Relive the moments that went down in history at the 1980 summer Olympics in Moscow. Access official videos, results, galleries, sport and athletes. In the midst of the Cold War, the two countries often met in sporting arenas around the world to compete for medals.
In 1980, Moscow hosted the Summer Olympics, the first Olympics held in a communist country. The United States and its allies didn’t show up to the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, due to the diplomatic standoff over the war in Afghanistan. Eighty nations were represented at the Moscow Games, the smallest number since 1956. Led by the United States, 66 countries boycotted the games entirely, because of the Soviet–Afghan War.
moscow olympics, Several alternative events were held outside of the Soviet Union. Moscow 1980 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Moscow that took place July 19–. The Moscow Games were the 19th occurrence of the modern Olympic Games. The Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 led to the largest boycott in the history of the Olympic movement. The Summer Olympic Games of 1980, awarded to Moscow in 1974 by the International Olympic Committee, represented an unparalleled opportunity to showcase the superiority of Soviet athletes as well as the achievements of Soviet socialism before a world-wide audience.
moscow olympics, The city of Moscow hosted the Summer Olympic Games from July 19 to . The International Olympic Committee awarded Moscow the games in 1974, in the hopes that international competition might contribute to d é tente. But superpower politics had a direct impact on these games. As a result of this boycott, more than 450 American athletes were denied an opportunity to compete at the Games, many of whom would never qualify for another Olympics. While the boycott quickly gained an infamy that has persisted to this day, it is worth revisiting the rationale behind the movement.
