1980 Summer Olympics

Games of the XXII Olympiad
Emblem of the 1980 Summer Olympics
LocationMoscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (present-day Russian Federation)
Nations80
Athletes5,256 (4,137 men, 1,119 women)
Events203 in 21 sports (27 disciplines)
Opening19 July 1980
Closing3 August 1980
Opened by
Closed by
Cauldron
StadiumGrand Arena of the Central Lenin Stadium
Summer
Winter
1980 Summer Paralympics

The 1980 Summer Olympics (Russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, romanizedLetnije Olimpijskije igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (Russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, romanizedIgry XXII Olimpiady) and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (Russian: Москва 1980), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russia.[2][3] The games were the first to be staged in an Eastern Bloc country, as well as the first Olympic Games and only Summer Olympics[b] to be held in a Slavic language-speaking country. They were also the only Summer Olympic Games to be held in a self-proclaimed communist country until the 2008 Summer Olympics held in China. These were the final Olympic Games under the IOC Presidency of Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin before he was succeeded by Juan Antonio Samaranch, a Spaniard, shortly afterward.[4]

Eighty nations were represented at the Moscow Games, the smallest number since 1956. Led by the United States, 66 countries boycotted the games entirely, because of the Soviet–Afghan War. Several alternative events were held outside of the Soviet Union. Some athletes from some of the boycotting countries (not included in the list of 66 countries that boycotted the games entirely) participated in the games under the Olympic Flag.[5] The Soviet Union later boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The Soviet Union won the most gold and overall medals, with the USSR and East Germany winning 127 out of 203 available golds.

  1. ^ a b "Factsheet – Opening Ceremony of the Games of the Olympiad" (PDF) (Press release). International Olympic Committee. 9 October 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  2. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "1980 Moskva Summer Games". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  3. ^ "Moscow 1980". Olympic.org. Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  4. ^ Goldstein, Richard (26 April 1999). "Lord Killanin, Olympic Leader, Dies at 84". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Cousineau, Phil (2003). The Olympic Odyssey: Rekindling the True Spirit of the Great Games. Quest Books. p. 162. ISBN 0835608336.


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