Rio Olympics 2016: 5 instances when the Olympics became a medium for social change

5) South Africa banned from taking part in Olympics on account of apartheid, 1968

South Africa were not allowed to compete in Olympics due to its Apartheid policy

All sport in South Africa was segregated by race, with separate clubs and governing bodies. This was making the sporting authorites around the world impatient. Mixing politics and sports didn’t seem a good idea but the scenario in the country was turning bad from worse every year. The problem was compunded with teams reluctance to compete in tournaments that included South Africa. And that’s when it was decided that enough was enough.

Finally, on 21 April 1968, the IOC executive board met and decided that "due to the international climate, the executive committee was of the opinion it would be most unwise for South Africa to participate". This was a massive thumbs down to the racial policy of Apartheid in the country. The country was reinstated into Olympics after the country’s transition to multiracial equality.