The International Olympic Committee (IOC) requested that Zimbabwe (formerly known as Rhodesia) to withdraw from the Summer Olympic Games held in Munich, Germany, on 22 August 1972.
The request came days before the opening ceremony of the 20th Olympic Games was to get under way. This was due the country’s racial policy.
The IOC felt that the policy of only allowing black athletes to compete in sprinting and jumping events did not make the competition fair for white atheletes competing for other nations.
More than 7 000 athletes participated, representing 122 nations in total.
Source: South African History Online
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