World sport and especially its participants live in fear of a boycott – small or large. International Olympic Committeeespecially after the recent dramatic events with the decision to participate Russian And Ukrainian athletes in international competitions as neutral.

The Olympic spirit can also be considered a symbol of peace, but over the centuries, geopolitical conflicts have left their mark on an organization that unites people under five circles.

The first movement to bring politics into sport in the form of protest took place at the Middle Olympiad in Athens (1906). Since then, many times at the Olympic Games there will be protests with the aim of international promotion or civilization of events. The largest boycotts recorded in Olympic history were at the 1980 and 1984 competitions.

English real estate agent Charles Boycott is considered the “godfather” of the word “boycott”. His “ostracism” from the Irish nationalists from the local community caused a public outcry, and the name of the real estate agent went down in history as a synonym for commercial isolation, denial of commercial and economic relations, refusal to participate.

In 1906 Athens hosted the Mesolimpiad, an event that many scholars believe gave birth to the nascent institution of the Olympic Games.

The country’s capital was adorned with flags and became, according to the reports of the time, a “small world” with national flags and coats of arms, inscriptions in many languages, paved roads, electric railway and trams.