Politics and ideology in the sporting arena 

Politics and ideology have always played a part in the sporting arena due to the interest of the public. Sport is universal it is a way of uniting people through the enjoyment of any particular game or event. Those who enjoy a paticular sport or support a local team will often read about their team in the paper, watch the news sport coverage or check out regular updates on various sporting websites. Millions of people watch the Olympics worldwide and many people place bets on events. The vested interest in sport is huge and its roots go deep throughout the population.
 With the mass media coverage of the Olympics it provides athletes the chance to express their ideology through the use of social networking such as twitter and facebook. This has political ramifications as athletes now have a voice of their own and freedom of speech. They can argue for certain peoples rights and say what they feel about new laws and legislations.
 To me personally sport should represent equality and acceptance a chance to showcase your talent and skills no matter what race or nationality. It's the opportunity to showcase your ethnicity and represent your country playing the sport you love in a competitive environment.
 This years Olympic games were an example of politics affecting how the games were conducted. Damien Hooper an Australian boxer decided to wear a shirt with an Aboriginal flag on it and it was deemed innaproppriate. There are many instances in which politics and ideology have far too much say especially throughout the media coverage. Cathy Freeman wrapped herself in both the Australian and Aboriginal flag after winning the gold at the Commonwealth games in 1994 was also deemed innaproppriate.
Why either Damien or Catherine were deemed to have acted innappropriately is beyond me. Who has the right to say that someone cant wear the flag of their people and show it to the world?
Another example of politics and ideology having an impact on sport is the Olympic games held in Berlin 1936 in which Hitler used the opportunity  to promote his government and the ideals of racial supremacy. The Nazi party played a major role in the structure and organisation of the Olympics. He promoted the idea that the use of sports would harden the German spirit and instill unity among German youth. At the same time he also believed that sports was a "way to weed out the weak, Jewish, and other undesirables."
Personally I don't think politics or ideology should have a place sport. Political interests don't always represent equality and ideologies can be dangerous or taken out of context. I think representing your nationality and race with pride is what the Olympics should be about not using the media's coverage to convey a political viewpoint to the public.