APCOM

From Berlin 1936 to Beijing 2008 without forgetting Munich 1972: the weave between politics and the Olympic Games is as ancient as the five-circle event and probably inevitable. This is what emerged from the meeting with students 'Games of peace and World of war' organised by Telecom Progetto Italia. At Milano's San Babila theatre the legendary swimming champions Mark Spitz and Igor Cassina, gold medal in the high-bar at Athens four years ago, have compared their opinions on the subject.

The 20th century history shows how the Games have been used as a loudspeaker for political issues that have nothing in common with the pacifist intentions of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who founded the modern Olympics in 1896. 40 years later in Berlin, the ministry of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels convinced Hitler that the vent would give Nazi Germany an immense prestige. The definitive turning point, however, is represented by Munich 1972. On September 5th, a commando of Palestinian rebels broke-in the Olympic Village and murdered two Israeli athletes. Other nine were killed together with five fedayyin and a German policeman during the attempt of the local police to set them free.

Spitz had won his last seventh title (still an unbeaten record in a single edition) the day before the tragedy and remembers everything in detail: "I arrived at the press conference thinking that I was going to talk of my victories, while the journalists immediately asked me of what had happened. Although I lived in the Village, I wasn't aware of the break-in and all the rest. I understood it many hours later by watching television and reading newspapers". Since then, the Games are 'barricated', but controversy has never disappeared.

This August Beijing hosts the Olympic competitions. The polemics against Chinese politics, in particular the one carried out in Tibet, have caused reactions all over the world and some nations have threatened to boycott the event. On athletes' role and responsibilities Cassina has no doubts: "I don't believe in the boycott. The violation of human rights is a very grave injustice, but as an athlete I can say that we follow this dream for a whole life and we just want to compete. The Games should embody only a moment of peace and union". Spitz agrees with the Italian gymnast: "Athletes have the right to express their ideas, but in any case during the Olympics they should just compete and fight to be on the podium".