Apolitical as they are supposed to be, the Olympic Games rarely are free of political intrigue and controversy. In 1936, Adolf Hitler tried to make them a showcase for Aryan supremacy, and might have succeeded but for the herculean efforts of a U.S. Negro named Jesse Owens. The 1956 Summer Games were marred by bitter East-West disputes, denunciations and defections—understandably enough, since they were staged soon after the Hungarian revolt and the Suez crisis. And last February's Winter Olympics at Grenoble produced their quota of incidents: the angry withdrawal of North Korea—because it insisted on being called the "Democratic...
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