The year 1968 had seen turmoil in the United States , including riots and the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King . Prior to the Olympics in Mexico City in October 1968 , some African Americans , led by activist Harry Edwards , had urged a boycott of the Games , but found little enthusiasm among athletes , reluctant to waste years of effort . The atmosphere was made more tense by unrest in Mexico City before the Games which left dozens dead
unrest
Tlatelolco massacre
Avery Brundage