1980 Summer Olympics medal table

1980 Summer Olympics medals
LocationMoscow,  Soviet Union
Highlights
Most gold medals Soviet Union (80)
Most total medals Soviet Union (195)
Medalling NOCs36
← 1976 · Olympics medal tables · 1984 →
Olympic rings
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1980 Summer Olympics

The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union from 19 July to 3 August. A total of 5,179 athletes representing 80 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in 203 events in 22 sports.[1] They were the first Games to be staged in a communist nation.[2]

66 countries[3] participated in a boycott against these Games as a protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.[citation needed] Fifteen countries marched in the Opening Ceremony with the Olympic Flag instead of their national flags, and the Olympic Flag and Olympic Hymn were used at medal ceremonies when athletes from these countries won medals. Competitors from three countries – New Zealand,[4] Portugal, and Spain – competed under the flags of their respective National Olympic Committees. Some of these teams that marched under flags other than their national flags were depleted by boycotts by individual athletes, while some athletes did not participate in the march.

Of the eighty participating nations, the smallest number since 1956,[5] six nations made their first appearance at this Games – Angola, Botswana, Cyprus, Laos, Mozambique, and Seychelles.[6] None of these nations won a medal. Whilst competitors from 36 countries became Olympic medalists, the great majority of the medals were taken by the host country and East Germany in what was the most skewed medal tally since 1904.[7] Despite only being invited to compete five weeks prior to the opening ceremony, Zimbabwe won a surprise gold medal in the sport of women's field hockey.[8] The Soviet Union's Aleksandr Dityatin became the first athlete to win eight medals at a single Games, with three gold, four silver and a bronze medal.[9] In rowing, the winners of both the gold and silver medals in the coxless pairs were identical twins.[8]

Guyana, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe won their first-ever Olympic medals.

Amidst a heavy boycott, the Soviet Union dominated, winning a record 80 gold medals (although since surpassed by the United States), and their 195 total medals are the second best result in history. Sports commentators noted that the absence of the United States and various other Western nations stemming from an unprecedented boycott contributed to the highly skewed medal results benefitting the Soviet Union and East Germany.[10]

  1. ^ "Moscow 1980 Summer Olympics". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 16 August 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2010.
  2. ^ John E. Findling (1996). Historical Dictionary of the Modern Olympics. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313284779. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  3. ^ "The Olympic Boycott, 1980". U.S. Department of State. 8 May 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  4. ^ "New Zealand Olympic Committee". Olympic.org.nz. Archived from the original on 2 May 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  5. ^ Brian Murphy. "Sting remains from boycotted 1980 Games". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  6. ^ "40 Years of Summer Olympic Cities". CNBC. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  7. ^ Moscow 1980 Olympic Games. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition: http://www.library.ebonline.com/eb/article-9098213
  8. ^ a b The Olympics: Athens to Athens 1896–2004. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 2004. ISBN 0-297-84382-6.
  9. ^ "British Olympic Association: Moscow 1980". olympics.org.uk. Archived from the original on 28 April 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2010.
  10. ^ The 1980 Olympics Are The 'Cleanest' In History. Athletes Recall How Moscow Cheated The System.