What's the Story?

These Olympic Games were the first Winter games to be held in a socialist state. And indeed, these games also brought many countries together that had not seen each other since the Winter games of 1980, seeing as 60 countries boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia. These Olympic Games remain a beacon of light and hope in Bosnia, even thirty years after the actual host country of Yugoslavia broke apart. Many Olympic games of the 1960s and 1970s involved too much politics and violence, and not enough emphasize on international collaboration through sport, and the games in Yugoslavia hoped to rectify this trend. The horrors of what was to occur in Yugoslavia shortly after these Olympics cannot be overstated. One source writes that the medal ceremony acted as an executioner's block during the war, and others remark how the Olympic venues that once housed glorious athletic feats now became the sites of violence, war, and geopolitical upheaval.

Katarina Witt, competing for East Germany, a Soviet State, became an important symbol of unity between the Soviet Union and the United States during these games. The United States. had boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics because of the Cold War and Soviet policies, and yet Americans loved Katarina Witt, despite her Soviet affiliation. A 2013 article quotes a contemporary source that called Witt "the most beautiful face of socialism" (Conway). This same author wrote that many American saw Witt as something separate from her Soviet counterparts. She was "proof that not all East German athletes were these rigid, faceless drones built via laboratory chemicals" (Conway). Witt's American fans appreciated her artistry and grace on the ice. Witt's East German supporters, namely in the government, saw her as a useful commodity. Witt later found out that the Stasi had spied on her and expected her talent from a young age, and when she did begin to gain fame and recognition, she "was one of the most important assets the country had. She was able to transcend their borders—and not only as an athlete, but as a brand for the country" (Conway). The result of the women's competition in 1984 was a fascinating blend of Western and Soviet values. The gold medalist, Witt, was loved and appropriated by her own Soviet state and by the United States; silver medalist, Rosalynn Sumners, represented the United States, and the bronze medalist, Kira Ivanova, represented the Soviet Union. Witt may have been loved by Americans and Soviets alike, but her victory did little to ease the great tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Food for Thought

In what ways are athletes used as propaganda for their nations? Do athletes always know that they are being used as propaganda?

Should athletes be expected to share their political beliefs to the public? Why or why not?