7.1 119 Guess what the Olympic Charter is. To give maximum visibility to the event that should celebrate the Nazi theories about race, the 1936 Games were the first to be broadcast on television, allowing Germans to follow the Games free of charge. See the story of Sarah and Yusra Mardini in the film clip The Swimmers in Module 2. ONLINE RESOURCES Youth sport and parents' violence to assert: affermare in defiance: per sfidare lorry: camion to overshadow: gettare un ombra TOP MOMENTS IN HISTORY AND SOCIETY Sport teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the roes, it teaches you to know at it feels like to win and lose. It teaches you about life. Billie Jean King THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IMPACT OF SPORT Sport events, especially those involving countries all over the world such as the Olympic Games, give high visibility to athletes, and often offer the chance to let the world know about particular political and social issues. Does sport have an influence on society? Even though the Olympic Charter states that the Games are not supposed to be political, the history of the Olympic Games in the modern era has shown how these sports events are closely linked to the different social and political situations in the world. Here are some examples. The 1936 edition of the Games was held in Berlin. At that time, Germany was ruled by Adolf Hitler, who aimed to exploit the visibility given by the Games to show Germany as a tolerant nation, asserting, at the same time, the theories about the superiority of the Arian race through the results of the German athletes competitions. However, this edition of the Games saw the extraordinary achievements of Jesse Owens, an Afro American athlete who won the 100 and 200 metres race, the long jump, and the 4x100 metres relay. The audience in Berlin was amazed by these stunning performances, and they welcomed and cheered the Afro American athlete enthusiastically. Hitler, however, considered this appreciation as a public humiliation, as his theory of the race failed to be proved. For this reason, he refused to take part in the medal ceremonies and left the stadium where Owens was competing. The first Olympic Games after the Second World War were held in London in 1948. The teams of both Germany and Japan were excluded 222 HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, AND CIVIC EDUCATION from participating in the Games for their responsibilities in the war and the crimes committed. The USSR was invited but refused to send its athletes, fearing that, without adequate training, their performances could not reflect the image of strength and prestige the nation wanted to give the world. During the 1972 edition of the Olympic Games, held in Munich, Germany, eight Palestinian terrorists broke into the Olympic Village, killing two members of the Israeli team and taking nine hostages. In the battle that followed, all nine hostages were killed, together with five of the terrorists and one policeman. The Olympic Games were suspended for 34 hours, and the victims commemorated; however, in defiance of the terrorists, the Games continued at the insistence of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In 2016, the Refugee Olympic Team was created, allowing athletes having the refugee status to compete in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro . This first team had ten athletes who were represented by a white flag with the Olympic circles on it. In the 2024 edition the Olympic Games, held in Paris, the Refugee team included thirty-seven athletes.