The Fight for the First U.S. Olympics | Passing the Torch | 4

American History Tellers

Wondery

Society & Culture, Kids & Family, History, Education For Kids

4.7 • 18.3K Ratings

🗓️ 11 August 2021

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The 1904 St. Louis Olympics were marred by controversy and poorly organized events like the marathon. But at least they took place as scheduled. In 1916, after the outbreak of World War I, they were canceled entirely. A century later, in 2020, the Olympics faced another kind of test: a global pandemic that forced the first postponement of the Games in their history.

In this episode, Lindsay discusses troubled Olympics past and present with Dr. Susan Brownell, a former nationally ranked track-and-field athlete turned scholar and Olympic historian. They’ll look at how war, disease, boycotts and political turmoil have repeatedly threatened the Games throughout their history, and how the Olympics have survived such challenges to unite the world in its love of sport.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, Prime members, you can listen to American History Tellers add free on Amazon Music,
0:05.6	download the app today.
0:09.6	Imagine us July 1914.
0:21.4	You're an American track and field coach, but for the past year you've been in Berlin,
0:26.0	training the German national team for the forthcoming Olympic Games.
0:29.8	You're scheduled to be held in Berlin in 1916, but maybe not.
0:35.3	In your office at Olympic Stadium, you open a letter marked urgent.
0:39.3	It's from Kaiser Wilhelm himself and it confirms what you feared for weeks.
0:43.8	Germany is about to go to war.
0:46.9	As you're putting away the letter, there's a knock on your door.
0:50.8	It's Karl Diem, your boss, and head of the German Olympic Committee.
0:54.9	His face is grim.
0:55.9	I assume you've heard the news.
0:59.6	I have.
1:00.6	Kaiser has advised me to get my family out of Germany immediately.
1:04.2	He warns that once the war starts, we may be unable to leave.
1:08.0	Yeah, I understand your concern, but as your chairman, I urge you to stay.
1:14.2	We need you here.
1:15.8	My contract says I'm to train the German athletic team for the Olympics.
1:20.1	If war breaks out there, it won't be in Olympics and you and I both know it.
1:23.7	No, no, no, this war will be over by the end of August.
1:27.4	Well, if that's true, I'll come back.
	...

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