Sprinter David Sime, who was recruited by American intelligence agents in a scheme to persuade Russian broad jumper Igor Ter-Ovanesyan to defect. German national hero and 100-meter-dash gold medalist Armin Hary, who ran in Puma shoes but took the medals stand in Adidas in a ploy to get paid by both companies, an unprecedented overt display of play for pay. The barefoot Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikila, whose victory was applauded as a sign of the power of African nations emerging from colonialism and a repudiation of the Mussolini regime's occupation of his homeland.
Many more stars have been forgotten by casual sports fans. Yes, there still are amusing stories to tell about him. Among them are Rafer Johnson, who passed up a role in the movie Spartacus to remain an eligible amateur Wilma Rudolph, who emerged from polio, poverty and single motherhood to become the darling of the Games and Cassius Clay. Maraniss, a Pulitzer Prize winner, illustrates each topic with compelling back stories of competitors whose names remain recognizable. Some controversies still resonate as the Summer Olympics in Beijing approach. Maraniss hits the hot-button issues of the time: racism, sexism, Cold War rivalries, the demise of amateurism, the rise of commercialism, the growing use of performance-enhancing drugs. Despite the subtitle of David Maraniss' new non-fiction book, Rome 1960, it's hyperbolic to say the Games themselves altered people's perception of the world.īut if that salesmanship lures readers to this account of 18 sweltering days of athletic competition 48 years ago, they'll be pleased they took the bait.
The 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome reflected a changing world.
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