Why Sports and Politics Must Remain Separate

History provides numerous examples of how the entanglement of sports and politics has proven to be counterproductive. The 1936 Berlin Olympics, for example, were used by the Nazi regime as a propaganda tool. Similarly, the boycotts of the 1980 Moscow Olympics and the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics failed to achieve their political objectives and primarily served to punish and disappoint the athletes who had trained for years to compete. These historical lessons suggest that using sports as a blunt instrument for political change often fails, instead harming the integrity of the games and the careers of the athletes.