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1952 Inter-Camp P.O.W. Olympics

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1952 Inter-Camp P.O.W. Olympics
1952年战俘营奥运会
LocationPyuktong, D.P.R.K.[1]
Dates15–27 November 1952
1952 Inter-Camp P.O.W. Olympics
Traditional Chinese1952年戰俘營奧運會
Simplified Chinese1952年战俘营奥运会
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin1952 nián zhànfú yíng àoyùnhuì

The 1952 Inter-Camp P.O.W. Olympics (Chinese: 1952年战俘营奥运会), also known as Inter-Camp POW Olympic Games,[2] was a mock Olympic Games held at the Pyuktong Prisoner-of-War Camp (碧潼战俘营)[3] of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army during the Korean War. The athletes were all United Nations POWs. It was often used as a propaganda campaign[4] by China and North Korea to encourage more UN soldiers to surrender.

1952 Inter-Camp P.O.W. Olympics was not authorized by the International Olympic Committee, but was organized by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, in accordance with the Olympic Charter.[5]

The games

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The POW Olympics were held between 15–27 November 1952 at Pyuktong, D.P.R.K. The Chinese hoped to gain worldwide publicity and, whilst some prisoners refused to participate, over 500 prisoners[2] of 11 nationalities took part.[6] 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.[6] For the prisoners, this was an opportunity to meet with friends from other camps. They also acted as photographers, announcers and even reporters, who after each day's competition published a newsletter, the Olympic Roundup.[6]

Overall Result Team (Teams were arranged by Camp)[7]
1st Camp 5 (Pyoktong, North Korea)
2nd Camp 1 (Changsong, North Korea)
3rd Camp 4 (Pyoktong, North Korea)

Propaganda value

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The Olympics featured frequently in North Korean psychological warfare (PSYWAR) pamphlets and leaflets distributed to UN soldiers.[8][9] The 1952 Olympics allowed Communist forces to point to the good conditions available to those who surrendered.[7][10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ United States. Congress. House. Committee on Un-American Activities (1955). Investigation of Communist Activities: (the Committee to Secure Justice in the Rosenberg Case and Affiliates) Hearing. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 3875–.
  2. ^ a b Elise Horspool."The "Reactionaries": Buck, Hollis, Madden, Parker and Gwyther". Australian War Memorial. 18 June 2020.
  3. ^ "1952年中国就办过一届特殊的"奥运会",同样赢得世界的交口称赞". Ifeng.com. 2018-12-26. Archived from the original on 2019-04-11.
  4. ^ Callum A MacDonald (27 October 1986). Korea: The War before Vietnam. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 151–. ISBN 978-1-349-06332-1.
  5. ^ "鲜为人知:朝鲜战场 志愿军战俘营里的"奥运会" --党史频道-人民网". dangshi.people.com.cn. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
  6. ^ a b c Adams, (2007), p. 62.
  7. ^ a b "POW Olympics Intro RedirectPage".
  8. ^ Peace "magazine" (n.2), October 1952
  9. ^ Propaganda leaflet, 1952
  10. ^ http://library.ndsu.edu/digital/files/2010/04/Themes-in-Korean-War.pdf[permanent dead link]

Bibliography

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