Universality – A Basic Principle of the Olympic Movement

A central element of the self-understanding of the Olympic Movement is its claim to universality. Today the “Olympic Family” embraces 205 NOCs. Yet in the course of history there have also been setbacks: refusals to take part, boycotts and exclusions. Thus the German “Turnerschaft” did not send an official delegation to the first Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens because they refused to accept the concept of international competitions. A call to boycott the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, made by leftist organizations in Europe and by Jewish circles in the USA, remained unsuccessful. The Soviet Union for ideological reasons did not decide to enter the Olympic arena until 1952. During the Cold War the conflicts of the divided states, especially in Germany and China, took center stage. The boycotts reached a climax with blackmail attempts by African states in 1972 and 1976 and with the boycotts of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow and in 1984 in Los Angeles by the two superpowers and their then allies. On the basis of these experiences the IOC obliged all NOCs to take part in the Olympic Games. The primary target of boycotts in sport is at present Israel. These actions must be seen in the framework of the systematic delegitimizing and destabilization campaign of Muslim countries against the Jewish state. Unfortunately, the Sports Federations and the IOC have never reacted consistently to this type of violations against the principles of international sport.