Editing 1960 Winter Olympics (section)

==Politics==
[[File:Brundage at Squaw Valley.png|thumb|Brundage (left) examines the facilities at Squaw Valley, 1960 Winter Olympics.]]
Athletic competition between the Soviet Union and United States had grown intense during the 1950s. Their opposing ideologies and interests in nations such as East and West Germany, China and North and South Korea created a delicate situation as the 1960 Winter Games approached. Of particular interest was the question of whether China would be allowed to participate.{{sfn|Espy|1979|p=61}}  Chinese athletes last competed at the [[1952 Summer Olympics|1952 Summer Games]] but had since withdrawn from the IOC due to a dispute over Taiwan's participation as a separate country.<ref>{{cite web|title=China and the Olympic Movement|last=Xiao|first=Li|publisher=China Internet Information Center|url=http://www.china.org.cn/english/null/116819.htm|access-date=August 4, 2011}}</ref> The United States supported Taiwan while the Soviet Union stood behind China. Given that the 1960 Games were to be held in the US, there was concern among IOC members that the host nation would not allow China or any other Communist country to take part.{{sfn|Espy|1979|p=61}} In 1957, IOC president [[Avery Brundage]], an American, announced that if the U.S. refused entry to any country recognized by the IOC, they would revoke Squaw Valley's invitation to host the Games and he would resign the presidency.{{sfn|Espy|1979|pp=61–62}} The U.S. did allow athletes from Communist countries to participate. China continued calls for Taiwan to be expelled from the IOC, demands that were refused until China broke off relations ending any hope they would participate in the 1960 Games.{{sfn|Espy|1979|pp=62–63}}

Problems similar to the issue with China broke out over North Korea and East Germany. Prior to the [[Korean War]] the IOC had recognized the Olympic committee of Korea, which was headquartered in [[Seoul]]. North Korea was not recognized as a separate country by the IOC, which maintained the existence of one Olympic committee. A unified team compromise was proposed but rejected by North Koreans, which meant only athletes from South Korea participated due to their prior recognition.{{sfn|Espy|1979|pp=66–67}}  Pressure for full recognition of East Germany continued despite the fact that both East and West Germany had participated as a [[United Team of Germany at the Olympics|unified team]] in 1956. One of the conditions for a unified German team was that the athletes be represented by a neutral flag. Initially West German officials refused to agree to this stipulation citing the fact that the West German flag had been used at both the 1956 Winter and Summer Games, although that flag was also [[Flag of East Germany#History|used by East Germany]] prior to 1959. Eventually the neutral flag was adopted and a unified German team participated.{{sfn|Espy|1979|p=67}}