Most athletes who defected competed under a kind of flag of convenience – traveling to the Summer Games from eastern Europe with a plan to head west. The Olympics offered escape from authoritarian regimes at home, and at no time more than the peak of the Cold War. After the 1972 Munich Olympics, more than 100 athletes stayed in West Germany to first seek refuge before, in many cases, moving on to make lives in democratically run countries. LONDON, 1948 (AND BEYOND)Oscar Charles had a different role at three consecutive Summer Games water polo tournaments. The United States authorized taking in at least 40 Olympic athletes, including 35 from the Hungary team at Melbourne.

Source: ABC News August 04, 2021 08:03 UTC