On Olympic Boycotts

Is an Olympic Boycott an effective political tool or is it just misusing an international sports feast? Olympic history has seen many boycotts of the Games, mostly initiated by political actors. The Olympic charter forbids political influence, but politicians/states are not bound by this charter. On other sanctions, like economic sanctions, they are bound by international law. This study examines whether Olympic boycotts do meet those standards. The historical Olympic boycott cases are scored on nine conditions of appropriateness, derived from international law and an extensive study on effectiveness of economic sanctions. This research shows that none of the Olympic boycotts meet that standard for appropriateness sufficiently. It is very unlikely that any possible future Olympic boycott can be an appropriate political mean. This study offers grounds for a debate on sports boycotts and is useful for politicians, the IOC and other international sport federations, scholars in the field of international sport as well as in the broader field of sanctions. Because of its extensive descriptions of Olympism and nine Olympic Games this book is exiting for anyone interested in Olympism.