Whatever flag flew over them, our Olympians have done us proud

DURING the Cold War, governments used sport for political ends. The communists pointed to the successes of their athletes as proof of the superiority of their system.

While athletes in this country had to work for a living, their counterparts behind the Iron Curtain were kept by the state and were professional athletes in every sense of the word.

The Americans decried this system, but they did the same thing under the cover of athletic scholarships and underhanded payments disguised as expenses. Both sides also used drugs to enhance performances.