Calgary (Canada)
The 1988 Games were the first in many years not to be marred by political confrontation. The time of sports boycotts and demarches was a thing of the past. The world was on the verge of great change. The national teams of Germany and the German Democratic Republic in Calgary last played different teams at the Winter Olympics - only a year and a half left before the fall of the Berlin Wall. For the USSR national team, these were also the last White Games - the country was already infected with perestroika, and it will not reach Albelville 1992. The era of great changes has entered and Olympic movement- all of them were associated with the active President of the IOC Juan Antonio Samaranch.
Venue - Calgary, Canada
13 - 28 February 1988
Number of participating countries - 57
Number of athletes participating - 1423 (301 women, 1122 men)
Medal Sets - 46
Team winner - USSR
Three main characters of the Games according to "SE"
Alberto Tomba (Italy),
skiing
Eddie Edwards (UK),
ski jumping
Valery Medvedtsev (USSR),
biathlon
LIFE IN AN ERA OF CHANGE
The Spanish marquis decided to pour fresh blood from the stagnant program of the Games - in Calgary, curling, freestyle and short track were presented as exemplary sports, which will very soon replenish the family of winter Olympic disciplines... For the first time, Samaranch managed to make the forum of snow and ice sports a super-profitable event. This was largely due to the decision to stretch the competition for 16 days, including three weekends. According to official figures, the organizers earned over $ 100 million at the 1988 Olympics. True, later one of the Canadian newspapers was able to prove that these figures were greatly exaggerated. But this no longer worried anyone - in accordance with the new IOC doctrine, the Games were to become synonymous with success at all costs.
The most significant contribution to the budget of the Olympics, as usual, was made by TV people - the American company ABC paid $ 309 million for the right to broadcast the Games, but made it a condition to start at the end of February. This demand almost led to the disruption of some of the competitions. The fact is that at this time of year in Calgary, a warm chinuk wind blows from the Rocky Mountains. Because of him, during the Olympics, the temperature sometimes reached 20 degrees above zero. The skiers were unanimously complaining about loose snow, and the races on the bobsleigh track had to be stopped several times because of the sand blown by the wind onto the track.
The ABC producers, who now commissioned the music for the Games, were primarily interested in making the Olympics a spectacular show. This approach has greatly changed the perception of the Games - now not stubborn champions have come to the fore, but textured media characters. The USSR national team won their swan medal standings in Calgary. And not just won - in cross-country skiing five titles out of eight became ours, the relay victory in biathlon was won for the sixth time in a row, and the seventh triumph of the hockey team (out of nine possible) allowed the Soviet national team to get ahead in number Olympic titles the pioneers of hockey Canadians. But our heroes - skier Tamara Tikhonova, biathlete Valery Medvedtsev or the hockey team - had a hard time competing for media sympathy with such popular characters as the cute figure skater Katharina Witt from the GDR or the charming alpine skier Alberto Tomba from Italy.
HEROIC LOSERS
TRAGIC FATE
As often happens in life, there is only one step from fun to tragedy. Competitions in giant slalom were overshadowed by the death of the doctor of the Austrian national team Jörg Oberhammer: colliding on a slope with one with a television technician, he fell under a snowcat. American speed skater Dan Jensen was considered the favorite in the sprinting competition in Calgary, but a few hours before the start of his 500 meter race, he learned that his sister had died of leukemia. Unable to cope with emotions, Jensen fell in the distance. History repeated itself in the 1000-meter race, where the American was ahead of the world record schedule, but again could not resist skating. Its olympic gold Dan won only six years later at Lillehammer 1994.
Some of the champions of the 1988 Olympics faced a tragic fate. The winner of the pair sports figure skating competition Sergei Grinkov, seven years later, will die of a heart attack during training. The winner of the gold medal in the cross-country skiing 30 km Alexei Prokurorov in 2008 will be knocked to death by a drunk Zhiguli driver. The USSR hockey team goalkeeper Evgeny Belosheikin will hang himself in 1999 because of problems in his personal life. Three-time Calgary champion Finnish ski jumper Matti Nyukanen will get drunk after retirement, stab his drinking companion and receive two years in prison.
However, bad fate after the Games did not prevail over everyone. After Calgary, Katharina Witt will perform in various shows for another 20 years, reaping the fruits of her fame. Men's singles competition winner Brian Boitano will be featured in the hit cartoon South Park. Alberto Tomba's career will also be very successful, and in 2006 he will be on the organizing committee of the Turin Olympics. German speed skater Christa Rothenburger six months after winning the Canadian oval will win silver in the cycle track at Summer Games in Seoul and will become the only athlete who managed to receive medals in winter and summer Olympics... Almost all the leaders of the USSR hockey team will achieve success in the NHL - Vyacheslav Fetisov will later become the head of Rossport, and Vyacheslav Bykov will take the Russian Olympic team to Vancouver 2010 as head coach.
In 1988, the Winter Olympic Games were held in the Canadian province of Alberta, Calgary. The 1988 Olympics was the last for the Soviet national team. Viktor Tikhonov took the national team to the Games in Calgary. As it turned out, the players had a special motivation to win.
"The then leaders of domestic hockey made a strong move, saying that in the event
victories will not prevent the top five from leaving overseas. Having received such an emotional charge, the guys just flew on the ice, not knowing what difficulties still await them before moving to the NHL clubs. Do not forget that perestroika was already in full swing in the country, as a result of which the pressure from above was clearly weakening. And there was no need to pump us up especially, because winning Olympic medals is the dream of any athlete, "the striker shared his memories of the Olympics in Calgary. Alexander Chernykh.
By the way, the president International Federation hockey Gunther Sabecki announced that the Olympics will be open to all professional athletes. While NHL players had the right to come to Calgary, teams were reluctant to let go of their best players. Nevertheless, the Canadians had 13 players from the NHL, the Swedes and the Finns had six, the FRG had three, and two each in the French and US national teams.
At the preliminary stage, "Red Machine" won victories over the national teams of Norway (5: 0), Austria (8: 1), USA (7: 5), Germany (6: 3) and Czechoslovakia (6: 1).
The match with the USA turned out to be a real thriller. After the second period, the USSR national team was leading 6: 2. American channel ABC Sports decided to interrupt the broadcast and switch to other events. Soon, those who made this decision had to regret it. The USSR national team allowed the Americans to play two goals first, and then Todd Åkerlund from
the varsity team of Minnesota scored another goal. There was a hope of leveling the score, but a goal buried her Vyacheslav Fetisov.
After the preliminary round, the teams that took the first-third places in the groups got into the final tournament. In this case, the points scored in the matches with all the teams that passed to the final stage were counted.
The Calgary Olympics became the first in many years, which did not play Vladislava Tretyak... According to Alexander Chernykh, the team felt comfortable with Sergey Mylnikov at the gate. " In his face, behind our backs, we felt a reliable rear and knew that even if we fail somewhere, he will certainly help out".
In the first match of the second stage, the USSR national team met with the hosts of the tournament. In Canada, many believed that the great Red Car would malfunction in Calgary. Why? The Soviet Union failed to win the 1987 World Cup in Vienna, lost in the Canada Cup final and lost in the Izvestia Prize home tournament, which was believed to be a dress rehearsal for the Olympics.
Moreover, NHL players played for Canada. For the first time in the last 20 years, the national team was represented by such a strong line-up. Among the NHLs were two current Stanley Cup winners: Randy Gregg who left Edmonton to take part in his second winter
Olympic Games, and the goalkeeper Andy Moog, who had a contract disagreement with an NHL club. However, the victory of the Soviet Union over Canada 5:0 made clear that Canadians' expectations were premature.
After the Canadians, the USSR national team dealt with the Swedes (7: 1). " All the players were then in such fantastic shape that in decisive match we did not leave a stone from a stone from the Swedes, defeating them with a score of 7: 1. The real leader of the team was Vyacheslav Fetisov, who by personal example inspired the team to uncompromising struggle", - recalled the team's forward Alexander Chernykh.
In their final match, Soviet hockey players lost to the Finns (1: 2). Famous defender played for the Finnish national team Reijo Ruotsalainen who was playing in Sweden at the time. Formerly an NHL All-Star and Stanley Cup winner with Edmonton.
"By the way, in 1988 the Finns began to play strongly. And it was believed that they learned everything from us, inviting Soviet hockey players to master classes. And they surprisingly made it to the top three (finished second). Until 1988, the Finns were considered straightforward, but in Calgary they played differently - before that they had Canadian pressure, and then the Soviet coaches showed them how they can play, and then there was a revival of Finnish hockey.", - said the Olympic champion Calgary Alexander Kozhevnikov.
The USSR national team scored eight points in the final table, which allowed the team to become Olympic champions... Finland national team
turned out to be seven points and silver medals at the 88 Olympics.
"As far as I know, this defeat was the first in the history of relations between the two powers at major representative tournaments. However, we did not even think of playing giveaway with the Finns. Our squad even scored a goal, but that day the then little-known Jarmo Mullis played brilliantly at the goal of the opponent. However, no tragedy happened, because the ringing of gold medals was already beating victoriously in our hearts.", - said Alexander Chernykh.
The Soviet Union once again demonstrated its complete superiority over all other teams. Our great five: Fetisov, Kasatonov, Larionov, Makarov, Krutov proved herself in this tournament in full glory.
"The games in Calgary were easier for us than the Olympics in Sarajevo, where the teams were more serious. Although there are two options - either we prepared that way, or the teams were weaker. It was not so difficult in Canada also because we had a real team, in which every hockey player was charged with a thirst for victory. Plus Viktor Vasilyevich Tikhonov and Vladimir Vladimirovich Yurzinov came up with some things", - recalled Alexander Kozhevnikov.
When Soviet hockey players climbed the podium, no one knew that this would be the last olympic ceremony rewarding the Soviet team.
USSR national team squad
Goalkeepers: Sergey Mylnikov, Vitaly Samoilov, Evgeniy Belosheikin.
Defenders: Vyacheslav Fetisov, Alexey Kasatonov, Ilya Byakin, Alexey Gusarov, Igor Stelnov, Sergey Old men, Igor Kravchuk.
Forwards: Vladimir Krutov, Igor Larionov, Sergey Makarov, Valery Kamensky, Andrey Khomutov, Anatoly Semenov, Alexander Grave, Sergey Svetlov, Vyacheslav Bykov, Sergey Yashin, Alexander Black, Andrey Lomakin, Alexander Kozhevnikov.
Trainers: Victor Tikhonov, Igor Dmitriev.
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- White games under the heading top secret. USSR and Winter Olympic Games 1956-1988 , N. Tomilina, Mikhail Prozumenshchikov, I. Kazarina, N. Pereudina, S. Borak. Sport in the twentieth century was an integral part of world politics, which exerted an ever-increasing influence on it and actively intervened in the conduct of competitions. During the Cold War ...
- The USSR classified White Games and the 1956-1988 Winter Olympics, E. Aroyan (ed.). Sport in the twentieth century was an integral part of world politics, which exerted an ever-increasing influence on it and actively intervened in the conduct of competitions. During the Cold War ...
The XV Winter Olympic Games were held in the south of Canada, in the "cowboy capital" - Calgary. The city, founded during the oil boom at the turn of the 20th century, earned this honorary title thanks to the world's largest rodeo, which attracts up to a million spectators annually. Moreover, the Canadians won the right to host the Olympic Games on the fourth attempt.
In our memory winter Olympics in Calgary in 1988 remained as the most successful for the athletes of the Soviet Union, who won a record number of medals - 29, of which 11 gold, 9 silver and 9 bronze. The second was the GDR team. For both teams, the performance in Calgary was a swan song, since by the next Olympics, both countries had disappeared from the political map of the world.
And so the tournament started figure skating... The men were the first to go out on the ice. In those years, two figure skaters - B. Boitano (USA) and B. Orser (Canada) held all the masculine figure skating planets. Their rivalry was no less exciting than the constant duels between Yagudin and Plushenko a dozen years later. The battle between the two Brians at the 1988 Olympics was truly a sight to behold. As a result, Boitano became the owner of the Olympic gold medal, and Orser - the silver one. Boitano's free program to the music of Carmeno Coppola for the film "Napoleon", which creates the image of a romantic hero going to war and returning with victory, is still considered one of the brightest in the history of figure skating.
Brian Orser.
The third place, unexpectedly for everyone, was taken by 18-year-old Odessa resident Viktor Petrenko. From V. Petrenko's interview to the R-Sport agency: “- I was planning to enter the top six. The main responsibility was assigned to Sasha Fadeev and Vova Kotin. And I was a debutant, I just had to learn how to perform, go through the Olympics. But it so happened that a certain gap was formed, Sasha made a mistake, Vova also skated the short program not entirely cleanly, and I “shot”, got close to the leaders. The same thing happened in the free program. "
Free program "Don Quixote" by V. Petrenko.
The next medals were awarded to women. Soviet figure skaters Kira Ivanova and Anna Kondrashova took 7th and 8th places, respectively.
Kira Ivanova
.
Anna Kondrashova.
And she won in Calgary 1988, as well as in Sarajevo 1984, the brilliant Katharina Witt (GDR), who became a two-time Olympic champion. “I’m sure it will take many years before any of the skaters will be able to repeat my Olympic success,” said in Calgary, on her second day. Olympic victory, Katarina Witt. “After all, I also managed to achieve such a result only 52 years after the famous Sonya Heni”.
The main duel of the Olympic figure skaters tournament was to take place between Witt and Debi Thomas (USA), two Carmen (their compositions were on the same theme and close in music: Bizet - Shchedrin - from the champion of the GDR, Bizet - from the champion of the USA). But Thomas's nerves could not stand it - she made a number of mistakes and was content in the end with a bronze award.
Debi Thomas.
In addition, one of the Olympics hostesses intervened in the dispute - Canadian figure skater Elizabeth Manley, who won the free skating and received a silver medal. A 22-year-old double Olympic champion extremely smoothly walked the distance Olympic competitions... She was the third in the “school”, the first in the short program and the second in the free program, proving once again that the one who is strong enough in all its components wins in the all-around. “I turned out to be stronger all the same,” Katarina said, not without a challenge. I could not avoid the mistake, but Debi was not in shape at all. No, she is an ordinary person, by no means a miracle. " By the way, in 1990, Witt, Boitano and Orser each received an Emmy award for their roles in the performance on ice "Carmen", which is considered the best ice performance.
In the competition of sports couples, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov flashed as the brightest star, who took the gold from the triumphants of Sarajevo, Elena Valovoy and Oleg Vasiliev. This victory in the competition of sports pairs in figure skating became the seventh in a row since the 1964 Olympics. At one time, Katya and Sergey were teamed up due to the fact that both jumps were not strong enough for single skating. They were trained by Stanislav Leonovich, and then by Stanislav Zhuk. In November 1987, Katya was injured in training - a concussion of the brain. The couple missed the USSR championship. Despite this, they won the European Championship and went to the Olympic Games in Canada. Both programs were perfected, and the free program (to the music of Mendelssohn, Chopin and Mozart) became a masterpiece in the history of figure skating.
The startled judges gave 14 marks of 5.9 and four - 5.8 (the only one who gave the lowest, both 5.8, was the British judge S. Stapleford, known for her tendentious judging against athletes from socialist countries). I would like to quote Sergei Cheskidov from the newspaper "Soviet Sport": "... After an elegant, as if weightless program to the music of Chopin and Mendelssohn, performed by Muscovites Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, the audience stood up, applauding, - the athletes did not allow themselves a single blot , each element, each link was performed with inspiration, gracefully. ... the 3-time Olympic champion Irina Rodnina, who was sitting next to me, jokingly exclaimed: "It's just" disgrace "- to ride so confidently and freely Olympic tournament! "An amazing fact at the time: Katya Gordeeva immediately became the most popular athlete at the '88 Olympics, in North America, which was not the most friendly towards Soviet athletes. Personally, for me, the statement is absolutely true: you can look at fire, water and skating of the wonderful, brilliant Gordeeva and Grinkov.
Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev also worked hard to defend their title of Olympic champions-84. But, a carefully thought out and developed plan, it was not possible to implement - Elena's severe leg injury prevented. Instead of training on ice - long-term treatment. A month before the start of the Olympiad, Valova and Vasiliev started training, and here I need to say a huge thank you to our great coach, T.N. Moskvina. Thanks to her high professionalism and ability to lead athletes to big starts, the couple was included in the number of Olympians-88. Valova / Vasiliev fully completed the most difficult program, without "breaking" a single element, and deservedly won silver medals.
Our 3rd pair - Larisa Selezneva - Oleg Makarov performed less successfully in Calgary. Errors during the execution of the short and then free program did not allow these athletes to rise above 4th place. Bronze medals were won by Americans Gil Watson and Peter Oppergar.
In ice dancing, Natalya Bestemyanova and Andrei Bukin took first place, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko - second. Canadians Tracy Wilson and Robert McCull climbed to third place.
I want to write about a duet for which gold medal The XV Winter Olympic Games in Calgary became the pinnacle of their 11-year joint sports career - Bestemyanova-Bukin. A couple that amazed me in those (young for me) years with their expression and became my favorite for a long time. Before the start of the Olympics, at the general meeting of the team, Andrei was entrusted with a great honor - he was elected the standard-bearer of the Soviet national team at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. He became the first of our skaters to receive such a right. And then Olympic weekdays began - compulsory dances: Paso Doble, Kilian and Viennese waltz, the original tango dance, after which Bestemyanova and Bukin were in the lead.
Before the start of the season, many experts believed that Tarasova took a big risk by staging Polovtsian Dances, since the topic is specific and not all Western viewers will understand. And then came the day "X" - February 23, 1988. From an article in “Soviet Sport”: “Pale Tarasova at the side of the Olympic skating rink“ Saddledome ”traditionally nods her head, telling Natasha and Andrei. They nod approvingly at her in response. A little. With a slight, imperceptible slope, they say, everything will be in order, they leave for the middle of the rink as powerfully, as spaciously as only they can in the world ...
Natasha: - When we went out on the ice, to the main start in my life, I was in such good condition, I felt so good that it seemed to me that I was ready to take down mountains. And Tatyana Anatolyevna stood next to me and said: “You don’t need to do anything, you need to skate average, this is the Olympic Games, you don’t need to get out of yourself here” ... at the beginning of the program there was a failure that immediately brought me to my senses. The failure was small, but for us he is a blunder. ... In general, when we skated, I started crying again. Andriushka stopped talking to me right away, the competition was not over yet.
There is no point in describing the composition performed by Natasha and Andrey, the best of all was told about it by the longtime rival of our skaters, the famous Christopher Dean, who, here in Calgary, commented on the skating competitions for Australian television. “I was so carried away by this spectacle,” he said, “that I could not immediately wake up and start work, I was just shocked!” The ovation given by the spectators sitting in the stands of Sadldome was the best confirmation that Natasha and Andrei were able to convey to everyone's heart the meaning of their last, and therefore such a piercing dance. "
You can write a lot about our second couple - Marina Klimova and Sergey Ponomarenko, but their best Olympic performance still to come. In the meantime, let's remember their original dance, which is just a pleasure to watch!
And also, the Calgary Olympics is the first for the very famous sibling duo Duchene. Bright, who had great popularity not only in the West, but also in our country (at the European Championships in Leningrad they received a standing ovation), who seriously changed the dancing in the early nineties. At the Calgary Olympics, Duchene made a splash with Dean's Savage Rites.
Watch the video from the 2nd minute.
At that Olympiad, they remained only eighth, but they were noticed, and this is the main thing. In the next Olympic cycle, they entered the circle of the main contenders for all titles, and the audience was waiting for their every new work: Dean's choreography was very different from the dominant "Russian" style.
This is how the Olympic Games in Canada turned out, where our skaters won 2 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze medal... Perhaps none of us would have refused such a result in the coming Sochi Games... And in conclusion, I would like to quote N. Bestemyanova's statement after the victory in Calgary: “Don't repeat yourself” is our motto, our credo for the past 10 seasons. But, probably, this is the peculiarity of those masters who win on ice. " ("Soviet Sport" 1988).
The Winter Olympics in Calgary will forever go down in history as one of the most significant events in world sports. For the first time, the Winter Olympics lasted for sixteen days, during which the whole world followed the celebration of the celebration of the spirit and will to win.
The Olympic capital of 1988 showed a true example of determination long before the start of the competition. Despite the fact that Canada has always been a leading country in winter sports, the right to host the Olympic flame was not easy for it. Calgary has been competing for the Olympic Capital title since 1959, and only in 1981 was elected to host the XV Winter Olympics in 1988.
Canada not only passed the test with dignity, but also exceeded the expectations of the world community in many ways. The construction of the Canadian Olympic Park took 7 years. Innovative sports facilities were rebuilt and existing ones were modernized.
The new bobsleigh run was equipped with refrigeration units to prevent ice from melting in freezing temperatures. New tracks for skiers and skiers were equipped, a grandiose indoor stadium for ice sports - the Olympic Oval - was erected. For the first time, the skating competition was held in a room protected from the vicissitudes of the weather.
An important event was the international broadcast of the games, which was conducted from the specially built International Broadcasting Center. The games were covered by 4,900 media professionals from around the world.
A monument to the first champion in the history of the Olympic Games, the athlete of Ancient Greece, Koreb, was unveiled on the Olympic Square in the city center. The bronze monument in Calgary is modeled after a real ancient Greek statue. Every day, on this square, with a gathering of thousands of spectators, athletes - heroes of the day were honored, and Olympic awards were presented. The opening ceremony of the games took place on February 13, 1988. The Olympic torch was carried by athletes of all ages, including four-year-old Bruno Leveski and Joe Chase, who celebrated his 101st birthday on the opening day of the games.
Athletes from 57 countries took part in the games. For athletes in Jamaica, Guam, Fiji, Guatemala and the Antilles, this winter Olympics was the first in history. Athletes competed for 46 sets of awards in 10 Olympic sports, including the first-ever skiing disciplines: Alpine Biathlon and Super G Slalom.
The changeable climate of the Rocky Mountains caused a lot of difficulties for the organizers and participants of the competition. A warm Pacific wind in a matter of hours rendered the ski slopes unusable. Due to the melting snow, the skiers' competitions were postponed several times. At the finish line, the water was ankle-deep.
The winner in the overall standings was the USSR team, which won 29 medals. The honorable second place was taken by the GDR team, which received 25 medals. The triumphant performances of these teams were the last at the end of the history of these countries. By the next Olympic Games, both states ceased to exist.
The Calgary Olympics have become a powerful impetus for the development of sports and tourism in the region. The facilities built for the competition have become a training ground for athletes from all over the world. The park is constantly developing and modernizing. In the 21st century, new ones were added to the facilities built for the Olympics. Today, the Canadian Olympic Park is open to the public at any time of the year. It is well equipped for summer sports. The park has bicycle paths and mountain bike trails, a cable car. It hosts outdoor festivals and summer camps.
