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Which city hosted the 1984 Summer Olympics. Ghost Olympics

Which city hosted the 1984 Summer Olympics. Ghost Olympics

16.09.2021

The only exceptions were Romania, Yugoslavia and the PRC. In addition to the socialist states, the Olympics were boycotted by Iran and Libya. The official reason for this protest was the refusal of the organizers of the Games to provide security guarantees to participants from the Warsaw Pact countries. But many perceived this step as a boycott by American athletes of the Moscow 1980 Olympics. In addition, the Soviet party and sports leadership alarmed that our delegation was not allowed to fly by Aeroflot charters and refused to accept the Georgia motor ship, which was planned to be used as a floating Olympic base for the USSR national team.

On May 8, 1984, the Soviet Union officially announced to TASS about a boycott of the upcoming Olympics. IOC President Antonio Samaranch actively tried to convince the Soviet leadership to change the decision, but could not achieve success. Instead of the Olympic Games, it was decided to hold in Moscow international competitions"Friendship-84". They were mainly attended by athletes from countries that refused the American Olympics. In total, athletes from more than 50 countries competed in these goodwill games, and many world records were set.

Because of this political protest, the entire world sports movement has lost out. The Los Angeles Olympics, like the previous one in Moscow, were held with an incomplete team. There were no favorites in many sports - 125 world champions did not come to America. As a result, a low number of world records were registered at these Games - only 11. As expected, the Americans won the team competition at the 84 Olympics. Without waiting for worthy rivals, the American team collected 174 medals, 83 of which were gold.

From that moment on, additional articles were added to the charter of the International Olympic Committee on serious sanctions against a country that will act with a boycott, up to its complete exclusion from the IOC.

Sources:

Sochi 2014 Olympics: Georgia Prepares Boycott
In response to the boycott of the 1980 Olympics, Moscow pricked the States with a pin

In 1980, the Olympic Games were first held on the territory of the Soviet Union - in Moscow. This decision by the International Olympic Committee caused serious controversy and eventually led to a split in the Olympic movement.

The decision to hold the Olympics in Moscow was made back in 1974. These games were to be the first to be organized on the territory of a socialist state. However, it was not without political confrontation. In 1979, the Soviet Union brought its troops into Afghanistan, which became the official reason for the US boycott of the games. In reality, the confrontation between the USSR and the United States had deeper roots and was not limited to the framework of the Afghan war.

Following the example of the United States, the games were boycotted by another 64 states. These were mainly NATO countries, such as Turkey, Germany, Japan and others. Several national teams of European countries were present, but in a reduced composition and under the Olympic, not the national flag.

In total, teams from 80 countries took part in the Moscow Olympics. States such as Jordan, Mozambique, Laos, Angola, Botswana and Seychelles sent their athletes to the games for the first time.

The opening and closing ceremonies of the games were very well organized. A bet was placed on living pictures. For example, many people in one of the stands were able to portray the 1980 Olympics - a bear. Numerous art groups, famous Soviet athletes of the past, and even cosmonauts took part in the opening of the games.

The first place in the unofficial medal standings was taken by the national team of the Soviet Union. This was understandable, since its main rival, the US team, boycotted the games. Most of the medals were received by Soviet weightlifters, gymnasts, swimmers and wrestlers. The men's basketball team also received gold medals.

The second was the GDR team, traditionally showing a high level of athletes' training at the Olympic Games. The Germans became the undisputed leaders in rowing and swimming. Several medals were awarded to German gymnasts and cyclists.

Tip 3: What the 1980 Moscow Olympics are infamous for

The XXII Summer Olympic Games were held in Moscow from July 19 to August 3, 1980. During this time, 36 world and 74 Olympic records were set, but the Moscow Olympics were remembered not only for sports achievements.

The 1980 Olympics were unique not only for the USSR, but for the whole world - for the first time the Olympic Games were held in the country. In honor of this event, the Soviet Union opened its doors to foreign citizens, but not everyone was able to come.

On January 20, 1980, US President Jimmy Carter announced a boycott of the Moscow Olympics and called on other countries to do so. The reason for the boycott was the introduction of Soviet troops into Afghanistan. Such a move by Carter was largely dictated by his desire to add votes to himself on the eve of the elections: many US citizens accused the president of being excessively liberal towards the Soviet Union. Another 63 states, including Canada, Germany, Japan and Austria, responded to the call for a boycott of the Olympic Games in Moscow. The situation was aggravated by the political confrontation between the Warsaw Pact countries and the NATO countries. In the United States, it was expected that the absence among the participants
The Olympics of athletes from the leading countries of the West and China will make the Moscow Games a second-class event.

Three days before the opening of the Olympics, the then President of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samarancha, held negotiations and persuaded Italy, Great Britain, Spain to send their athletes to the Games in Moscow. From many countries taking part in the boycott, for example, from France, Great Britain, Greece, athletes came individually and performed under the Olympic flags. Despite all efforts, the Games in the USSR had the smallest number of participants since the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.

The XXII Olympic Games of the Year proved once again that the Olympics are not only sports competitions, but also a political struggle between countries. Unfortunately, dozens of athletes from around the world suffered from this struggle, who dreamed of competing at the Olympic Games, but were never able to demonstrate their sporting achievements. Four-time Olympic Lisa Leslie commented: "Politicians from Washington have ruined the fate of many great athletes: some still regret losing four years of their lives, while others consider their medals to be not entirely complete." Later, as expected, the USSR and its allies announced a boycott of the 1984 Olympics, which took place in the United States. This decision influenced the fate of many Soviet athletes, and soon the USSR team lost its leading positions.

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The Moscow XXII Olympiad in 1980 is one of the brightest in Russian history... The country has been preparing for it for six years. And despite the boycott declared by the United States and some other countries, these games became an important milestone in the history of the international Olympic movement.

In 1980, from July 19 to August 3, the Summer Olympic Games were held in Moscow ( Games XXII Olympiads). For the first time then the Olympics took place in a country - the USSR, and also for the first time - in Eastern Europe.

More than 50 countries declared boycotts to the games because of the Soviet troops entering Afghanistan in 1979. But some athletes from these countries came and performed under the Olympic flag.

1975-1980 preparations were made for the Olympics, within the framework of which about twenty sports and other facilities were built and reconstructed. These are the Central Lenin Stadium, the Olympic Sports Complex, Sheremetyevo-2 Airport, the Leningrad Stadium named after S.M. Kirov, etc. A total of 75 facilities were specially built.

On the eve of the games, for the purposes of propaganda, Olympic lotteries, the publication of sports literature, the issuance of souvenirs, posters and stamps were organized on the territory of the USSR. The Olympic Bear, created by children's illustrator Viktor Chizhikov, became the mascot and symbol of the 1980 Olympics.

Competitions were held in 21 sports, 203 sets of awards were played. The largest number of awards - 114, was played in athletics, as well as 78 - in swimming. Athletes from 80 countries took part in the games. Some countries participated in the Olympics for the first time in their history, among them Mozambique, Jordan, Laos, Botswana, Angola, Seychelles.

46 world, 39 European and 74 Olympic records were set. For example, the Soviet shooter Melentyev set a record in shooting, swimmer Vladimir Salnikov in swimming, Alexander Dityatin in gymnastics. The oldest participant was the Bulgarian yachtsman Krastev (70 years old), and the youngest was the swimmer from Angola Jorge Lima (13 years old).

In total, the athletes of the USSR and the GDR won more than half of all gold medals - 80 and 47, respectively.

Moscow has already nominated itself to host the 21st Summer Olympics, but the Canadian city of Montreal won. And when considering the application for the next Olympic Games, Moscow won against Los Angeles with a 39:20 vote ratio. This was largely the merit of the chairman of the USSR Sports Committee S.P. Pavlov, who has done a tremendous organizational and preparatory work.

To hold the Olympics in Moscow and some other cities of the USSR, where the competitions were to take place (Kiev, Leningrad, Tallinn, Minsk, Mytishchi), 78 sports facilities were built and reconstructed. The strictest security measures were taken, so that not a single athlete or tourist was injured during the Olympics. The cute bear cub Misha became the symbol of the games.

Alas, politics intervened in the preparation and conduct of this great sporting event. In December 1979, Soviet troops entered Afghanistan. Many countries, especially members of the NATO military-political bloc opposing the Warsaw Pact organization, saw this as an excellent reason to unleash a propaganda war. As a result, 65 countries of the world, including the strongest in summer sports, the USA, Canada, Japan, Germany, South Korea, announced a boycott of the Olympics. Many countries sent to Moscow far from the strongest squads of their national teams, moreover, they are not performing under their national flags, but under the flag of the International Olympic Committee. Some athletes came to the USSR with the permission of their Olympic committees on an individual basis. Under these conditions, the USSR national team won an unprecedented number of gold medals - 80.

No matter how hard Soviet propaganda tried to diminish the scale and significance of the boycott, the moral damage suffered by the USSR was great. Although the Olympics were universally recognized and held at a very high level. That is why the USSR and many of its Warsaw Pact allies resorted to a retaliatory boycott of the next Olympics in Los Angeles.

Soviet writer, author of the novel How the Steel Was Tempered. Both the main novel of Ostrovsky, depicting the formation of a revolutionary, and the personality of the author (who wrote despite a serious illness, paralysis and blindness) in the Soviet Union were surrounded not only by the official cult, but also by the sincere popularity and reverence of many readers. N.A. Ostrovsky was born in the village of Viliya, Ostrozhsky district of Volyn province (now - Ostrozhsky district of Rivne region, Ukraine) in the family of a distillery worker Alexei Ivanovich Ostrovsky and a cook. He was admitted to the parish school ahead of schedule "because of his outstanding abilities"; He graduated from school at the age of 9 (1913) with a certificate of merit. Soon after, the family moved to Shepetovka. There Ostrovsky since 1916 worked for hire: in the kitchen of a station restaurant, a cuber, a worker in material warehouses, an assistant fireman at a power plant. At the same time he studied in a two-year, then a higher primary school (1917-1919). He became close to the local Bolsheviks, during the German occupation he participated in underground activities, was a liaison of the Revolutionary Committee. On July 20, 1919, he joined the Komsomol, on August 9, he volunteered for the front. He fought in the cavalry brigade of G.I. Kotovsky and in the 1st Cavalry Army. In August 1920 he was seriously wounded in the back near Lvov (shrapnel) and was demobilized. Participated in the fight against the insurgency in the special forces (CHON). In 1921 he worked as an assistant to an electrician in the Kiev main workshops, studied at an electrical engineering school, and at the same time was a secretary of the Komsomol organization. In 1922, he built a railway line for the supply of firewood to Kiev, while he caught a bad cold, then fell ill with typhus. After his recovery, he was the commissar of the Vseobuch battalion in Berezdovo (in the border area with Poland), was the secretary of the Komsomol district committee in Berezdovo and Izyaslav, then the secretary of the Komsomol district committee in Shepetovka (1924). In the same year he joined the CPSU (b). Ostrovsky's health was affected by his injury and difficult working conditions. His joints ached. The final diagnosis of N. Ostrovsky - Progressive ankylosing polyarthritis, gradual ossification of the joints. In the fall of 1927, he began to write an autobiographical novel "The Story of the Kotovtsy", but six months later the manuscript was lost in transit.

Since the end of 1930, with the help of a stencil he invented, he begins to write the novel How the Steel Was Tempered. The manuscript sent to the "Young Guard" magazine received a devastating review: "the derived types are unreal." However, Ostrovsky achieved a second review of the manuscript, regarding which the party organs were instructed. After that, the manuscript was actively edited by the deputy editor-in-chief of Molodaya Gvardia, Mark Kolosov, and the executive editor, Anna Karavaeva, a well-known writer of that time (the writer Yuri Buida even credits her with the real authorship of the novel). Ostrovsky recognized the great participation of Karavaeva in the work with the text of the novel; he also noted the participation of Alexander Serafimovich, who "gave me whole days of his rest." In TsGALI there are photocopies of the manuscript of the novel, which recorded the handwriting of 19 people. It is officially believed that Ostrovsky dictated the text of the book to "voluntary secretaries". Professor V.V. Musatov asserts that "the very process of creating the text of the novel was precisely of a collective nature." In doing so, he refers to the testimony of M.K. Kuprina-Iordanskaya, who conveyed the words of the literary critic Heinrich Lenoble (died 1964), who called himself one of the co-authors of the novel. According to her, Lenoble said “that the novel“ How the Steel Was Tempered ”was made by seven people. The author's version of the novel was completely unreadable. " Kuprina-Iordanskaya asked Lenoble: "Why did you go for this deception?" N. Ostrovsky in his letters tells in detail about his work on the novel, there are memoirs of his contemporaries - witnesses of the writer's work on the book. Textological research confirms the authorship of N. Ostrovsky. In April 1932, the Molodaya Gvardiya magazine began publishing Ostrovsky's novel; in November of the same year, the first part was published as a separate book, followed by the second part. The novel immediately became very popular.

In 1935, Ostrovsky was awarded the Order of Lenin, a house in Sochi and an apartment in Moscow were presented to him, he was awarded the title of brigade commissar; For the past few months, he has lived on the street of his name (formerly Dead Lane), hosting readers and writers. He made a commitment to write new romance"Born by the Storm" (under the same title as the lost early novel, but on a different plot) in three parts and managed to write the first part, but the novel was recognized as weaker than the previous one, including by Ostrovsky himself. The manuscript of the novel was typed and printed in record time, and copies of the book were presented to loved ones at the writer's funeral. Died in Moscow on December 22, 1936. In 1940, the Nikolai Ostrovsky House-Museum in Sochi and the Memorial Museum in Moscow were opened. A street in the Zheleznodorozhny District of Kursk is named after him. Ostrovsky's works have been translated into the languages of the peoples of the USSR and many foreign languages. In 1935 Ostrovsky was awarded the military rank of brigade commissar. He was awarded the Order of Lenin. Laureate of the Lenin Komsomol Prize (1966). Memorial museums of Ostrovsky are located in Moscow (since 1940) and in Sochi (since 1937), where Ostrovsky lived in 1928-1936 (with interruptions), as well as in the writer's homeland. Essays: Works. (Introductory article by V. Ozerov), volumes 1-3, Moscow, 1968; Works (Introductory article by S. Tregub), volumes 1-3, Moscow, 1969. Literature: Vengerov N., Nikolay Ostrovsky, 2nd edition, supplemented and revised, Moscow, 1956; Timofeev LI, On the artistic features of N. Ostrovsky's novel "How the Steel Was Tempered", 2nd edition, Moscow, 1956; Nikolay Ostrovsky, photographs, documents, illustrations, (text by S. Lesnevsky. Compiled by R. Ostrovskaya, E. Sokolova), Moscow, 1964; Tregub S., Live Korchagin, 2nd edition, Moscow, 1973; Anninsky A., "How the Steel Was Tempered" by Nikolai Ostrovsky, Moscow, 1971: Russian Soviet prose writers. Biobibliographic Index, Volume 3, Leningrad, 1964.

The boycott of the Games in Los Angeles for many athletes of the former USSR has become a personal tragedy - many have lost their unique chance to rise to the highest step of the podium. About what, in addition to political differences, Los Angeles-1984 was remembered in the XSPORT article dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Games.

Boycott as a method of influence

Contrary to the ancient Greek tradition, which the organizers of the first modern Olympic Games tried to preserve, wars and conflicts cannot be stopped or even suspended for the period of the most important competitions of the 4th anniversary. The most recent example is Beijing 2008. The opening of the Olympics served as a cover for the Russian aggression against Georgia, which began a few hours before 08.08.08.

The first political sanctions in sports came in the years after the First World War. The countries of the Triple Alliance and their allies were excommunicated from the Olympic Games: Germany, Austria, Hungary, as well as Bulgaria and Turkey missed the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp. But Italy was allowed, since in 1915 she signed the London Agreement and withdrew from the Triple Alliance. However, in 1924, the ban was no longer in effect in Paris. But the French Olympics were held without representatives of the newly formed USSR. The Union was not perceived in the world as the heir to the Russian Empire. And the murder of the imperial family and the Bolshevik coup d'etat provoked protests from Russians in exile. The USSR was offended and, despite not all subsequent IOC invitations, ignored the Games until 1952.

Berlin was under the threat of boycott in 1936, due to the rule of the Nazis. In 1956, several countries missed the Melbourne Games due to the Soviet invasion of Hungary. But the boycotts culminated in the 1980s.

First - Moscow. Until 1980, the main sports power of the world and the main rival of the USSR, the US national team, never missed the Games. In addition to the Americans, the first Olympics in Eastern Europe and in the "socialist country" were boycotted by more than 50 countries of the world. The USSR was not forgiven for the entry of troops into Afghanistan. The Union laughed at the boycott of the United States and released the cartoon "And Baba Yaga is against!" But this "humor" did not make anyone feel better.

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The attack of the USSR in 1984 looked like a retaliatory move. And so it was, although the athletes were not informed about it. The news that the USSR was not going to the Games came in early 1984, when the training of athletes was already coming to an end ...

The IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, who was elected in 1980 in Moscow, wrote in his memoirs about a meeting with Heydar Aliyev, a member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee. Aliyev in December 1982 assured: “We are preparing for the Games in Los Angeles. And although we hear talk of a possible boycott on our part, we will never stoop to Carter's level. " Until 1984, two general secretaries were replaced in the country of victorious socialism. Ideology, like the general secretaries, has reached insanity. The USSR delegation, fearing large-scale provocations at the Games, put forward special requirements to the organizers. Soviet athletes had to live on board the "Georgia" motor ship. They argued with the safety requirements of the athletes. And the United States, in turn, refused to accept the charters of the USSR and demanded detailed data for each participant from the USSR. They also argued with safety. At the end of 1983, it became clear that no one was going where.

That year the USSR held the Friendship-84 competition. Tournaments in various sports were held in 9 countries of the socialist camp. The USSR argued that "Friendship" was not planned as an alternative to Los Angeles, as it was held a week after the closing of the Games.

Olympics without the USSR

The Olympics became the second in a row to be hosted by the "City of Angels" - the first one took place here at the end of the Great Depression in 1932. Thanks to the Soviet boycott, the home games for the US national team were a success. In the medal standings, they had no equal: in the piggy bank - 174 awards (83 gold, 61 silver and 30 bronze). The national team of Romania, which was in second place, had 121 awards less. Los Angeles literally saved back then Olympic movement- after the losses in Montreal -1976 Nobody wanted to accept the Games. Los Angeles became the first city to earn money from the competition. Revenues were about $ 200 million, largely from the TV rights sold. Arenas in the city already existed, and the organizers built a new pool and cycle track at the expense of private investors. Americans have never used taxpayer funds to host the Games.

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McDonald’s managed to incur minor losses from the Games. The restaurant chain launched the “When the U.S. Wins, You Win ”. In the event of the victory of the US representative, all customers who attended these competitions were offered a free BigMac, for the "silver" - fries, and for the "bronze" - a bottle of Coca-Cola. Since the traditional rivals of the United States, the USSR national team, did not attend the Olympics, McDonald's handed out a record amount of free food. And this negatively affected the financial balance of fast food.

At the opening of the games, everyone was amazed by the jet backpack, with the help of which Bill Suter, in the colors of the American flag, moved around the Colosseum Memorial.

Sports arenas also saw some innovations. The first Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics, who was introduced to the program of the Games in the USA, was a little-known athlete from Canada - Lori Fang. The absence of the main contenders for medals - the national teams of Bulgaria and the USSR - played into the hands of the girl.

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Fang, by the way, applied her sports skills to the movies. In 2004, she had a cameo appearance as a dancer in Catwoman opposite Halle Berry.

At that time, there were several excellent gymnasts in the USSR national team. Among them is Galina Beloglazova. A gymnast from Astrakhan became an absolute European Champion and a three-time world champion in the mid-80s. Since the early 2000s, Galina Beloglazova worked as a coach at the Deriugins School with the Ukrainian national team and set up a program for group exercises.

The US national basketball team took gold without any problems, beating Spain with a score of 96:65. Then the striped star was headed by 21-year-old student Michael Jordan. Back then, amateur students were still playing basketball. At the next Games - in Seoul - the USSR national team won in basketball with the Ukrainians Aleksandra Volkov and Belostenny. And "His Air" Jordan for the second Olympic medal of the highest standard came with the professional Dream Team in 1992 in Barcelona.

Carl Lewis in Los Angeles was able to repeat the success of his compatriot Jesse Owens and won 4 Olympic gold medals. One hundred meters, 200 meters, relay race 4X100m and long jump were submitted to him. At the next three Olympics, he added 5 more awards of the highest standard to the collection.

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Moroccan Nawal El-Muwatakel in 1984 became the first Olympic champion-representative of the Islamic state. The girl with the African record overcame a distance of 400 meters with hurdles. The future champion began her training on a regular dirt road. The success of Naval was noticed by the French coach Jean Francois. It was he who advised her to focus on the 400m hurdles. Many said that the height of an athlete was not suitable for this, but dad Naval often replied that "the best gifts are put in small boxes." Now Nawal El-Mutawakel works in key positions in the IOC, in particular, he is the head of the Coordination Commission for the next summer Games - 2016.

For the first time in Los Angeles, a women's marathon was included in the program of the Olympic Games. The distance of 42 km 195 m in 2: 24.52 was overcome by the American Joan Benoit.

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Two "gold" at his debut Olympics in Los Angeles was won by the German "Albatross", Michael Gross. Moreover, he represented West Germany, where sports pharmacology has not reached such a threatening scale as in the eastern part. The 20-year-old swimmer was the fastest at 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly. He also took two silver medals from the USA: the 200 butterfly and the 4X200 freestyle relay. Michael received his nickname - Albatross - for a hand span of 213 centimeters. This advantage helped him become the first ever West German Olympic swimming champion.

In boxing, 9 out of 12 weight categories obeyed the Americans categorically. But the future “professional” Evander Hallifeld could not go further than the third step of the podium. The bronze award remained the only one in the collection of Mike Tyson's eternal counterpart.

Stolen happiness

The decisions of politicians, in their own way, rewrote the careers of Soviet athletes in 1984. The clear contender for the first Olympic "gold" was the Ukrainian Sergei Bubka. The year before the boycott, 19-year-old pole vaulter won the first ever athletics The World Championships in Helsinki, and in the winter of 84 in Bratislava set his first world record - 5.85 m.Bubka's Olympic dream had to be postponed until Seoul-88. This "gold" remained the only one in the piggy bank of the 35-time world record holder.

Yuri Sedykh, a native of Novocherkassk and a pupil of the Kiev hammer throwing school, could have won the third Olympic "gold". Two years later, in 1986, the athlete will set his next world record, which has remained relevant to this day. At the European Championships in Stuttgart, Yuri Georgievich threw 86 m 74 cm. And at his third Olympics in Seoul, when he was already 33 years old, Yuri Sedykh won silver.

In an interview, he recalled: “The 1988 Olympics in Seoul was the hardest for me. On the eve of those Games, the entire press and the leadership of the national team, referring to my past regalia and results, in advance "hung" on me exactly the gold medal. There was a feeling that I had to come to Seoul in order to stand on a pedestal and put it on my neck ... No matter how I tried, I could not move away from the surrounding euphoria. And all this made itself felt on the day of the final, because my health in the sector was not the best. Therefore, the second place and the silver medal did not please me or the fans at that time. But my dream and my management's dream of a three-time Olympic championship did not come true "

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PHOTOS Olympic Games in Moscow 1980.

One of the most titled swimmers in the world, Vladimir Salnikov, had to wait eight years to add the highest award in Seoul to the three Moscow gold medals. By the way, at home games, he was the first in the world to overcome distances of 1,500 meters in less than 15 minutes. And the road to Seoul was not easy for Salnikov. There was a sharp decline in results, and a change of coach. And only thanks to the trust of sports officials, the honored athlete was allowed to go to Korea.

The Cuban boxer legend Teofilio Stevenson could set the "eternal" record of Olympic victories in Los Angeles. He already had three gold medals behind him from Munich, Montreal and Moscow. And Stevenson could have taken fourth. But because of the boycott that Cuba supported, the dream did not come true. In addition, they tried to bring Stevenson in the same ring with Muhammad Ali, and Don King “slept and saw” the Cuban as a professional. But Teofilio cut off all proposals to change the ring with this phrase: "What is a million dollars compared to the love of eight million Cubans?" (http://www.espndeportes.com/news/story?id=1543508). Fidel Castro had a special love for the boxer. Teofilio Stevenson one of three triples Olympic champions in boxing. Besides him, only the Hungarian Laszlo Papp and Stevenson's compatriot Felix Savon conquered this height.

Teofilio Stevenson with fan # 1 - Fidel Castro. / cubanet.org

An unambiguous answer to the question whether it is worth boycotting the competition because of the actions of the host country in the political arena. Probably, every athlete should answer it himself. Sometimes participation in the Olympics - good opportunity express your civic position. Even better than a boycott. Remember the symbolism of gold of the Ukrainian national biathlon team in the relay in Sochi or the appearance at the opening and closing of the Paralympics of only one Ukrainian flag-bearer in protest against the invasion of Russian troops.

Mikhail Tkachenko (biathlon), Opening of Olympic Games Sochi-2014 / dt.ua

Lyudmila Pavlenko (skiing), Closing of Olympic Games Sochi-2014 / ipress.ua

Women's national biathlon team of Ukraine, Olympic champions of Sochi-2014 Valentina Semerenko, Elena Pidgrushnaya, Yulia Dzhima and Vita Semerenko

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Oksana Andrievskaya for XSPORT

Ancient Greece is. In an original and rich state, these competitions were part of a religious cult. More than two thousand years have passed since then, but the tradition of holding the Olympic Games every four years has not faded away. Each time, the number of countries wishing to participate in these competitions is growing.

Venue of the competition

In 2014, the winter ones were held in the Russian city of Sochi. Eighty-eight countries took part in this event. This is almost twice as much as in Sarajevo, where the Winter Olympics 1984 year. At that time, this city was the capital of Yugoslavia. Sarajevo could hardly be called a modern metropolis. Rather, it was a huge village with narrow streets, houses in which were comfortably located on the hills and hills. Until that time, the capital of Yugoslavia was famous for only one event: it was here that the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was killed. This event became a turning point in the tensions of the West, and as a result, the First World War began.

The first winter Olympics on the territory of a socialist country

Then, until the end of the 70s of the 20th century, this city did not show itself in any way. In 1978, at a regular session, it decided that the 1984 Winter Olympics would be held in Sarajevo. In order to carry out the opening and closing ceremonies of the games, as well as for some competitions in the city, the largest sports stadium "Asim Ferhatovich-Khase" was reconstructed. It is noteworthy that the 1984 Winter Olympics was the first event of this scale to be held on the territory of a socialist country.

Games start

The opening ceremony of the competition took place on a frosty February day on the eighth. Some think otherwise. According to a small mass of people, the beginning of competitions in a particular sport was the day when the 1984 Winter Olympics actually started. Hockey was the first game of the fourteenth games. This happened on the seventh of February. On that day, the USSR national team successfully passed to the next stage, beating Poland brilliantly. The Soviet Union team became the champion of that year. The second place was taken by the national team of Czechoslovakia.

The 1984 Winter Olympics offered ten sports disciplines to the attention of spectators and athletes: figure skating, ice hockey, ski jumping, luge, biathlon, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, bobsleigh, speed skating and skiing... In total, thirty-nine sets of medals were played.

Medal credit

It is noteworthy that it was at these competitions that many new names were opened. Athletes-skiers especially distinguished themselves. There was no limit to the delight and joy of the inhabitants of hospitable Yugoslavia when their compatriot, twenty-two-year-old Yure Franko, took a silver medal in the giant slalom competition. As the newspaper "Oslobodzhene" later noted, this victory became a worthy reward for the years of hard work and preparation for the "white" games.

The 1984 Winter Olympics were officially closed on 19 February. The medal standings of the competition are as follows. In terms of the number of valuable prizes, the first place on the podium is occupied by the USSR. In total, the athletes of the national team won 25 awards. However, in terms of the number of gold medals, the largest socialist country was inferior to the GDR. won three more yellow awards. The 1984 Winter Olympics gave the United States only eight prizes. Norway received 9 medals, and Finland - 13. It is noteworthy that this time the Austrian team was absolutely unsuccessful. As a rule, this country has always achieved excellent results in winter sports. But not at this time. Austrian athletes took away only one bronze medal.

Boycott by the countries of the socialist camp

In 1980, the Olympics were held in Moscow. 1984 gave the world (in addition to the "white" games) summer games as well. They were held in the United States of America - in Los Angeles. It is noteworthy that these competitions were boycotted by the socialist states. The reason for this lies in the strained relations between NATO and the countries of the socialist bloc. It should be noted that initially in 1980 republics with democratic systems boycotted the Olympics in Moscow. Thus, the absence on summer games 1984 of the national teams of the USSR and other countries was a reciprocal move to America.

Of course, good reasons are needed to boycott such an event. Formally, the socialist cell of the countries refused to participate in the 1984 competitions due to the refusal of the leadership of the organizing committee of the games to provide athletes with safety guarantees.

It should also be noted that the boycott of the 1984 Olympics is a kind of step against the "Carter Doctrine." That, in turn, implies assistance to anti-Soviet insurgents in Afghanistan.

Aeroflot does not fly, Georgia does not fly ...

Back in the fall of 1983, the government of the Soviet Union sent a sports delegation to the United States in order to determine the state of sports facilities and places for the future location of guests. Having identified a huge number of shortcomings, the leadership of the countries of the socialist camp expressed concern about this. The greatest excitement was caused by the refusal of the US government to moor the ship "Georgia" off the coast of the city. It was planned that a delegation from the USSR would live on board the ship. The second negative point was the ban on the landing of Soviet aircraft of the Aeroflot company.

A few months later, a Politburo decree was issued, which contained clauses describing the inexpediency of the USSR national team attending the 1984 Summer Olympics held in the United States. The pages of the document also contained measures aimed at suppressing discontent among the people and creating a favorable image of the Soviet Union (in comparison with the countries of the democratic bloc). Neighboring socialist countries were also invited to take part in the boycott. Instead of the 1984 Summer Olympics, the Druzhba-84 competition was held in Moscow. If we compare the effectiveness of the two events, then the Soviet analogue gave the world several times more world records than games in the United States.

After the boycott of the 1984 Olympics, he issued a decree on sanctions against states that decided to continue to interfere with this kind of competition.

140 countries. 6829 athletes (1566 women). 23 kinds of sports. Leaders in the unofficial team event: 1. USA (83-61-30); 2. Romania (20-16-17); 3. Germany (17-19-23)

Eaglet Sam, with a trademark American smile and a trademark striped top hat, was chosen as the mascot of Los Angeles 84, as the eagle is the symbol of the United States. His "birth" was attended by employees of the Walt Disney Productions company, which was engaged in the design of games.

The Los Angeles Olympics, like the Moscow Olympics, have been boycotted by some NOCs in central and southeastern Europe. In 1984, the mistake of the American president Jimmy Carter, who called for a boycott of the Olympics in Moscow, was repeated by the leadership of the Soviet Union: it was decided to refuse to participate in the Games of the XXIII Olympiad. Moscow stated that the absence of the Soviet national team was due to the unsatisfactory level of security at the Games. However, the move was seen as a response to the American non-participation in the 1980 Moscow Games.

As a result, athletes suffered: many of those who really claimed high awards lost the opportunity to win them. For many, this was the last chance in their Olympic biography. And the Olympic history has probably lost several bright pages that will never be replenished. The Olympics itself suffered. Athletes from the USSR, the GDR and their allies did not participate in the Games, which significantly reduced the sports level of the Olympics. Therefore, the results of the Olympic Games were not as impressive as many had hoped. 125 world champions could not take part in the competition. No matter how we analyze the Games, it is easy to see that in the case of athletes from most socialist countries, the names of at least half of the champions of the Los Angeles Olympics would be different. And the number of world records set speaks about the relatively weak sports side of the Games: there were only 11 of them.

It goes without saying that the American team became the absolute champion of the Games - it has 174 medals (83 gold, 61 silver, 30 bronze), which is a record to this day. In the absence of 125 reigning champions In the world in various sports, the US team convincingly won the overall team event.

For the first time, the unofficial Organizing Committee led by the Games of the Olympiad, headed by P. Huberroth, not only managed to make the Games profitable, but also ensured their high organization and excellent information. Unfortunately, the city, where the first Olympic village was established in 1932, abandoned it in 1984 and settled the Olympians in the hostels of the local university.

The profitability of the Olympic Games was to a large extent ensured by the sale of television broadcasting rights.There were such huge sums of money for the broadcasting rights (for the picture, the ABC paid $ 225 million) that some critics said that the Games, once a triumph amateur sports are becoming more and more commercial in nature. In principle, this is true, but the world is changing and the rules of the game are changing. Hosting the Olympic Games requires colossal money and a business investing this money wants to get a certain return. With the blessing of the new President of the IOC, Juan Antonio Samaranch, the Olympics, by and large, were sold under the hammer - from the right to carry the Olympic flame to slow-moving goods, which were marked with the symbols of the Games at the last moment. About 450 commercial contracts were concluded with various companies and firms.

At the same time, very high results were demonstrated in a number of sports, a number of athletes entered the Olympic arena, who for many years to come became the leaders of world sports.

The success of the famous Jesse Owens was repeated by his compatriot Carl Lewis - a victory in the 100 and 200 m race, in the 4x100 m relay and long jump. Much later, in an interview to the question "Which of the nine Olympic victories do you remember with the greatest pleasure? "he replied:" The first gold medal won in 1984 in Los Angeles at a distance of 100 meters was something special. And, of course, the last one, received for the long jump at the Games in Atlanta. That was my farewell to the top of world sports. "

Frederick Carlton Lewis is one of the most famous athletes of the last century, who won approximately 20 gold medals in four different disciplines (100m, 200m, long jump and 4x100).

He was born on July 1, 1961 in Birmingham, Alabama, where his parents lived and worked. He was the third child in the family and spent his childhood in Willingborough with his sister Carol, father Bill and mother Evelyn. Since his first years of life, he breathed the air of sport, his father coached track and field athletes at the university, and his mother was a famous athlete (6th in the 80m hurdles at the Pan American Games 1951). He saw the 1968 Olympics on TV and admired Bob Beamon: Karl was so surprised that after Beamon jumped 8.90 m, he went out with a friend to measure the length of the limousine and understand how far he flew! At the time, Karl was so thin that the doctor advised him to go in for sports. Outside of school hours, Karl learned to play musical instruments, dance, sing, and did many sports: American football, soccer (he played with his brother Cleveland as a striker), diving and athletics. He said that he had no success in sports, and many of his peers achieved better results. He was regularly beaten by his sister Carol when they ran along the path around the garden that his parents had built!

Karl's father was a friend of Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. At the age of 10, Karl was given to Owens after a long jump competition. But the accident made people worry about his career. When he was 12 years old, while playing with other children, he accidentally bumped into and deeply injured his right knee. The doctor said he would never be able to jump because of a tendon injury. Fortunately, he was able to continue to practice long jump, and at the age of 13 he jumped 5.51 meters. In the future, he progressed rapidly, and his annual results increased: 6.07m., (14 years old) 6.93m. (15), 7.26m. (16) and 7.85m. (17). Coaches see his progress, and this allowed him to enter the 1979 national team and take part in the Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was 1 hour late (the coaches gave him the wrong start schedule), but after Karl's explanation, the judges allowed him to jump. And he jumped to 8.13 in the third attempt. Owens showed this result 25 years ago. In the meantime, he also trained in the 100m sprint, and in 1979 he ran 10.67s.

Only a boycott prevented him from performing at the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980. In the pre-Olympic selection, Lewis finished second in the long jump and won the 4x100m relay. A little later, he improved his result by 100 m to 10.21 s, and in the long jump - 8.11 m.

A lot changed in 1981. He settled in Houston, accepting the invitation of Tom Tellez, one of the most famous trainers. He wins 100m (10.00), 200m (20.73s) and Long Jump (8.25m) on the same day in Dallas! Then he becomes the national champion in Sacramento at 100 m and in the long jump (8.62 m) he sets a university record. By the end of the season in Zurich, he jumps 8.52 m against the wind of -2.2 m / s! In Rome, after winning the long jump, he loses the 100m. It was a specific defeat for Karl, as the coaches told him that he would not be able to sprint and jump at the same time. But the stubborn Karl in 1982 improves the result in the long jump (8.76 m) and becomes more stable in the 100 m race. Already in 1983 he was ready to fight for gold at the Olympic Games.

At the first World Championships in Helsinki in 1983, Karl was going to take part in the 100 and 200 m distance running and long jump. His results grew. On June 19, he runs the 200m semi-final in 20.15 seconds. After that, he goes to the long jump sector. The first jump: 8.71 m. The second: 8.79 m., "Inaccessible" to the take-off line about 20 centimeters! After that, Karl went to rest and two hours later appeared for the final of the 200 m race. He took the start well and raised his hands victoriously 20 meters before the finish line. Time: 19.75! Amazed journalists asked him why he did not break the world record (19.72), to which he replied: "I ran against real opponents, not against time." So, at the world championship in Helsinki, he confirmed his superiority: three gold.

Karl planned to win four gold medals in Los Angeles and he did win them: 100 m in 9.99 s, 200 m in 19.80 s, 8.71 m long jump and "gold" in the relay 4x100 m! Thus, Lewis repeated the achievement of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics.

Having repeated the sporting feat of Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis was recognized, as in his time, and D. Owens, the hero of the Olympics in Los Angeles.

Another notable episode in the career of the protagonist of Los Angeles is the rivalry with Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson. The climax of their duel came at the 1988 Olympics: Johnson beat a competitor, but was convicted of using steroids and the "gold" of Seoul went to Lewis.

Curiously, most American coaches (including the national team coaches) strongly advised Lewis to focus solely on the sprint. Say, it is unrealistic to compete in two types of athletics at once. But the athlete defended his "right to jump", winning four Olympics in a row in this type of program (1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996). And in 1991, at the World Championships in Tokyo, he surpassed the 23-year world record of his compatriot Bob Beamon by a centimeter, flying 8.91 m. Powell with a score of 8.95.

In 2000, our hero was recognized as the best athlete of the 20th century. Today he lives in his beloved Los Angeles, dreaming of conquering ... Hollywood. And what, his biography is a ready script for a sports blockbuster.

American Edwin Moses received his second Olympic gold medal. He had no equal in the 400 m hurdles. Edwin Corley Moses set a phenomenal record during his sports career at his signature 400 m hurdles distance. For 10 years (1977-1987) he participated in 122 competitions without losing even once. If the US team took part in the Moscow Olympics, then he would have received his second medal 4 years ago, but ... He first broke the world record in 1976, in 1983 he showed a record time, having run the distance in 47.02 minutes. He won the title of Olympic champion twice (1976, 1984) and twice the world title.

The decathlon was won by the famous British athlete Daily Thompson, who won gold at the last Olympics in Moscow. Recall that at the initiative of the United States, a number of countries boycotted the Moscow Olympics. The US leadership also put pressure on England. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher asked British athletes to support the boycott of the Olympics in Moscow due to the introduction of Soviet troops into Afghanistan. However, the English team went to Moscow and as a result came out on the seventh place in the number of medals, having received 21 medals, including five gold. In its final post-Olympics report, the British Foreign Office expressed regret that "many British athletes have failed to comply with the government's recommendations regarding boycotting the Games." The ministry believed that some were "attracted by the possibility of victory in the absence of the US and West German teams. This report also hinted at the reality of the Daily Thompson gold. Therefore, Thomason's victory in Los Angeles removed all questions."

Later, the two-time Olympic champion and former world record holder in the track and field decathlon, Englishman Daley Thompson decided to change his role in sports. The famous athlete decided to try his capabilities as a football player (though a football player of the third league). Football observers noted the high physical fitness of the newcomer, who tirelessly moved around the field for all 90 minutes of the game. This is not surprising for a "knight of ten qualities".

In 1932, when Los Angeles hosted the Olympics for the first time, the IOC did not allow the legendary Finnish stayer Paavo Nurmi, who was accused of violating the amateur code, to compete. More than half a century has passed, and again the center of attention was the runner from the Country of Suomi - Marty Vainio, who initiated the Olympic doping scandals. At the Games-84, he took second place in the 10-kilometer distance and was going to run the "top five", but the Finn was literally removed from the starting line of the final race, announcing that he was taking nandrolone. Since then, the Finnish runners, who for a long time dictated the fashion at the distance distance, have hardly achieved any serious success. Curious coincidence ...

Another star has emerged in rowing at the Los Angeles Olympics. This unique athlete was the Romanian Elisabeth Lipa. Having received, at the age of 19, her first gold at the 1984 Games, she continued to compete at the next Olympic Games. The result of the athlete is impressive: over the years of performances, she participated in six Olympics, having received 8 Olympic awards, of which 5 are gold. Let us recall the chronicle of these performances: 1984 - gold in the deuce, 1988 - silver in the deuce and bronze in the four (the most unsuccessful Olympics for her), 1992 - gold in the singles and silver in the deuce, 1996 - gold in the eight, 2000 - gold in the eight and finally 2004 - another gold in the eight. In addition to these awards, Romanian police officer E. Lipa received gold at the 1989 World Championship, she has 8 (!!) silver medals (1985-1996) world championships and 3 bronze medals (1982, 83 and 1994).

In 2003, E. Lipa temporarily left the police service to prepare for the Games in Athens, where she, as a result, won her fifth Olympic gold. Fivefold Olympic champion in rowing, Romanian Elisabeth Lipa was nominated for the rank of police general after the Athens Olympics. This athlete (date of birth - 10/26/1964) plans to perform in Beijing at her seventh (!) Olympics, although she is already the most titled in her sport.

American Jeff Blatnik became the Olympic champion in the Greco-Roman wrestling tournament (in the weight category over 100 kg). Jeff Blatnik's biography is the story of a human's struggle for survival, an impressive example of coping psychology.

Jeff learned that he had Hodgkin's disease in 1982, on the eve of his 25th birthday. He was already a member of the national Olympic team in 1980, but did not participate in the Olympic tournament, as the United States boycotted the Olympics in Moscow. He began preparations for the 1984 Olympics while already suffering from cancer. He knew that exercise could negatively affect his health, but he continued to train, despite the acute pain in the neck. The biopsy showed that he has an early stage of cancer ... In theory. Jeff had to prepare himself never to step on the wrestling mat again. Instead, he applied to participate in the National Games in New York.

Perhaps the most difficult thing for D. Blatnik in overcoming the disease was studying the capabilities of his own body, determining the limits of patience. He needed to master a new training regimen and adapt to the real feeling of fatigue after training ... Those who could watch Jeff when he received the Olympic gold medal and see tears on his face will probably never forget this extremely touching moment of him. personal celebration.

Jeff Blatnik won the Olympic gold medal in 1984 in the Greco-Roman wrestling tournament. At the closing ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympics, he was entrusted with flying the US national flag.

The Olympic champion fighting life-threatening disease is a living embodiment of courage and willpower! Perhaps one of the most powerful emotional moments in Olympic history are tears of joy and satisfaction on the face of this fearless athlete after winning the Olympic gold medal at the 1984 Games.

Became three-time Olympic champion Pertti Johannes Karppinen, Finnish rower in singles races. Prior to these Games, he was the owner of gold medals at the Olympic Games in Montreal (1976) and Moscow (1980). With this achievement, he repeated the result of the famous Soviet single skater Vyacheslav Ivanov, who won the 1956, 1969 and 1964 Olympics.

In swimming in 9 out of 15 disciplines among men and in 11 out of 14 womens, the victory went to the owners, the athletes of the United States. They were resisted by Michael Gross (Germany) - 2 gold (100 meters butterfly and 200 meters freestyle) and 2 silver and A. Bomann (Canada), who received gold at both distances of complex swimming.

In 1984, at the Games of the XXIII Olympiad in Los Angeles, for the first time in history, Olympic awards for synchronized swimming were played. V singles 17 sportsmen competed, the American Tracy Ruiz became the winner, the Canadian Karopin Waldo won the silver medal, the Japanese Miwako Motoyoshi won the bronze. V doubles duets from 18 countries performed. First place went to Tracy Ruiz and Sandy Bones (USA), second - Sharon Hembrook and Kelpy Kritska (Canada), third - Saeko Kimura and Miwako Motoyoshi (Japan).

The first Olympic champion Tracey Ruiz soon got married and stopped synchronized swimming. In 1987, she returned to the sport with the intention of winning the Seoul Olympics. However, she managed to win only a silver medal, and the gold went to the Canadian athlete Caroline Waldo.

Here, at the Olympics, Greg Luganis's brilliant Olympic career began. Of course, four victories at two Olympics (Los Angeles and Seoul) in both events (springboard and platform) made his name legendary. Indeed, Greg Luganis is a world-class diving superstar - five-time world champion, winner of 4 Olympic gold medals and forty-seven other major titles, more than anyone in the history of the sport. For his achievements, his name is entered in the Guinness Book of Records.

Greg Luganes is the recipient of the Jesse Owens Prize, which is awarded annually to the world's most outstanding athletes. A few words about the prize itself. Jesse Owens was the most prominent representative of the queen of sports. At the 36th Olympics in Berlin, the black American put Hitler's racist theory to shame, winning four golds: in the 100 and 200 meter sprint, long jump and in the 4x100 meter relay. After the death of the legendary athlete in 1980, his friend Herbert Douglas established the Jesse Owens International Trophy Award.

In 1996, a film directed by Steven Hilliard Stern (starring Mario Lopez, Jeffrey Meek, Rosemary Dunsmore) was released in the USA. The film tells about the Olympic champion Greg Luganis, and not only about his career, but also about his struggle for the recognition of his homosexuality.

Indeed, on the way to the top of fame, the extraordinary athlete has to overcome many obstacles, the most dramatic of which is the prejudiced attitude of society towards his sexual orientation.

Luganis became the Olympic champion in 1988 already knowing that he is the carrier of the AIDS virus. In an interview with ABC's 20/20 program, the famous American diver Greg Luganis admitted that he began treatment six months before the 1988 Seoul Olympics, where he won gold, continuing to swallow pills every four hours. ...

Then, in September 1988, Luganis, performing one of his brilliant jumps, hit his head on a springboard, which was seen by thousands of spectators who came to the diving competition. “The blow,” Luganis recalled, “was not too strong, but extremely unpleasant. A wound formed on my head, and drops of blood stained the water, I can't say for sure what kind of feeling gripped me when I swam to the side. Horror, panic, shock? .. From a blow? No, rather from the knowledge that I am infected with AIDS and the next athletes jumping after me can simply become infected. But I did not say anything to anyone. Not even the doctor who hastily treated my wound without wearing The doctor was in a hurry, because I had to make the last leap soon ... I walked to victory. Since then Luganis has been tormented by the same question: how deep was his fault that he did not warn anyone about his illness ? .. He recalled this episode, as if asking forgiveness from those athletes who competed with him that day in the same water. He recalled first on TV and later, a few days later, interrupting the pause he had taken, finally appearing in front of the students of Columbia University ...

How not to remember the joy and delight on the face of the Olympic gold medalist in the all-around gymnast Mary Lou Retton, when she fell into the arms of her radiant, jubilant coach Bella Caroli. Mary Lou Retton's victory is also remarkable because there is a massive interest in this sport in the United States. This is due to the great merit of the trainer Mary Lou Retton - Bella Caroli. Karoli has raised and trained 37 Olympic champions. He raised in Romania the absolute champion of the Olympic Games in Montreal (1976) Nadia Kamanechi, and then asked for political asylum in the United States. In addition to Comaneci, he has coached such stars of the American Olympic team as Mary Lou Retton, Julie McNamara, Phoebe Mills, Kim Zmeskal, Betty Okino, Carrie Strug and Dominic Mokeana.

Despite the brilliant victory of Mary Lou Retton in the overall standings, women's gymnastics was outright won by the brilliant Romanian national team. Romanian gymnasts received 4 gold medals out of 6. In addition to Mary Lou Retton, Chinese Ma Yanhong and American Julie McNamara received gold in the exercise on uneven bars in Los Angeles.

In men's gymnastics, Asian athletes were in the lead. The Chinese gymnast Li Ning, who received 3 gold medals (freestyle, rings and horse), was especially distinguished. The all-around was won by the brilliant Japanese gymnast Koji Gushiken. American gymnasts received 3 gold medals in team championship, in exercises on uneven bars (Bart Conner) and horse (Peter Widmar).

A few words about the participation of the Chinese team. At the Los Angeles Olympics, after a long break, the Chinese Olympic team competed. I must say that the performance of the Chinese team was simply triumphant. Newbie got 32 Olympic medals(15 of them gold) and in the team competition he was ahead of many strong teams, taking 4th place. In China, a program for the development of mass sports has been launched, and it can be assumed that the Chinese national team will very soon crowd out the recognized leaders of world sports.