Sport in Alternate History. Part 4: Sport and Politics (I)

[AndyC]

Comment on @Pete U 's article on the Olympics here.

 

[Geordie]

It was interesting to read something about St Louis 1904 that wasn't focused on the disastrous marathon from those games.

 

[Coiler]

The Olympics seem like one of those things that only really took off once air travel and television came into common use.

 

[Charles EP M.]

Sticking to Greece neatly removes various domestic political issues & successes with Olympics and the 1980s Cold War boycotts, then adds the fun of "so we're giving money to the Colonels" during that period and a few Turkish boycotts

 

[Thande]

I have a book from 2012 on "The Olympics' Strangest Moments" which is rife with AH-worthy moments, including some of those mentioned here.

 

[Pete U]

This should be part of a series that gets us right up to Tokyo 20201 at least

 

[Pete U]

I have a book from 2012 on "The Olympics' Strangest Moments" which is rife with AH-worthy moments, including some of those mentioned here.

And now I want that book. There's probably a whole other article about the imapct on sport itself

 

[David Flin]

This should be part of a series that gets us right up to Tokyo 20201 at least

Depends if the series is still running in 2024.

 

[Pete U]

Depends if the series is still running in 2024.

I'm hoping to be quicker at writing than that

 

[RyanF]

I like the notion of the first two 1900s Olympics that the event coincided with a World's Fair being held in the same city concurrently. Makes one wonder about a situation where that link was maintained and the BIE held a quadrennial or biannual expositions at the same location as either Olympic events.

 

[Thande]

I like the notion of the first two 1900s Olympics that the event coincided with a World's Fair being held in the same city concurrently. Makes one wonder about a situation where that link was maintained and the BIE held a quadrennial or biannual expositions at the same location as either Olympic events.

Or just a TL where the World's Fair was still treated as a bigger deal - although your suggestion might be one way to ensure that.

 

[RyanF]

Or just a TL where the World's Fair was still treated as a bigger deal - although your suggestion might be one way to ensure that.

That's what I was thinking, in a TL where both World's Fairs and Olympics are seen as linked then they might share importance.

 

[Alex Richards]

I like the notion of the first two 1900s Olympics that the event coincided with a World's Fair being held in the same city concurrently. Makes one wonder about a situation where that link was maintained and the BIE held a quadrennial or biannual expositions at the same location as either Olympic events.

Over a decade ago now I did a quick scenario where Vesuvius erupts later (not sure I'd go that route now mind) and the 1908 games ends up being hosted in Rome and very poorly, so the whole thing just ends up collapsing.

Until after WWI when the Soviets decide to revive it. Complete with the cultural events. Oh and since they're insisting that the Ukrainian and Byelorussian and Turkestani SSRs are nations with equal rights to compete you get this slightly mad situation where Britain goes 'well we've got the Dominions, that's basically the same yeah' and Germany goes 'yes and we've got Prussia and Austria and Bavaria and so forth' and France is rushing around pulling together teams for Luang Prabang and Tunisia rather than risk the idea of a separate team for Algerie.

 

[RyanF]

Until after WWI when the Soviets decide to revive it. Complete with the cultural events. Oh and since they're insisting that the Ukrainian and Byelorussian and Turkestani SSRs are nations with equal rights to compete you get this slightly mad situation where Britain goes 'well we've got the Dominions, that's basically the same yeah' and Germany goes 'yes and we've got Prussia and Austria and Bavaria and so forth' and France is rushing around pulling together teams for Luang Prabang and Tunisia rather than risk the idea of a separate team for Algerie.

I like this idea, be cool too if there was any precedent in the Home Nations fielding individual teams for international sporting events.

 

[Alex Richards]

I like this idea, be cool too if there was any precedent in the Home Nations fielding individual teams for international sporting events.

I think it's the sort of situation where giving 'Ireland' a team then could very rapidly see 'Scotland' and 'Wales' getting their own and the British Empire/Commonwealth Games just sort of never happens because Britain's merrily sponsoring the North Rhodesian Team in 1948.

 

[RyanF]

I think it's the sort of situation where giving 'Ireland' a team then could very rapidly see 'Scotland' and 'Wales' getting their own and the British Empire/Commonwealth Games just sort of never happens because Britain's merrily sponsoring the North Rhodesian Team in 1948.

Things could get very interesting for such teams that aren't granted representation, like Algeria as you mention but also if the Cold War still happens situations like OTL China, Germany, or Korea.

 

[Charles EP M.]

That's going to cause some interesting outcomes, "GERMANY WINS GOLD" says the foreign papers while the Prussians go "can't believe that fucking Saxon beat our boy"

 

[Geordie]

I love the idea of the architecture prize being linked to the Olympic village accommodation. That's really cool.