Nine Games that Changed the Game: How Politics Has Evolved During the Summer Olympics and How the Games Have Affected Politics

Politics is increasingly intertwined within the Olympic Summer Games. Though the Games have a mantra of nonpolitical involvement, with tenets, laws, and a code of conduct to protect this principle, they have in tern affected politics as well. Since the start of the Games, they have been used by nations as not just as a stage to present their political agendas but also been used for nations to increase their soft power. The Summer Olympic Games has been, and will continue to be a tool in the global political game, and should be recognized accordingly in the international community. Within this examination, through the use of numerous primary sources, there will be an understanding of the politicization of the Summer Olympic Games by nations, as well as how the Summer Olympic Games have in turn affected politics. It is important for global spectators to understand the involvement of politics even in events that are advertised as non-political, to know both the affects the Olympics can have on politics and how their Olympics can be affected by politics. The Summer Olympic Games are a symbol of international peace and cooperation but have been manipulated time and time again by nations to manage perceptions, at times without regard to the tenets of the Olympic Spirit. After an examination of the interworking of the political theories of sport and soft-power, the application to the Summer Games and subsequent ability to do the same to other global events will be made going through the modern Summer Games, starting with the 1936 Games, and the nine most influential Games that follow, until the lead up to the 2020 Summer Olympic Games