The 1952 Inter-Camp P.O.W. Olympics was a mock-Olympic games held in North Korea for UN Prisoners of War during the Korean War.
The Games[]
The 1952 POW Olympics were held between November 15 and 27, 1952, in Pyoktong, North Korea. The Chinese hoped to gain worldwide publicity and, whilst some prisoners refused to participate, some 500 P.O.W.s of eleven nationalities took part.[1] They were representative of all the prison camps in North Korea [citation needed] and competed in American football, baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, track and field, soccer, gymnastics, and boxing.[1] For the P.O.W.s this was an opportunity to meet with friends from other camps. P.O.W.s also acted as photographers, announcers and even reporters, who after each day's competition published a 'newspaper', the "Olympic Roundup".[1]
| Overall Result | Team (Teams were arranged by Camp)[2] |
|---|---|
| 1st | Camp 5 (Pyoktong, North Korea) |
| 2nd | Camp 1 (Changsong, North Korea) |
| 3rd | Camp 4 (Pyoktong, North Korea) |
Use in Propaganda[]
The 1952 Olympics feature frequently in North Korean PSYWAR pamphlets and leaflets distributed to UN soldiers.[3][4] The 1952 Olympics allowed Communist forces to point to the good conditions available to those who surrendered.[2][5]
See also[]
- 1944 Summer Olympics during the Second World War at which Prisoners from Oflag II-C staged a comparable unofficial Olympic games.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Adams, (2007), p. 62.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.kmike.com/POW_Olympics/pow/POW_Olympics_Names.htm
- ↑ Peace "magazine" (n.2), October 1952
- ↑ Propaganda leaflet, 1952
- ↑ http://library.ndsu.edu/digital/files/2010/04/Themes-in-Korean-War.pdf
Bibliography[]
- Adams, Clarence. (2007). AN AMERICAN DREAM: The life of an African American soldier and POW who spent twelve years in communist China. Amherst & Boston. University of Massachusetts Press. ISBN 978-1-5584-9595-1.
External links[]
- Scotland at War, including some artifacts and information from Scottish personnel at the 1952 Olympics
- Pictures and scans of the 1952 Olympic programme
The original article can be found at 1952 Inter-Camp P.O.W. Olympics and the edit history here.