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1980 Summer Olympics boycott | HearLore
— Ch. 1 · Cold War Context And Soviet Invasion —
1980 Summer Olympics boycott.
~6 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
The Western governments first considered boycotting the Moscow 1980 Summer Olympics after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, discussing it at a the 20th of December 1979, NATO meeting. The boycott occurred against the background of heightened Cold War tensions following that military intervention in December 1979. Earlier in the mid-1970s, human rights groups had proposed Olympic boycotts to pressure the Soviet Union over human rights violations, but interest was limited. The idea gained traction when Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov called for a boycott in early January 1980. President Jimmy Carter joined the appeal, setting a deadline for the Soviet withdrawal or warning of potential consequences, including a U.S. led Olympic boycott. Canada also announced it would join the boycott if Soviet forces did not leave Afghanistan by the 20th of February 1980.
American Diplomatic Strategy And Carter's Decision
In January 1980, President Carter announced that the United States would boycott the Moscow Olympics unless Soviet forces withdrew from Afghanistan. The announcement prompted debate within the U.S. government, Congress, and the United States Olympic Committee, particularly regarding the consequences for athletes who had qualified for the Games. The United States subsequently encouraged allied and non-aligned countries to support the boycott. Some governments agreed to withdraw their teams, while others declined or adopted partial measures, resulting in varying levels of participation at the Games. As part of these efforts, former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali undertook diplomatic visits to several African countries at the request of the Carter administration to advocate support for the boycott. He traveled to Tanzania, Nigeria, and Senegal to unsuccessfully convince their leaders to join the boycott. He did, however, successfully convince the Kenyan government to do so.
Global Response And Non-Participating Nations
Sixty-eight National Olympic Committees that were invited to the 1980 Summer Olympics, plus Qatar, did not participate for various reasons, including support for the boycott and economic reasons. Many countries ultimately joined the U.S. in a full boycott of the Games. These included Japan and West Germany, where Chancellor Schmidt was able to convince the West German Olympic Committee to support the boycott. China, the Philippines, Chile, Argentina and Norway also boycotted the Games entirely. Taiwan refused to participate as a result of the 1979 Nagoya Resolution, which led China to refuse sending a delegation to the 1980 Summer Olympics as well due to the Sino-Soviet split during that time. Israel also joined the boycott to protest Soviet military aggression, but also because of Soviet antisemitic and anti-Israel policies. A firm enemy of the United States under Ayatollah Khomeini's new theocracy, Iran also boycotted the Moscow Games after Khomeini joined the condemnation by the United Nations and the Islamic Conference of the invasion of Afghanistan.
Athlete Impact And Alternative Competitions
The boycott had a major impact on athletes, many of whom had trained their entire lives for the Olympics. Swimmer Jesse Vassallo reflected on the missed opportunity, recalling a conversation with President Jimmy Carter: “How would you have done in Moscow?” Vassallo answered, “I would have won two golds and a silver.” He remembered Carter’s pained reaction, highlighting the personal frustration of athletes sidelined for political reasons. Events were staged separately in several sports, including the Liberty Bell Classic for track and field and the USGF International Invitational for gymnastics. The U.S., Cuban 12-bout card at the Charlotte Coliseum (on Independence Boulevard, now Bojangles' Coliseum) on the 10th of February 1980, became the only meeting between Cuban and American boxers and was an important event in boxing; called "one of the prime matches of the year," by U.S. boxing coach Tom Johnson. At least five national teams participated at the Games under the Olympic flag rather than their respective national or NOC flags, as doing the latter would have denoted that their participation was officially sanctioned by their respective nations.
International Olympic Committee Negotiations
The Soviet government rejected calls to cancel or relocate the Games and continued preparations for the Moscow Olympics. Soviet officials described the boycott as political interference in sport and responded through diplomatic channels and state media. Diplomatic discussions involving the United States, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and other governments took place in the months preceding the Games, but these did not result in a change to the U.S. decision to boycott. The International Olympic Committee opposed the boycott, maintaining that the Olympic Games should remain independent of political disputes and expressing concern about the impact on athletes. President of the IOC Lord Killanin permitted National Olympic Committee (NOC)-qualified athletes to compete at the Games without their national flags or anthems, which allowed NOCs to send athletes in a non-national context. Four competitors from New Zealand competed independently and marched under their NOC flag because the government officially supported the boycott. The athletes of 16 countries did not fly their national flags. Instead, Olympic flags were raised, and the Olympic Anthem replaced their national anthems at the medal ceremonies.
Ceremonial Protocols And Symbolic Gestures
At the opening ceremony's Parade of Nations, the 16 partially boycotting countries sent only a flag-bearer to march after the placard-bearer, without the rest of the delegation following the flag-bearer. Traditionally, the mayor of the previous host city (Montreal, Canada) hands over the Olympic flag, but Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau was prevented from attending due to the boycott. Sandra Henderson and Stéphane Préfontaine, the final torchbearers at the previous games, participated in his place. Closing ceremony protocol rules dictated that the flag of the next host should be raised, but the United States "strongly objected" to the IOC's plans to enforce this rule. During the 83rd IOC Session just before the Games, IOC Director Monique Berlioux discovered a "loophole" where the French and English versions of the rules differed; one version stated to use the flag of the "country of the organizing city," while the other stated to use the flag of the "organizing city." Berlioux as well as Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee head Peter Ueberroth agreed to use the Los Angeles city flag instead. The Olympic hymn was played in place of the United States national anthem.
Legal Settlements And Financial Reimbursements
In April 1981, a Federal District court in Manhattan approved the settlement of two suits involving more than 9,000 Americans who were seeking refunds of payments they had made for trips to the Olympics that were canceled in wake of the boycott. When the boycott was first announced, tour deposits of over 10 million dollars were refunded by the Russian Travel Bureau, the only agency authorized to book American tours during the Olympics. Although the Soviet Union kept about $7.2 million collected by the Bureau, they had agreed to set aside $1.8 million as credits to be paid back over five years. Under the April 1981 settlement the remunerations were increased: Americans who had canceled their trips before the 1st of March 1980 were reimbursed a total 85 percent of their costs, while those who had canceled after that date were reimbursed 63 percent.
Why did the United States boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics?
The United States boycotted the Moscow 1980 Summer Olympics to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979. President Jimmy Carter set a deadline for Soviet withdrawal and warned of consequences including an Olympic boycott if they failed to comply.
Which countries joined the boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics besides the United States?
Sixty-eight National Olympic Committees plus Qatar did not participate, including Japan, West Germany, China, the Philippines, Chile, Argentina, Norway, Taiwan, Israel, and Iran. These nations withdrew their teams or refused to send delegations due to support for the U.S. boycott or political reasons.
How were athletes affected by the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott?
Many athletes who had trained their entire lives missed the opportunity to compete at the Games. Events such as the Liberty Bell Classic and the USGF International Invitational were staged separately to provide alternatives for those sidelined by political decisions.
What happened to athletes from countries that partially boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics?
Athletes from 16 countries competed under the Olympic flag rather than their national flags because their governments officially supported the boycott. Four competitors from New Zealand marched under their NOC flag while other participating nations raised Olympic flags during medal ceremonies.
When was the settlement regarding refunds for canceled trips to the 1980 Summer Olympics approved?
A Federal District court in Manhattan approved the settlement of two suits involving more than 9,000 Americans on April 1981. The agreement increased reimbursements so that those who canceled before the 1st of March 1980 received 85 percent of costs and those canceling after received 63 percent.