudice recalls the obstacles she encountered in telling the stories of these unsung athletes.

What Happened When Hitler Hosted the Olympics 80 Years Ago

As Hitler rose to power in Germany and barred Jewish athletes from competing in the summer games, many considered skipping the Olympics

How much have the Olympics really changed since ancient times?

by Jason König

Most people probably have a sense of how the ancient games formed a template for the modern Olympics, but when you dig into the detail of the ancient sources you start to see that things are not so simple.

The All-Time Worst Olympic Games

Brazil is suffering pre-Games fears, delays—and Zika—but Rio probably won’t be among the all-time most disastrous Olympics. Here are the top five worst ever.

The Dark History of the Olympics

by Mary Pilon

A survey of the modern Olympic Games recalls unflattering aspects long before doping and gender testing.

Long-Hidden Details Reveal Cruelty of 1972 Munich Attackers

Family members of the Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Olympics are speaking openly in an effort to get their loved ones the recognition they believe is deserved.

Story of the Week: The white man in that photo

by Riccardo Gazzaniga

This is a story about the famous photo from the 1968 Olympics of two star athletes raising their hands in the black salute. 

The Real Problem with Putin's Russia: Vodka

by Mark Lawrence Schrad

Now that the bear is angry again, let's not lose sight of the fact that Russia faces an almost unprecedented public health crisis due to chronic alcoholism.

Sochi's little known genocide of 1864

The Circassian people were nearly destroyed during the Russian conquest of 1864.

The battle for Jim Thorpe’s body

On May 28, 1888, Jim Thorpe was born in a one-room cabin in Prague, Oklahoma. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe—an Olympic champion and football and baseball star—was perhaps the greatest all-around athlete America has ever produced. Nearly a year following his death in 1953, his widow transported his body to a small Pennsylvania hamlet that agreed to rename itself in his honor. Now amid a family feud, Thorpe’s two surviving sons are seeking to re-inter his remains on tribal lands in his native Oklahoma, and a federal judge has ruled in their favor....