Rhodesia at the Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rhodesia at the Olympics
IOC code	RHO
Medals	Gold Silver Bronze Total 0 0 0 0
Summer appearances
1928 1932–1956 1960 1964
Other related appearances
Zimbabwe (1980–)

Rhodesia, also known as Southern Rhodesia, first joined the Olympic Games in 1928. They sent two boxers to Amsterdam, but they didn't win any medals. Rhodesia didn't compete again until 1960. This time, they sent a team of fourteen athletes as part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. In Rome, two sailors, Alan David Butler and Christopher Bevan, came in fourth place. This was Rhodesia's best Olympic result until it became Zimbabwe in 1980. Southern Rhodesia sent 29 athletes, including a field hockey team, to the 1964 Summer Olympics in 1964. This was the last time Rhodesia competed under its own name.

In 1965, Prime Minister Ian Smith declared that Rhodesia was independent. This meant that the country's white minority group kept control of the government. Because of this, the United Kingdom tried to stop Rhodesia from joining the 1968 Summer Olympics. They even supported a plan for African countries to boycott (refuse to participate in) the Games. This stopped Rhodesia from taking part. Rhodesia was ready to compete in the 1972 Olympics and even made it to the Olympic Village. But at the last minute, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided they couldn't participate. Rhodesia's Olympic Committee was permanently removed in 1975. Rhodesia never competed in the Winter Olympic Games. No Rhodesian athlete ever won an Olympic medal. However, Rhodesia did continue to compete in the Paralympics until 1972 and won many medals there.

Rhodesia's First Olympic Appearance: 1928

Rhodesia first appeared at the Summer Olympic Games in 1928. Their team included two boxers, Cecil Bissett and Leonard Hall. Bissett won his first fight against Carlos Orellana from Mexico. But then he lost to Carlo Orlandi from Italy, who later won the gold medal. Leonard Hall won his first fight against William Walter from Germany. Then he lost to Kintaro Usuda from Japan.

Rhodesia was one of only two British colonies allowed to compete as its own country in the 1928 Games. The other was Malta. Rhodesia later started competing independently at the British Empire Games in 1934.

Olympic Journeys in 1960 and 1964

Rhodesia did not compete in the Olympics again until 1960. However, some Rhodesian athletes could compete for South Africa during this time. For example, Leonard Hall won a gold medal in boxing for South Africa in the 1930 British Empire Games.

By the time of the 1960 Summer Olympics, Southern Rhodesia was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. This federation included what are now Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. They competed in the Games under the name Rhodesia. Fourteen athletes, nine men and five women, took part in six sports. These sports included track and field, boxing, diving, sailing, shooting, and swimming. Sailors Alan David Butler and Christopher Bevan finished fourth in the Flying Dutchman sailing event. This was Rhodesia's best result while competing under that name.

The Federation broke up in 1963. Nyasaland became Malawi. Northern and Southern Rhodesia started competing separately. Northern Rhodesia competed as Northern Rhodesia in 1964, but then became Zambia. Southern Rhodesia remained Rhodesia. They sent 25 men, including a field hockey team, and four women to the 1964 Games. Both the field hockey team and the sailing team finished 11th. No individual athlete placed better than 17th.

Why Rhodesia Was Banned from the Olympics

In 1965, Southern Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith and his mostly white government declared independence from the United Kingdom. This caused many problems for Rhodesia's participation in the Olympics.

Rhodesia was invited to the 1968 Winter Olympics but decided not to go. They felt their athletes were not strong enough competitors. Even though the United Kingdom tried hard to stop Rhodesia from gaining acceptance by joining the Games, Rhodesia was invited to the 1968 Summer Olympics. However, African countries threatened to boycott the Games if Rhodesia participated. This pressure, supported by the British, led the Mexican government to withdraw its invitation to Rhodesia.

South Africa had been banned from competing in 1964 because of its unfair segregation laws. Rhodesia's sports groups were not officially segregated by law. So, the same reason couldn't be used to ban them. The British government also decided not to ban Rhodesian Olympians from international travel. Instead, the Olympic organizers used a United Nations rule from May 1968. This rule asked countries not to accept Rhodesian passports. Even though most Rhodesian athletes had more than one passport, Mexico created delays that stopped them from attending. Rhodesia's team included at least nine individual athletes, a five-man yachting team, and a field hockey team. Only two, track and field athletes Bernard Dzoma and Mathias Kanda, were not white. Both were considered strong medal contenders.

In 1971, the IOC offered Rhodesia a chance to compete in the 1972 Summer Olympics. But they had to compete as a British team. This meant using the flag of Southern Rhodesia and the British anthem "God Save the Queen", just like in 1964. The host country, West Germany, faced less pressure than Mexico. Also, West Germany was not part of the United Nations, so it wasn't bound by the passport rule. Rhodesia agreed and sent 44 athletes in eight sports, including a water polo team. This was their largest and most diverse team ever.

However, African nations again threatened to boycott the Games. This led the IOC to vote to withdraw Rhodesia's invitation. The athletes were allowed to stay in the Olympic Village and watch the events, but they couldn't compete. After a tragic event called the Munich massacre, the IOC President, Avery Brundage, compared the attacks to the political reasons behind the boycott. He said both were trying to harm the spirit of the Olympics.

To prevent future problems, the new IOC President, Lord Killanin, tried to prove that Rhodesia had racial discrimination in sports. This would allow him to permanently ban their Olympic Committee. Based on the evidence found, the IOC voted in 1975 to permanently remove Rhodesia from the Games. Rhodesia did not return to the Olympics until 1980. By then, the white-dominated government had fallen, and the country was renamed Zimbabwe.

Even though they were banned from the Olympics, Rhodesia was still able to compete in the Paralympics in 1968 and 1972. They had also competed in 1960 and 1964. This was because politicians decided not to punish disabled athletes. While Rhodesia never won an Olympic medal, they did win many medals at the Paralympics.

Olympic Medals for Rhodesia

Rhodesia never won any medals at the Summer Olympic Games. Here's a look at their participation:

Medals by Summer Games

Games	Athletes	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1928 Amsterdam	2	0	0	0	0	–
1932 Los Angeles	did not participate
1936 Berlin
1948 London
1952 Helsinki
1956 Melbourne
1960 Rome	14	0	0	0	0	-
1964 Tokyo	29	0	0	0	0	-
1968 Mexico City	did not participate
1972 Munich
1976 Montreal
since 1980	as part of  Zimbabwe (ZIM)
Total		0	0	0	0	-

See also

• Rhodesia at the Paralympics
• Zimbabwe at the Olympics