![]() His demise was a picturesque epitome for crusaders destined to increase the regulation of doping at the expense of Jensen’s reputation. Jensen, whose notoriety is rooted in becoming the first Olympic athlete to die of a drug overdose during competition, became the exemplar of an admirable objective fueled by immoral measures. However, it took the untimely death of Danish cyclist Knud Jensen at the Summer Olympics in Rome in 1960 for anti-doping campaigns to gain prominence. The deficiency of such regulations should have been evident following the 1952 Oslo Winter Games, when several speed skaters overdosed on amphetamines and required medical intervention. Prior to the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, testing for drug use among Olympic athletes wasn’t carried out. ![]() Photo credit: The Sports Integrity Initiative The doves were released well before the lighting of Barcelona’s cauldron, bringing tranquility to animal enthusiasts everywhere. It immediately became apparent that it was vital for the Olympic committee to alter future ceremonial procedures in order to avoid another embarrassing public spectacle. As the three torches lit the flame, a Korean barbecue ensued, turning white feathers into ash for the world to see. As three athletes rode a rising platform skyward to light the enormous torch, numerous doves made the unfortunate error in judgment of resting atop the cauldron prior to its ignition. Unfortunately, the symbolic custom would be anything but festive during Seoul’s opening ceremony in 1988, when a few feathers became ruffled. While it’s theorized that the tradition dates back centuries, historians claim that homing birds were first released during the ancient Olympics in order to notify families and villages of a returning hometown athlete’s victory. The act officially became a part of the opening ceremonies beginning in 1920 at the Antwerp Games. At the 1896 Olympics in Athens, birds were released as a sign of peace and freedom.
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