2018 Olympic Preview: Politics in the Olympics
To many the sports world is an escape from the real world, it is a place that they can go to forget about everything that is going on in the world.
That has been the case for decades but every now and then the sports world and the real world begin to creep into the same space.
It generally happens when the world is in a place that requires voices from the sports world to speak up.
Athletes might not necessarily want to do it but they are asked the questions and give honest answers that put them in the political spotlight.
Some seek it out to point out the things they believe are wrong and they try to use their platform to inspire change.
It happens at times when people believe that things are getting worse and that there is no more time for them to be silent.
That has been the case throughout the past year as the sports world has merged with the real world.
Protests have been seen throughout all of the big leagues in North America from NBA players raising their hands to NFL players kneeling for the anthem.
More of the biggest athletes in the world have begun to speak out about political matters and put themselves into the political spotlight.
That theme only seems to be continuing into this new year and it seems to be obvious that one of the biggest events on the sports calendar will be a point where politics will intersect with sports.
It only sees more obvious when you realize the environment and the geography that these Olympic Games are going to take place in.
At this point in time, Asia has become one of the most politically charged areas in the world.
South Korea is right in the heart of it all and Pyeongchang is not very far from where most of the trouble is centred.
Tensions between the USA and North Korea have put the entire world on standby with both countries threatening to bomb each other.
If anything were to happen the countries in Asia would be the first hit with South Korea and Japan being the likely targets.
Of course, nothing has been done yet and there is no guarantee that anything will but with two leaders in place that tend to follow their emotions more than their thoughts there is that scared feeling in the region.
While the USA and North Korea fight it out in a war of words countries in the region are trying their best to reach out for peace and another solution.
That process has already started an
d the Olympics will play a big role in that process as North Korea and South Korea will walk into the Olympics under a unified flag.
More than that the IOC allowed two North Korean figure skaters to participate after the North Koreans failed to register them in time.
The biggest step might be the one that will be on the ice as the Korean women’s hockey team will be a mix of North and South Koreans.
It is a controversial decision that was made and although they were never expected to be great in the tournament they will represent something much bigger.
Some believe that North Korean should be given nothing and that they shouldn’t even be allowed to participate in any way.
Others see it as a way to reach out to a country that is largely shut off from the world and that it might be the start of something more.
It will be a constant debate and although for the majority of the games it will not be a factor the politics have already come into the games.
The Olympics are no stranger to political statements as some of the best and worst memories from the Olympics have everything to do with politics.
Jesse Owens, an African American became the fastest man on the planet in front of Adolf Hitler who led a movement based on the fact that white people were better than everyone else.
On the other side, the Munich Massacre was one of the darkest moments in history after Israeli athletes were killed by Palestinian terrorist group.
Both sides of the political spectrum have been seen at the Olympics as it has always been a place where political action has been a focus.
This year based on the fact that the games are taking place at a highly political time in a highly political region means that there will be statements made even if it is just the ones that have already been made.
The Sport Addiction 