HISTORY OF THE MODERN OLYMPICS

Barcelona, Spain, 1992

Olympic posters from the Archives, Olympic Museum Lausanne, from the book The Olympic Spirit, published by Tehabi Books
The 1992 Games were perhaps the most successful modern Olympics. More than 9,300 athletes representing 169 nations participated. For the first time in three decades, there was no boycott. The dramatic political changes that had swept across eastern Europe had a tremendous effect on the Olympics. Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Croatia competed as independent nations. With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the German team was again united. Although the truncated nation of Yugoslavia was banned, athletes from Serbia and Montenegro were allowed to compete as individuals. Athletes from the former Soviet republics competed for the last time as a team. Known as the Unified Team, its members were saluted with their individual national anthems and flags at medal ceremonies. South Africa, which had abandoned its policy of apartheid, returned to the Olympics with its first racially integrated team.

The list of sports expanded to include badminton, baseball, and women's judo. The Barcelona Games were characterized by an increasing presence of professional athletes in Olympic competition. Most conspicuous was the U.S. men's basketball team, called the "Dream Team." The team, which crushed each of its opponents to win the gold medal easily, featured 11 stars of the National Basketball Association, including Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, and Larry Bird. Despite the infusion of professionalism, the distribution of medals among nations remained largely the same if not slightly more balanced.

Opening ceremonies, Barcelona, 1992
Bernard Asset--Vandystadt/Allsport

Belarusian gymnast Vitaly Sherbo gave the Games' most impressive performance, winning five of the seven individual events. Kristina Egerszegi of Hungary won three gold medals in the swimming competition. The Cuban boxing team captured 7 of the 12 titles.

The 1996 Olympics are being held in the United States in Atlanta, Ga. New events included beach volleyball, softball, mountain biking, and soccer for women.

The 2000 Olympics were scheduled for Sydney, Australia.



Introduction * Early History * Revival of the Olympics * Organization of the Modern Games