Editor’s note: As the 31st Games of the Olympiad approaches, August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, I thought it would be interesting to resurrect stories of former Olympics as written in Coconut Times in the summer of 1992, year of the Games in Barcelona, Spain.   The 1984 Olympics were a refreshing change of pace, as there were only a minimum of political demonstrations (although the Soviet boycott was damaging), and there were no terrorist incidents (a major concern) in overcrowded Los Angeles. The thrill of the athletic competition, the original objective of the Olympic Games, was the top priority. At various times throughout the history of the “Games, however, this has gotten lost in political innuendo, reaching its low point with the terrorist incident in Munich in 1972. Internationally competitive athletes often have their own training regimen, which to others might seem humorous. The African runners at the L.A. Games in 1984, for example, could not stand the... » Click here for the full story.

Editor’s note: As the 31st Games of the Olympiad approaches, August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, I thought it would be interesting to resurrect stories of former Olympics as written in Coconut Times in the summer of 1992, year of the Games in Barcelona, Spain.   Helsinki, Finland, is a port city on the Baltic Sea. It is the capital of Finland, the land of lakes and forests. Helsinki contains approximately one-sixth of the Finnish population. It is a relatively new city for Europe in that it was established by King Gustav of Sweden approximately 400 years ago, in order to woo trade from the Estonian city of Tallinn and thereby challenge the monopoly of the Hanseatic League. It contains some of the purest neo-classical architecture in the world. The Finns are a tough and resilient people as demonstrated by the fact that they fought the Soviets to a standstill in the Winter War of 1939-40. Fittingly enough, in 1952 at Helsinki, the U.S.S.R. joined the Olympics for the first tim... » Click here for the full story.

Editor’s note: As the 31st Games of the Olympiad approaches, August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, I thought it would be interesting to resurrect stories of former Olympics as written in Coconut Times in the summer of 1992, year of the Games in Barcelona, Spain.   The Olympics in 1908? It was a time which mirrors the 1990s. The athletes from Finland protested by marching into the Shepherd Bush Stadium in London, flagless; because they refused to carry the flag of their then ruling country, Russia (Eastern Europe deja vu?). The Irish were angry because they had to compete under the British flag (are you listening IRA?). The Americans and British almost had a second revolution as a result of the running of the 499-meter run. There were charges of professionalism, and it rained for two weeks (the ozone layer was a factor even then). In other news, there were four sets of candidates for the office of President of the United States: Republican, Democratic, Socialist and Prohibition... » Click here for the full story.

Editor’s note: As the 31st Games of the Olympiad approaches, August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, I thought it would be interesting to resurrect stories of former Olympics as written in Coconut Times in the summer of 1992, year of the Games in Barcelona, Spain. Hoping to avoid a repeat of the failure of the second Olympiad in 1900, Baron de Coubertin, the President of the International Olympic Committee, was optimistic about the success of the third Olympiad, but it began with serious controversy over the site selection. Chicago, St. Louis, and Buffalo were all battling for the privilege. It was also marked by scandal in the marathon race, when Gold medal winner, Fred Lorz was stripped of his medal. Because of the superb performances of the American athletes in the first Olympics in Athens in 1896 and again in the second Olympic Games in Paris in 1900, Baron de Coubertin was anxious for the United States to be awarded the site for the third Olympic competition. Because of the Bar... » Click here for the full story.

Editor’s note: As the 31st Games of the Olympiad approaches, August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, I thought it would be interesting to resurrect stories of former Olympics as written in Coconut Times in the summer of 1992, year of the Games in Barcelona, Spain.     There are only two places today where people from all parts of the world gather: the United Nations and the Olympics. The Olympic athletes represent an almost complete economic cross section of the world’s population. Lawyers, businessmen and even royalty have taken part in the Olympic Games. The games are truly universal [global].     The Olympic Games were begun before the Golden Age of Greece and ran uninterrupted for more than a thousand years. The ancient Olympic Games began in the 13th century B.C. and ended in 394 A.D. Their origin is obscure but several stories abound.     The early games became part of religious rites of the early Greeks. The athletes were treate... » Click here for the full story.

Editor’s note: As the 31st Games of the Olympiad approaches, August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, I thought it would be interesting to resurrect stories of former Olympics as written in Coconut Times in the summer of 1992, year of the Games in Barcelona, Spain. by Micki D’Amico (C.T. editor in 1992)     As successful as the 1896 Olympic Games were, the 1900 version of the Olympics were disastrous. It almost brought about the demise of the games.     Try as he did, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the “father” of the revised Olympic Games, could not keep “politics” out of the games. The Greeks wanted the games to remain in Athens, Greece. They believed that since the original ancient Olympics were held in Greece, in Greece they should continue. Baron de Coubertin’s dream, when he envisioned the new games, had them being played in a different country of the world every four years.     “..... the Olympic ... » Click here for the full story.

Editor’s note: As the 31st Games of the Olympiad approaches, August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, I thought it would be interesting to resurrect stories of former Olympics as written in Coconut Times in the summer of 1992, year of the Games in Barcelona, Spain.   The 1960 Olympic Games were held in Rome, Italy, from August 25th through September 11th. There were more than 4,000 competitors from 83 nations, and during the Games, there were a lot of great performances. Abebe Bikila, 28-year-old man from Ethiopia, won his first of two consecutive Gold medals in 1960 in the Marathon - running barefoot! Al Oerter, from the United States, took the Gold in the discus in 1960 and will again in 1964. Swimming in the 1960 Olympic Games provided a controversial decision which is still talked about today. Lance Larson, from the United States team and John Devitt, from the Australian team finished in a dead heat in the 100-meter freestyle race. According to the electric timers. La... » Click here for the full story.

Editor’s note: As the 31st Games of the Olympiad approaches, August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, I thought it would be interesting to resurrect stories of former Olympics as written in Coconut Times in the summer of 1992, year of the Games in Barcelona, Spain   (July 3 issue)         The 1936 Olympics - was this just another Olympic Games, or was it the mother of all of the Olympics? Allow me a couple minutes of your time, and I will share with you some of the highlights from the 1936 Olympic Games. Then you decide! Just prior to the 1936 games, the world, especially in Europe, was experiencing turmoil in every direction. But the stage was being prepared for one of the most memorable Olympic Games ever. It was memorable for many reasons, but the most memorable to me is the performance of one African American participant.      In 1935, Benito Mussolini had announced the annexation of Ethiopia and promptly unleashed h... » Click here for the full story.

Editor’s note: As the 31st Games of the Olympiad approaches, August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, I thought it would be interesting to resurrect stories of former Olympics as written in Coconut Times in the summer of 1992, year of the Games in Barcelona, Spain.   “The Sportsworld is a toy department of human life.” – Howard Cossell     By October of 1968, the human race was certainly in need of the diversion and amusement that the XIX Olympiad in Mexico City, Mexico, promised.     1968 was a highly politicized year. China was in the throes of the Cultural Revolution, Czechoslovakia’s burst of freedom was crushed by Soviet troops, and the French government was nearly overthrown by student-led demonstrations. Here in the United States, civil rights leader Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated outside his hotel room in Memphis on April 4th. Devastating riots shook our country in the aftermath. Just as we ... » Click here for the full story.

Editor’s note: As the 31st Games of the Olympiad approaches, August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, I thought it would be interesting to resurrect stories of former Olympics as written in Coconut Times in the summer of 1992, year of the Games in Barcelona, Spain.     In 1956, the people of Hungary were fighting a Russian invasion, but the Hungarian Olympic team, independently, still ventured to the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.     For the first time in Olympic history, the Olympic Games were celebrated in the Southern Hemisphere. It was also the first time that the games took place in November and December. This was Australia’s summer, not like the cold winter that we usually associate with these months.     There is another peculiarity about these summer games. The equestrian events took place in June at Stockholm, Sweden, due to severe quarantine laws. This was the first time the International Olympic Committee allo... » Click here for the full story.