Harry Blutstein will discuss the cold war climate of the post-war Olympics focusing on two Czechoslovak cases that made the international news. He will introduce the US edition (McFarland 2022) of his book, Cold War Olympics, A New Battlefront in Psychological Warfare, 1948-1956. A special guest Olga Fikotova, 1956 Melbourne Olympics gold medalist.
The 1948 London Olympics saw the first defection, as Czechoslovak gold medal-winning women’s gymnastics team leader, Marie Provaznikova, refused to return home. In 1956, in defiance of her government, Czechoslovak discus thrower, Olga Fikotova, refused to renounce her love for US athlete Hal Connolly, creating an international incident. The book also exposes the activities of the KGB and secret police from Eastern European countries to spy on their own athletes and countermeasures taken by the West.
Harry Blutstein, Ph.D., former Adjunct Professor in the School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning at RMIT University, is a fellow at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Since 1972, he has been a freelance journalist and published feature articles in op-eds in major Australian newspapers on a wide variety of topics. He is also the author of Games of Discontent on the 1968 Olympic Games.
Harry Blutstein
Olga Fikotová is a 1956 Melbourne Olympics disc gold medalist. Her romance with American hammer gold medalist Harold Connolly became an issue for the Czechoslovak communist government. Ultimately, the couple wed and moved to the US. Banned from representing Czechoslovakia, Olga Fikotova-Connolly competed in every Olympics until 1972, representing the United States. In 1968, Olga published the book The Rings of Destiny. As a certified exercise therapist, she taught at the University of California at Irvine until 2017. She still coaches fitness/wellness at EoS Fitness Club in Las Vegas.
Olga Fikotova
Free and open to the public. Suggested donation $5. RSVP through Eventbrite to receive the Zoom link.
This event is organized by the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences, New York Chapter, with the support of the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association.