No modern Olympic Games

[General althist]

Imagine the modern world of sports, from the second half of the 19th century, without the Olympic Games (neither summer nor winter). Here's what I think would happen.

*Just like in our timeline, every sport would also have its world championships. These competitions would become the most popular.
*No country would need to feel forced to host competitions who aren't popular in that country, just to host the "world's biggest sports events". For example, Canada would host ice hockey tournaments without needing to host cross-country skiing.
*With no Olympic movement, there would be no amateur ideals to promote, which in our timeline was the case until the 1970's in many sports. Full-srofessional sports would kick in earlier in more countries.

In our timeline, this is already the case for sports who aren't Olympic.

States would probably political promote themselves using sports through other competitions.

 

[Minchandre]

I wonder if this wouldn't end up resulting in the World's Fair not losing steam

 

[James G]

As to a 'how', a POD to make this happen, I watched a documentary on the 1936 Hitler Games the other day.
A lot of effort went into making that happen over objections to the Nazi regime. Lies were told by the organisers to keep it going when so many people didn't want it to happen because of events in Germany. It went ahead though and gave Hitler a propaganda boost. The 1938 Winter Games were meant to go to Germany too based on the 'success' of 36.
If the 36 Games had been cancelled or moved elsewhere, or if they went ahead and exposure came about what was really happening and that hit the public hard, then maybe there would have been no post-war games due to how the IOC was being used by Hitler.
Just an idea.

 

[1940LaSalle]

Sports like track and field, competitive skiing, competitive swimming and the like would probably culminate at the NCAA level in the US, and would likely be relegated to the agate type part of the sports pages. And there wouldn't be a quadrennial interruption of the NHL season. Names like Mark Spitz, Katarina Witt, and Dorothy Hamill would be obscure at best.

 

[General althist]

Sports like track and field, competitive skiing, competitive swimming and the like would probably culminate at the NCAA level in the US, and would likely be relegated to the agate type part of the sports pages. And there wouldn't be a quadrennial interruption of the NHL season. Names like Mark Spitz, Katarina Witt, and Dorothy Hamill would be obscure at best.

All those sports have world chamoionships, and probably, if there were no Olympic Games, the interest for world chamoionships would be much bigger even in the USA (competitive skiing isn't even among the bigger sports in the USA). In Sweden, people don't care much if Swedish sportspersons win the world chamoionships or become Olympic champions. They're both considered great titles (which they actually are!).