[PiperH]

At times, too, it's not the host nation that tries to control the political message.

Remember the two American sprinters at the 1968 games in Mexico City giving the raised fist, black power salute on the medal stand?

For better or worse, politics are involved in every part of the Olympics. It's political when they decide which country and which city gets to host the games. It's political when they have the parade into the stadium at the start with each country's athletes marching in behind their respective flag.

It's political when they raise the flags on the medal stand and play the national anthem of the gold-medal winning athlete. It's political when they keep track of which country has how many medals.

Then you have the politics when countries threaten to boycott the games for whatever reason.

Come to think of it, when doesn't politics play a role in anything that happens?

Just my thoughts,

Kevin