Here’s what you need to know
During the 1972 Munich Olympics, a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September infiltrated the Olympic Village in Munich in former West Germany. After killing two members of the Israeli Olympic team, they took nine other athletes hostage.
The terrorists committed the act as a way of demanding the release of prisoners who were being held in Israeli jails. German police ambushed the eight terrorists, killing five in the process. Sadly, the attempted rescue was a failure and all of the hostages were killed.
The 1904 Summer Olympics (held in St. Louis, United States) was marred by horrendous organization. In particular, athletes participating in the men’s marathon on August 30 were required to cross 24 miles (40 km) of racetrack during the hottest part of the day.
Only 14 of the 32 athletes were able to finish the race, as most of them suffered from severe dehydration due to the lack of water stations along the route. The winner, Thomas Hicks (pictured center), was near collapse since he had been administered a shocking cocktail of brandy, raw eggs, and rat poison.
During a qualifying football match between Peru and Argentina at the Estadio Nacional in Lima, Peru, a decision made by a referee caused outrage among Peruvian fans. The fans invaded the pitch en masse, and police retaliated by shooting tear gas into the crowd.
Nazi Germany used the Games as a propaganda tool to promote their ideology, although their claims of racial superiority were challenged when African American athlete Jesse Owens won four gold medals.
The 1936 Summer Olympics (held in Berlin, Germany) was deeply controversial due to Adolf Hitler’s rise and the barring of Jewish athletes at the Games. Across the US and Great Britain, boycotts ensued in outrage, although the Games commenced regardless.
On July 27, 1996, a pipe bomb exploded in Centennial Olympic Park during the Atlanta Games in the United States, killing two and injuring 111. Initially, the Federal Bureau of Investigation focused aggressively on the security guard who discovered the bomb, although it was later determined that he was innocent.
The attack was actually perpetrated by a domestic terrorist named Eric Rudolph, who committed three more bombings in the following years before he was finally arrested in 2003 and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
In 1914, Germany was well into its preparations to host the 1916 Olympic Games as World War I broke out across Europe. A new stadium was being built in Berlin to inaugurate the event, but many other nations were reconsidering their involvement.
Questions arose as to whether the hosting nation could be changed to the United States, although many wondered whether there would be enough athletes to actually compete in the Games. Ultimately, the 1916 Games were canceled and were only resumed again in 1920 in Belgium after the War (pictured).
During the 1912 Stockholm Olympics held in Sweden, spectators witnessed the tragic death of Portuguese marathon runner Francisco Lázaro. In an effort to prevent sunburn, Lázaro had covered his body in animal fat, which prevented his skin from sweating.
Lázaro collapsed at the 19-mile (10-kilometer) mark of the marathon with a body temperature of 105.8°F (41°C). The animal fat on his skin had caused a fatal electrolyte imbalance in his body. The runner was reported to have said “Either I win or I die” before the race commenced.
Although this particular event wasn’t considered an immense disaster, it does qualify as a particularly intense period in Olympic history. The 2020 Summer Olympics (which was set to be held in Tokyo, Japan) was postponed for the first time in history due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Games were eventually held in 2021, although it was done without spectators. Surprisingly, urban legends suggest that Tokyo is a ‘cursed’ place for the Olympics, since it also played host to the 1964 Games that were marred by boycotts.
The Italian government was forced to divert funds into reconstructing Naples, an action that severely impacted the nation’s economy. As a result, the Olympic Games were moved to London (pictured).
Although this event took place two years before the actual Olympics were to be held, it is still worth mentioning here. In 1906, as Italy was preparing for the Olympics that would take place in 1908, Mount Vesuvius erupted and caused massive devastation to the nearby city of Naples.
On October 2, 1968, hundreds of students gathered in the streets to protest the upcoming Summer Olympics that were set to be held in Mexico City, Mexico. In an attempt to violently suppress the protest, government forces opened fire on the civilians, killing almost 500.
The Mexican government claimed that the Armed Forces had been provoked when protesters shot at them, although government documents released in 2000 indicate that the government had employed snipers to suppress the event.
After the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1980, the United States led a mass protest against the Summer Olympics that were set to be held in Moscow that year. Many countries around the world joined in.
Ultimately, 67 nations that were invited to the 1980 Olympics refused to participate for various reasons, including their support for the boycott and economic concerns. Despite this pressure, the Soviet-Afghan War continued for another nine years after the Games.
The 1980 Olympics was not the first time that the Games experienced a mass boycott. Indeed, the 1956 Melbourne Olympics saw several nations boycott the event due to political conflicts such as the Suez Crisis and the Soviet invasion of Hungary.
The 2008 Beijing Olympics were marked by extraordinary pageantry and athletic achievement but were also overshadowed by significant human rights violations. Leading up to the Games, the Chinese government faced international criticism for its suppression of political dissent and its racist treatment of ethnic minorities such as Tibetans and Uyghurs.
The Beijing Games in 2008 was not the only Olympic event marred by human rights concerns. The Sochi Winter Olympics of 2014, which was held in Russia, faced international criticism over Russia’s human rights record, particularly its anti-LGBTQ laws.
Leading up to the Games, Russia enacted laws banning "gay propaganda," effectively criminalizing public expressions of LGBTQ+ identity and sparking global outrage and riots. These issues overshadowed the sporting events, drawing attention to the host nation's troubling human rights record.
Sources: (National Geographic) (Teen Vogue) (WatchMojo) (Business Insider)
See also: The newest (and oldest) sports in the modern Olympics
Migrant workers were reportedly denied proper wages, while Chinese female athletes were pressured by the government into training not long after giving birth. Reports also surfaced indicating that Chinese government agencies were attempting to gather intelligence on foreign organizations during the Games.
Despite attempts to resuscitate Kumaritashvili, he was pronounced dead later that day. His death raised serious questions about the safety of the luge track and also overshadowed the rest of the Olympic Games.
Just days before the Vancouver Winter Olympics began in 2010 in Canada, a Georgian luge athlete named Nodar Kumaritashvili tragically died during a practice run. The athlete was traveling along the Olympic track at a speed of 89.2 mph (143.6 km/h) before he was thrown from his luge and struck an unprotected steel support pole.
The 1956 Games (held in Melbourne, Australia) were boycotted by nine teams in total. One notable event from the Games was a controversial water polo match between the Soviet Union and Hungary, during which violence broke out between the teams in response to the Soviet invasion. Hungary ultimately won the match with a score of 4-0.
As the tear gas filled the pitch, hundreds of fans attempted to flee, resulting in a stampede that killed 328 people and injured 500 others. However, some records suggest that the death toll was much higher, since gunshots were also fired.
The Olympic Games have had a long history of controversy, danger, and death. The event has frequently been disturbed by political and emotional moments that have brought into question the importance of athletics. But while some of these events were only minor disasters that highlighted security concerns at the Olympics, there are some events that truly stand out as monumentally disastrous.
Curious? Click through the gallery to find out more.
The biggest disasters in Olympic history
Are these massive events truly safe?
LIFESTYLE Olympic games
The Olympic Games have had a long history of controversy, danger, and death. The event has frequently been disturbed by political and emotional moments that have brought into question the importance of athletics. But while some of these events were only minor disasters that highlighted security concerns at the Olympics, there are some events that truly stand out as monumentally disastrous.
Curious? Click through the gallery to find out more.