Colonialismo e Jogos Olímpicos

In 1904, the American city of Saint Louis hosted the third edition of the Modern Olympic Games. The competition was part of the Universal Exposition program, one of the biggest international events of the time and which celebrated, one year late, the centenary of the purchase of the Louisiana territory by the American government. The Games took place between July and November and were marked by chaos in the organization of sporting events and angered Pierre de Coubertin, then president of the International Olympic Committee. Weeks before the Olympic competitions began, the controversial “Anthropological Days” took place. A type of sporting dispute involving members of populations originate from various parts of the world. The tournament, which mixed Olympic modalities with other activities, sought to prove the racial and intellectual supremacy of white men over other ethnicities, demonstrating how sport was a relevant space for the manifestation of colonialist thought and reflected the social effects of the time.