In the late 1950s , protest against South Africa 's apartheid regime reached the stage of seeking to exclude the nation from international sport . In 1956 , government rules requiring separate events for whites and non-whites in South Africa were issued ; non-whites received poorer facilities . Brundage initially opposed taking any action . The run-up to the 1960 Rome Olympics had seen tumult in South Africa , including the Sharpeville massacre and a crackdown on the African National Congress . Activists attempted to persuade Brundage that South Africa should be excluded from the Games . Brundage initially took the word of South African sport leaders that all citizens were able to compete for a place on the Olympic team , and that non-white South Africans simply were not good enough
Sharpeville massacre
Sharpeville massacre
Avery Brundage