The boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California was a follow up to the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The boycott involved 14 Eastern Bloc countries and allies, led by the Soviet Union who initiated the boycott on May 8, 1984, and joined by others, including East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Cuba. Romania, considered a Soviet ally, notably did not withdraw, instead turning up in Los Angeles for the Games held on July 28 through August 12.

The Friendship Games, an alternative event, was established instead.

Reasons[link]

The USSR announced its intentions to boycott the 1984 Summer Olympics on May 8, 1984.^[1] Six more states followed within days: Bulgaria, then East Germany (on May 10, citing the attitude of the American government for "destroy[ing] the basis" of its desired participation^[2]), followed by Mongolia and Vietnam (both May 11),^[3] and then Laos and Czechoslovakia (both May 13), with China formally accepting that it would be present in Los Angeles as the Laotians and Czechs announced their decision to absent themselves.^[4] Afghanistan was the eighth country to boycott the 1984 Olympics.^[5] Hungary and Poland were the ninth and tenth countries to join the boycott on May 16 and May 17 respectively, Hungary saying the lives of its athletes would be put in danger if they were to spend time in Los Angeles, Poland saying the United States was engaging in a "campaign aimed at disturbing the Games" and the Soviet Union saying the White House intended to permit any possible massacre of Soviet athletes in their apartments, leaving Romania as the only remaining Soviet ally to announce a boycott.^[6][7] Cuba was the eleventh country to announce its participation in the boycott, making front page news in America because it was a "serious blow to boxing and baseball" (May 24).^[8] South Yemen were the twelfth state to drop out (May 27), with Los Angeles Times stating that this was due to their "Marxist" connections.^[9] North Korea were the thirteenth state to boycott the 1984 Olympics.^[10] Radio Moscow announced Angola's decision to boycott the 1984 Olympics, as the country became the second African state and 15th state to participate in the boycott.^[11]

Iran decided to boycott 1984 because of "United States interference in the Middle East, its support for the regime occupying Jerusalem and the crimes being committed by the U.S.A. in Latin America, especially in El Salvador."^[12] Iran was the only country not to attend both the 1980 Moscow and the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. For different reasons, Libya also boycotted.^{[citation needed]}

Announcing its intentions on May 8, 1984, the Soviet Union cited security concerns and stated that "chauvinistic sentiments and an anti-Soviet hysteria [were] being whipped up in the United States."^[1] A US official said the country had ignored suggestive comments by the Soviets in the weeks building up to the announcement and that, in spite of all the indications, America was "absolutely dumbfounded" when the official announcement actually came.^[2] The American media saw the boycott as revenge for the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games in response to the 1979 Soviet war in Afghanistan.^[13] Among those subscribing to the revenge hypothesis was Peter Ueberroth, the chief organizer of the 1984 L.A. Games, who expressed his views in a press conference after the boycott was announced, on the same day that the Olympic torch relay in the United States began in New York City. U.S. President Ronald Reagan later stated his belief that the Soviets feared some of their athletes might defect. As more countries withdrew and the IOC announced on deadline week that it would consider extending the deadline for entry into the Olympics.^[14] The three top medal winners from the 1980 Games (which was the subject of a boycott by many nations) in Moscow were among the boycotters, and media analysis noted this would weaken the field of competitors in a number of sports.^[15]

Boycotting governments[link]

Incomplete map of olympic boycotts, showing 1984 boycotting countries in red and orange

Listed in the chronological order of their withdrawal, not by alphabetical or any geographical order. 16 or 18 (from different sources) in all.

•  Soviet Union
•  Bulgaria
•  East Germany
•  Mongolia
•  Vietnam
•  Laos
•  Czechoslovakia
•  Afghanistan
•  Hungary
•  Poland
•  Cuba
•  South Yemen
•  North Korea
•  Ethiopia
•  Angola

Notes[link]

• Three others did not compete:
  •  Iran
  •  Libya
  •  Albania

Effects (Friendship Games)[link]

The boycott affected a large number of Olympic events that were normally dominated by the absent countries. Boycotting countries organized another major event, called the Friendship Games, in July–August 1984.

In popular culture[link]

In the season 4 episode, "Lisa's First Word", of the U.S. television show The Simpsons, Krusty Burger is featured in a promotion where the characters get free food if they receive a slip that features an event that was "won" by the United States. The promotion was rigged, as was said in the episode, where every game card was to be in an event that "Communists never lose." However, almost immediately after that is said, word of the boycott is spread and the rigging backfires. Krusty Burger loses so much money on the promotion that Krusty states publicly he will "personally spit in every 50th burger".

The Krusty Burger promotion paralleled a real-life McDonald's scratch-card promotion from the 1984 Olympics that also lost that company money. The promotion was called "If the US Wins, You Win!" and gave away Big Mac hamburger sandwiches for every gold medal, fries for every silver medal, and Coca-Cola beverages for every bronze; like the Krusty Burger promotion, McDonald's lost money. (McDonald's promotion lost money due to employees handing out promotion cards at will instead of with purchases as was intended.)^[16]

v t e Era of Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernenko Political events 1964–1982: Collectivity of leadership · Glassboro Summit Conference · Prague Spring · Invasion of Czechoslovakia · 1968 Red Square demonstration · Brezhnev Doctrine · Brezhnev assassination attempt · Sino–Soviet border conflict · Détente  · Helsinki Accords · 1977 Moscow bombings · 1977 Soviet Constitution · 1978 Georgian demonstrations · Soviet war in Afghanistan · 1980 Summer Olympics · Soviet reaction to the Polish crisis · Exercise Zapad · Death and funeral of Leonid Brezhnev · Legacy of Leonid Brezhnev 1982–1985: RYAN · Korean Air Lines Flight 007 · 1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm incident · Able Archer 83 · 1984 Summer Olympics boycott and the Friendship Games Politburo members 1960s · 1970s · 1980s Aliyev · Andropov · Brezhnev · Chebrikov · Chernenko · Demichev · Dolgikh · Efremov · Gorbachev · Grechko · Grishin · Gromyko · Kirilenko · Kiselyov · Konayev · Kosygin · Kulakov · Kuznetsov · Masherov · Mazurov · Mikoyan · Mzhavanadze · Pelše · Podgorny · Polyansky · Ponomarev · Rashidov · Romanov · Shcherbytsky · Shelepin · Shelest · Shevardnadze · Shvernik · Solomentsev · Suslov · Tikhonov  · Ustinov · Voronov · Vorotnikov Soviet leaders Leonid Brezhnev (Troika: Brezhnev · Kosygin · Podgorny) · Yuri Andropov · Konstantin Chernenko · Collective leadership National Economy Era of Stagnation: 1965 reform · 1973 reform · 1979 reform · Food Programme · 1984 reform Five-Year Plans: 8th Plan · 9th Plan · 10th Plan · 11th Plan Government Cabinets: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th Brezhnev's family Churbanov (son-in-law) · Galina (daughter) · Lyubov (niece) · Viktoria (wife) · Yakov (brother)  · Yuri (son) Soviet Union

References[link]

	"Olympic Fanfare and Theme" noicon composed by John Williams for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984. When Tehran, the only other interested city on the international level, declined to bid due to the concurrent Iranian political and social changes the IOC awarded Los Angeles the Games by default.

In response to the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, 14 Eastern Bloc countries including the Soviet Union, Cuba and East Germany (but not Romania) boycotted the Games. For differing reasons, Iran and Libya also boycotted. The USSR announced its intention not to participate on May 8, 1984, citing security concerns and "chauvinistic sentiments and an anti-Soviet hysteria being whipped up in the United States."^[2] The Los Angeles boycott influenced a large number of events that were normally dominated by the absent countries. Boycotting countries organized another large event in June–September 1984, called the Friendship Games; however, not even a single competition was held between July 28 and August 12. Representatives of the organizing countries, in particular the USSR, underlined it was "not held to replace the Olympics". Elite athletes from the U.S. and USSR would only compete against each other at the 1986 Goodwill Games in Moscow, organized in response to the boycotts.

Where ambitious construction for the 1976 games in Montreal and 1980 games in Moscow had saddled organizers with expenses greatly in excess of revenues, Los Angeles strictly controlled expenses by using existing facilities except a swim stadium and a velodrome that were paid for by corporate sponsors. The Olympic Committee led by Peter Ueberroth used some of the profits to endow the LA84 Foundation to promote youth sports in Southern California, educate coaches and maintain a sports library. The LA84 Foundation, formerly called the Amateur Athletic Foundation until changing its name in 2007, led an initiative in 2010 to raise funds to support high school sports in Los Angeles, in response to massive budget cuts in the school district.^[3] The 1984 Summer Olympics are often considered the most financially successful modern Olympics.^{[citation needed]}

The host state of California was the home state of U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who officially opened the Games. He had served as Governor of California from 1967 to 1975. The official mascot of the Los Angeles Games was Sam the Olympic Eagle. The logo of the games featured five blue, white and red stars arranged horizontally and struck through with alternating streaks; it was named "Stars in Motion."

On July 18, 2009, a 25th anniversary celebration was held in the main stadium. This celebration included a speech by president of Los Angeles 1984, Peter Ueberroth, and a re-creation of the lighting of the cauldron.

Torch relay[link]

The 1984 Olympic Torch Relay began in New York City and ended in Los Angeles, traversing 33 states and the District of Columbia. Unlike later torch relays, the torch was continuously carried by runners on foot. The route covered more than 9,320 mi (15,000 km) and involved 3,616 runners, including 200 from the sponsoring company AT&T. Noted athlete and actor O.J. Simpson was among the runners, carrying the torch up the California Incline in Santa Monica.

Rafer Johnson, winner of the decathlon at the 1960 Summer Olympics, was the final runner. With the torch, he touched off the flame which passed through a specially designed flammable Olympic logo, igniting all five rings. The flame then passed up to cauldron atop the peristyle and remained aflame for the duration of the Games.

Music[link]

John Williams composed the theme for the Olympiad, "Olympic Fanfare and Theme". This piece won a Grammy for Williams and became one of the most well-known musical themes of the Olympic Games, along with Leo Arnaud's Bugler's Dream; the latter is sometimes attached to the beginning of Olympic Fanfare and Theme. An album, The Official Music of the XXIIIrd Olympiad—Los Angeles 1984, featured both of those tracks along with sports themes written for the occasion by popular musical artists including Foreigner, Toto, Loverboy, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Christopher Cross, Philip Glass and Giorgio Moroder.^[4] The album was released on Columbia Records and the catalogue number was BJS 39322.

The famous Brazilian composer Sérgio Mendes also composed a special song for the 1984 Olympic Games, "Olympia," from his 1984 album Confetti. A choir of several hundred voices was assembled of singers in the region. All were volunteers from nearby churches, schools and universities.

Etta James performed the National Anthem at the Opening Ceremony. ^[5]

Highlights[link]

Arts Festival[link]

The 1984 Summer Olympics was preceded by the 10-week-long adjunct Los Angeles Olympic Arts Festival, which opened on June 2 and ended on August 12. It provided more than 400 performances by 145 theater, dance and music companies, representing every continent and 18 countries.

General[link]

• The opening ceremony featured the arrival of Bill Suitor by means of the Bell Aerosystems rocket pack (also known as a Jet Pack).
• As a result of an IOC agreement designating the Republic of China (Taiwan) Chinese Taipei, the People's Republic of China appeared in the Olympics as China and won 15 gold medals. In weightlifting, athletes from the Chinese Taipei and China teams won medals at the same event.
• Eleven athletes failed drug tests at the Los Angeles Games.
• Local Los Angeles artist Rodolfo Escalera was commissioned to create nine paintings depicting the summer games that would later be turned into collectible plates and presented as "The Official Gift of the 1984 Olympics".

Track and field[link]

• Carl Lewis, making his first of four appearances at the Olympics, equaled the 1936 performance of Jesse Owens by winning four gold medals, in the 100 m, 200 m, 4x100 m relay and long jump.
• Edwin Moses won the gold medal in the 400m hurdles 8 years after winning in 1976.
• Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco became the first female Olympic champion of a Muslim nation, and the first of her country in the 400 m hurdles.
• Carlos Lopes, from Portugal, won the Marathon (2:09:21 – Olympic record that stood for 24 years). It was the first Gold Medal ever for Portugal.
• A marathon for women was held for the first time at the Olympics (won by Joan Benoit). The event was considered notable because of Swiss runner Gabi Andersen-Schiess, who – suffering from heat exhaustion – stumbled through the last lap, providing dramatic images.
• Daley Thompson apparently missed a new world record in winning his second consecutive gold medal in the decathlon; the next year his score was retroactively raised to 8847, giving him the record.
• Sebastian Coe became the first man to win consecutive gold medals in the 1500m.

Other sports[link]

• The first gold medal to be awarded at the Los Angeles Olympics was also the first-ever medal to be won by an athlete from China when Xu Haifeng won the 50 m Pistol event.
• Archer Neroli Fairhall from New Zealand was the first paraplegic Olympian at any Olympic Games, coming 35th in the Women's individual event.
• Synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics debuted in Los Angeles as Olympic events, as did wind surfing.
• Li Ning from the People's Republic of China won 6 medals in gymnastics, 3 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze, earning him the nickname "Prince of Gymnasts" in China. Li would later light the Olympic Cauldron at the 2008 Olympics.^[6]
• Steve Redgrave won his first title in rowing of the record five he would go on to win in five Olympic competitions.
• Victor Davis set a new world record in winning the gold medal in the 200-metre breaststroke in swimming.
• Mary Lou Retton became the first gymnast outside Eastern Europe to win the gymnastics all-around competition.
• In men's gymnastics, the American team won the Gold Medal.
• France won the Olympic soccer tournament, defeating Brazil 2–0 in the final. Olympic soccer was unexpectedly played before massive crowds throughout America, with several sell-outs at the 100,000+ seat Rose Bowl. This interest eventually led to the US hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
• The Soviet-led boycott affected weightlifting more than any other sport: 94 of the world's top 100 ranked lifters were absent, as were 29 of the 30 medalists from the recent world championships. All 10 of the defending world champions in the 10 weight categories were absent.
• Future Dream Team members Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and Chris Mullin were on the team that won the gold medal in basketball.
• Connie Carpenter-Phinney became the first woman to win an Olympic cycling event when she won the women's individual road race.

Venues[link]

The Opening Ceremony at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Los Angeles venues[link]

• Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – opening/closing ceremonies, athletics
• Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena – boxing
• Dodger Stadium – baseball
• Pauley Pavilion, University of California, Los Angeles – gymnastics
• Eagle's Nest Arena, California State University, Los Angeles – judo
• Olympic (McDonald's) Swim Stadium, University of Southern California – swimming, diving, synchronized swimming
• Olympic Village (athlete housing), University of Southern California
• Los Angeles Tennis Center, University of California, Los Angeles – tennis
• Athletes Village, University of California, Los Angeles
• Albert Gersten Pavilion, Loyola Marymount University, Westchester, California – weightlifting
• Streets of Los Angeles – athletics (marathon)

Southern California venues[link]

• El Dorado Park, Long Beach, California – archery
• The Forum, Inglewood, California – basketball
• Lake Casitas, Ventura County, California – canoeing, rowing
• Olympic (7-Eleven) Velodrome, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, California – cycling (track)
• Mission Viejo, Orange County, California – cycling (individual road race)
• Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California – equestrian
• Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, Rancho Santa Fe, California, California – equestrian sports (eventing endurance)
• Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California – fencing
• Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California – football (final)
• Titan Gymnasium, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, California – handball
• Weingart Stadium, East Los Angeles College, Monterey Park, California – field hockey
• Coto de Caza, Orange County, California – modern pentathlon (fencing, riding, running, shooting)
• Olympic Shooting Range, Prado Recreational Area, Chino, California – shooting
• Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California – volleyball
• Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California – water polo
• Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California – wrestling
• Long Beach Shoreline Marina, Long Beach, California – sailing
• Artesia Freeway – cycling (road team time trial)
• Heritage Park Aquatic Center – modern pentathlon (swimming)
• Santa Monica College – athletics (marathon start)
• Santa Monica, California – athletics (marathon)

Other venues[link]

• Harvard Stadium, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts – association football preliminaries
• Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland – association football preliminaries
• Stanford Stadium, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California – association football preliminaries

Medals awarded[link]

See the medal winners, ordered by sport:

Demonstration sports[link]

• Baseball
• Tennis

Calendar[link]

Medal table[link]

These are the top medal-collecting nations for the 1984 Games. (Host country is highlighted).

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States	83	61	30	174
2	Romania	20	16	17	53
3	West Germany	17	19	23	59
4	China	15	8	9	32
5	Italy	14	6	12	32
6	Canada	10	18	16	44
7	Japan	10	8	14	32
8	New Zealand	8	1	2	11
9	Yugoslavia	7	4	7	18
10	South Korea	6	6	7	19

Participating nations[link]

Participating nations

Number of athletes

Athletes from 140 nations competed at the Los Angeles Games. The following countries made their first Olympic appearance in 1984: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, British Virgin Islands, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Grenada, Mauritania, Mauritius, North Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and the United Arab Emirates. The People's Republic of China made their first appearance in a Summer Olympics since 1952, while for the first time the Republic of China team participated as Chinese Taipei.

The Soviet Union led the Warsaw Pact and other Communist and Socialist countries on a boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics, in retaliation for the U.S.-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow over the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Three Socialist countries disregarded the boycott and attended anyway: Yugoslavia (which hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics), the People's Republic of China, and Romania. The fact that Romania, a Warsaw Pact country, opted to compete despite Soviet demands led to a warm reception of the Romanian team by the United States. When the Romanian athletes entered during the opening ceremonies, they received a standing ovation from the spectators, which comprised mostly U.S. citizens. Romania won 53 medals, including 20 golds, more than the nation has in any other Olympics.

The number of athletes representing that nation is shown in parentheses:

Boycotting countries[link]

Boycotting countries shown in red

Fourteen countries took part in the Soviet-led boycott of the 1984 Olympic Games:^[7]

•  Afghanistan
•  Angola
•  Bulgaria
•  Cuba
•  Czechoslovakia
•  East Germany
•  Ethiopia
•  Hungary
•  Laos
•  Mongolia
•  North Korea
•  Poland
•  Soviet Union
•  Vietnam

Iran and Libya also boycotted the games, citing political reasons, but were not a part of the Soviet led boycott. Iran was the only country to boycott both the 1980 and 1984 events.

•  Iran
•  Libya

Los Angeles as host city[link]

Following the news of the massive financial losses of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, only Los Angeles and New York City expressed serious interest in hosting the 1984 games. Given only one city per country is allowed to bid for any Games, the USOC vote for an American bid city was essentially the deciding vote for the 1984 Olympics host city. In this case, Los Angeles's bid won by a vote of 55 to 39. New York City's 1984 bid fell just 9 votes shy of winning the Games and is the closest the city has ever come to becoming a host city for the Olympics, coming even closer than they did in their 2012 bid.^[8]

The low level of interest among cities was seen as a major threat to the future of the Olympic Games. However, with the financially successful Los Angeles Games, cities began to line up to be hosts again. The Los Angeles and Montreal Games are seen as examples of what to do and what not to do when organizing the Olympics, and serve as object lessons to prospective host cities. While Montreal organizers ran up a substantial debt eight years earlier by constructing many new, overly ambitiously designed venues, the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee relied heavily on the use of area venues that were already in existence, particularly Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which was also the Olympic Stadium for the 1932 Summer Olympics. The Olympic Velodrome and the Olympic Swim Stadium, funded largely by the 7-Eleven and McDonald's corporations respectively, were the only two new venues constructed specifically for the L.A. Games. The resulting low construction costs, coupled with a heavy reliance on private corporate funding, allowed the Games to generate a profit of more than $200 million, making them by far the most financially successful in history.^[9]

In addition to corporate support, the Olympic committee also made use of the burgeoning prices being paid for exclusive television rights. Starting with the Los Angeles Games, these contracts would be a significant source of revenue. Adjusted for inflation, the Los Angeles Games received twice the amount received by the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics and four times that of the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics.^[10] Because these contracts were signed well in advance of the Games, Los Angeles found itself in an easier planning position as most of its revenue was already assured before the Games.^[11]

The absence of the Soviet Bloc, and the domination by the American team, was also instrumental in making these Olympics a financial success.

In popular culture[link]

McDonald's ran a promotion entitled "When the U.S. Wins, You Win" where customers scratched off a ticket with the name of an Olympic event on it, and if the U.S. won that event then they would be given a free menu item: a Big Mac for a gold medal, an order of french fries for a silver medal, and a Coca-Cola for a bronze medal. The promotion became a near financial disaster due to the Soviet boycott which led to the U.S. winning far more Olympic medals than expected.^[12]

This promotion was parodied in the The Simpsons episode "Lisa's First Word", where Krusty Burger runs a similar offer. The promotion was intended to be rigged so that prizes would only be offered in events dominated by the Eastern Bloc, but the Soviet-led boycott causes Krusty to personally lose 44 million dollars. He vehemently promises "to spit in every fiftieth burger," to which Homer retorts "I like those odds!" Chief Wiggum also exclaims that he could kiss Carl Lewis, who won four gold medals at the Games.

On NCIS, Tim McGee has an obsession with jet packs, stemming from having attended the 1984 Olympic ceremony as a child and having Bill Suitor fly over his head in his jet pack.^[13] This storyline is based on the real experience of executive producer and writer Jesse Stern.^[14]

Broadcast rights[link]

The games were covered by the following broadcasters:

•  Australia: Ten Network
•  Brazil: Rede Globo, Rede Manchete, SBT and Rede Bandeirantes
•  Ireland: RTÉ
•  United Kingdom: BBC
•  China: CCTV
•  United States: ABC
•  Netherlands: NPO
•  Sweden: SVT
•  Canada: CBC
•  Japan: NHK
•  Hong Kong: RTHK, ATV and TVB
•  Macau: TDM
•  Spain: TVE
•  Taiwan: TTV, CTV and CTS
•  South Korea: KBS and MBC
•  Mexico: Televisa
•  West Germany: ARD and ZDF
•  East Germany : DFF
•  Hungary: Magyar Televízió
•  France: TF1
•  Thailand: NBT
•  India: Doordarshan
•  Turkey: TRT
•  New Zealand: TVNZ
•  Indonesia: TVRI
•  Malaysia: TV3
•  Singapore: Singapore Broadcasting Corporation Twelfth Frequency
•  Philippines: NBN
•  Brunei: RTB
•  Italy: RAI
•  Chile: TVN, UC-TV
•  Argentina: Argentina Televisora Color, Canal 13, Canal 11
•  Poland: TVP
•  Soviet Union: CT-USSR

See also[link]

Olympics portal

• 1984 Summer Paralympics
• 1984 Winter Paralympics
• 1984 Winter Olympics
• Olympic games celebrated in the United States
  • 1904 Summer Olympics – St. Louis
  • 1932 Summer Olympics – Los Angeles
  • 1932 Winter Olympics – Lake Placid
  • 1960 Winter Olympics – Squaw Valley
  • 1980 Winter Olympics – Lake Placid
  • 1984 Summer Olympics – Los Angeles
  • 1996 Summer Olympics – Atlanta
  • 2002 Winter Olympics – Salt Lake City
• Olympic games with significant boycotts
  • 1976 Summer Olympics – Montreal – African boycott
  • 1980 Summer Olympics – Moscow – United States-led boycott
  • 1984 Summer Olympics – Los Angeles – Soviet-led boycott
• Summer Olympic Games
• Olympic Games
• International Olympic Committee
• List of IOC country codes
  

People

• Bob Ronka, Los Angeles City Council member, 1977–81, skeptical of hosting the Olympics.

Notes[link]

References[link]

• "Los Angeles 1984". Olympic.org. International Olympic Committee. http://www.olympic.org/en/content/Olympic-Games/All-Past-Olympic-Games/Summer/Los-Angeles-1984. 
• "All the Medallists since 1896". Olympic.org. International Olympic Committee. http://www.olympic.org/en/content/All-Olympic-results-since-1896/?AthleteName=&Games=1333892&Country=&Sport=&TargetResults=true&resultsPageIPP=30. 
• Official Report Vol. 1
• Official Report Vol. 2
• Whitakers Olympic Almanack. 2004. ISBN 0-7136-6724-9. 
• Henry, Bill. An Approved History of the Olympic Games. ISBN 0-88284-243-9. 
• Andranovich, Greg; Burbank, Matthew J.; Charles H. Heying (2001). "Olympic cities: lessons learned from Mega-Event Politics". Journal of Urban Affairs 23–2. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 1984 Summer Olympics

• "Los Angeles 1984". Olympic.org. International Olympic Committee. http://www.olympic.org/en/content/Olympic-Games/All-Past-Olympic-Games/Summer/Los-Angeles-1984. 
• Olympic Review 1984 – Official results
• Video of President Reagan declaring games open, and torch-lighting by Rafer Johnson

Medal record
Waldemar Cierpinski
Men's Athletics
Competitor for  East Germany
Olympic Games
Gold	1976 Montreal	Marathon
Gold	1980 Moscow	Marathon
World Championships
Bronze	1983 Helsinki	Marathon

Waldemar Cierpinski (born 3 August 1950) is a former East German athlete and two time Olympic Champion in the marathon. He is living in Halle an der Saale.

Career[link]

Born in Neugattersleben (Saxony-Anhalt, former East Germany), Waldemar Cierpinski was originally a successful steeplechase runner but decided to switch to the marathon in 1974.

He was virtually unknown when he entered the 1976 Olympic marathon. He ran with the lead pack until Frank Shorter of the United States broke free after the 25 km mark. Cierpinski chased Shorter down then took the lead, winning the race by 51 seconds.

Cierpinski's victory was so unexpected that eventual East German gold medalist goalie Jürgen Croy rallied his football team by using him as an example, saying that if this "living example of mediocrity" could win a gold medal then they should be able to beat Poland (by a 3 to 1 score.)^[1]

Cierpinski finished in fourth place at the 1978 European Championships. In the 1980 Summer Olympics, Cierpinski ran wisely and didn't match the suicidal pace the leaders had set. He caught up to the leaders at the 36 km mark and soon led by a healthy margin. Although Gerard Nijboer from the Netherlands narrowed the gap in the last kilometre, Cierpinski sprinted the last 200 m to win his second Olympic gold and duplicate the feat of legendary Ethiopian Abebe Bikila of winning two Olympic marathons.

Cierpinski finished third in the marathon in the 1983 World Championships in Athletics. He was denied a chance of an unprecedented third Olympic marathon win by the Eastern Bloc boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics.

In Track & Field News World Rankings, Cierpinski was ranked first in the marathon in 1976 and 1980 and eighth in 1978 and 1983.

Waldemar Cierpinski is now a member of the German Olympic Committee. Since 2007 Cierpinski is honorary member of the SG WiP Goettingen 06.^[2]

Drug allegations[link]

It is now well known that East Germany operated a state-sponsored system of providing performance-enhancing drugs to as many as 10,000 athletes from about 1968 to 1988. Cierpinski was implicated by East German track and field research files uncovered by Werner Franke at the Stasi headquarters in Leipzig in the late 1990s.^[3]

As a result, 1976 silver medallist Frank Shorter has advocated the belief that Cierpinski cheated and has supported official review of past performances, i.e. considering stripping medals from athletes who are found later on to have cheated, as a deterrent to drug-cheats.^[4] Fourth-place finisher Don Kardong has also written that he believed Cierpinski was involved in the East German doping program.^[5]

References[link]