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			SHADOWS OVER OLYMPIC MOVEMENT July 26, 2000 Ben Johnson (right), champion of the 100-m run, was disqualified Canadian Ben Johnson, champion of the 100-metre run at the Olympic Games in Seoul (South Korea) 1988, who ran a remarkable 9.79 seconds, tested positive for steroid use and was disqualified. Carl Lewis (USA) was moved up to first. His 9.92 seconds was listed as the world record. ***** Munich 1972: Palestinian terrorist in the Olympic Village Tragedy struck the 1972 Olympics in Munich when eight Palestinian terrorists invaded the Olympic Village and killed two members of the Israeli team. Nine other Israelis were held as hostages for the release of 200 Palestinian prisoners in Israel. All the hostages, five of their captors, and a West German policeman were slain in a failed rescue attempt. The Games were suspended for a day while a memorial service for the victims was conducted at the Olympic Stadium. In the following days and months there was considerable controversy over IOC president Avery Brundage's decision to continue the Games after the attack. ***** Bombing in Atlanta: One of the victims One woman was killed and 110 people were injured when an explosion caused by a pipe bomb jolted Olympic Centennial Park in downtown Atlanta, during the Olympic Games 1996. Bombing in Atlanta was not the first time an Olympic Games has been disrupted by an act of terrorism. In 1972, a Palestinian group known as Black September seized Israeli athletes inside the Olympic village in Munich, leading to the death of 11 Israelis, five terrorists and one German policeman. The explosion at Olympic Centennial Park did not halt the sports competition in Atlanta. ***** Opening ceremony in Moscow 1980 The largest boycotts in the history of the Olympic movement happened in Moscow, 1980, and Los Angeles, 1984. U.S. president Jimmy Carter took the lead in the call for a boycott of the 1980 Olympics, as a protest against the Soviet presence in Afghanistan, and approximately 60 other nations joined the Americans in staying away from Moscow. A number of Western nations did not observe the boycott, notably Great Britain, France, Italy, and Sweden. In all, about 5,000 athletes representing 81 nations did attend the Games. Many nations from the Eastern bloc, including the Soviet Union, East Germany, and Cuba, retaliated for the U.S.-led boycott of the 1980 Games by staying away from the 1984 Games. ***** The 1916 Games, scheduled for Berlin, were canceled because of the outbreak of World War I. The 1940 and 1944 Games, scheduled for Helsinki (originally slated for Tokyo) and London, respectively, were canceled because of World War II. Top of the page Previous page
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