Sport, Politics and the Olympics

For twelve years the Olympics went though a session of boycotts. The 1988 Olympic Games held in Seoul, South Korea were the last games to be boycotted. Because North Korea wasn’t considered to co-host the Olympic Games they decided to boycott them and not participate; Ethiopia and Cuba were the only other two countries that boycotted as well (about.com). 

Sport and Nationalism explained by Sage & Eitzen best describes the boycotts of the 1988 Olympic Games. North Korea wanted to co-host the Games with South Korea; hosting the Olympics promotes your country and frankly makes it look good. Also, the amount of attention your country receives may boost the local economy. 

"Sport is pure and devoid of political interference.” I disagree with this statement. On the most basic level, politicians have all participated in sport at some point in their life. This alone connects politics to sport. It may not be public, but I’m sure the president has his favorite NFL and NBA teams just as many citizens of the United States do. There is a lot that goes on behind closed doors, politics aren’t very clean and I would find it shocking if sport and poetics didn’t effect each other. 

http://history1900s.about.com/od/fadsfashion/a/olympics1988.htm