Virtually since their resumption in 1896, every four years the press is filled with complaints about the intrusion of power politics into the Olympic games. David B. Kanin has commented that while we are told that international Olympic system idealizes and promotes fair play and sportsmanship and ameliorates struggle, hatred, and petty jealously through structured competition and international goodwill, the realist is that "international sport thrives on the very politics Olympic publicists decry (Kanin 1)." Nevertheless, the games are more or less 'political', than anything else. Ninety-five percent of the problems faced by IOC's president Killian involved national and international politics (Senn x). Further, it can be argued that what could be called 'cultural imperialism' has influenced and even shaped the games. Cultural imperialism at times facilitates inclusion of sporting events reflecting a host nations area of expertise or de-emphasizing sports that are popular with nations not in political favor. The following report will explore this issue up until the World War II games.

The Olympic Games and the Olympic system have become, in some critical ways, actors on the g

Over the years, the Olympics have grown to be a international sporting competition, where nations can put international tension aside and compete on the playing field. Athletes represent their country and when they do win, it raises national pride within that country. On the victory stand a champion may feel he or she is representing only himself or herself or may feel transformed as the representative of a country, society, or cause (Senn xv). Nevertheless, Cultural imperialism has impacted the Games tremendously and its effects can even be seen in today's Games.

Germany didn't want to permit Jews and blacks to compete in their Games. Kanin states, "Nazi preparations demonstrated the effectiveness of an athletic appeal to a ruling ethnic group designed to tie together concepts of nation, state, and race (Kanin 53)." It has even been rumored that Germany hired a filmmaker to produce a film called Olympia. This film depicted the Germans and other Aryans as superior human beings. However, after much debate, Germany allowed Jews and blacks to participate in the Berlin Games. Nevertheless, only two Jews, one a woman who lived in the United States, competed on the German team (Senn 54). All these examples prove that a host country has much power in dictating the rules of the Games.

· In 1912, Christian worship was introduced and conducted in the stadium as part of the opening ceremony. It later became peripheral in 1928 when the Dutch concluded that Protestant services were inappropriate at a festival to which athletes of every religion were invited (Guttmann 126).

These few examples prove that the Olympic Games have been used by nation-states to introduce competitive opportunities in which their own athletes excel. In addition, the inclusion of women in the Olympic games spurted controversy among the IOC. It seems that the expansion of women's sporting events prior to and after World War II, was driven by Western nations such as Britain and France where women's issues have achieved a place on a national policy social agenda (Senn 43). These types of nations could send the greatest number of skilled women athletes-increasing their chances of success. Members of the IOC argued that women's bodies were unfit for athletic competition and voted to eliminate their events altogether (Senn 43). Some feminists from the United States even argued that they should not be included i

Some common words found in the essay are:
Africa India, David Kanin, Stockvis Dutch, Olympic Games, Games American, Games Olympic, France Coubertin, Britain France, Games Olympics, Kanin Nazi, olympic games, cultural imperialism, senn 50, jews blacks, berlin games, olympic system, world war ii, games foster, games olympic, examples prove, games nevertheless,
Approximate Word count = 1625
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)