Olympic programme in Paris in 1900. Mens football was introduced as a demonstration sport at the 1896 Olympics and was one of the first team sports to be introduced to the Games. It became an official Olympic sport in 1908 but was dropped from the Games in 1932 following the inaugural Fifa World Cup. It returned in 1936 but the growth of professional football after the Second World War meant the best players were ineligible to take part - unless they lived in Communist countries, resulting in dominance for Eastern Bloc nations. In 1984 some professionals were allowed to compete, but European and South American nations were restricted to using players who had not yet featured at a World Cup. In 1992 all professionals were eligible, provided they were under 23 years old. At the 1996 Games in Atlanta, teams were allowed to field three over-age players in the final tournament and womens football was introduced with no age restrictions. More on the IOC
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 21:11:37 +0000