| Olympic Boycotts |
| The Summer Games of the XXII Olympiad, although boycotted by the United States and other countries, were held in Moscow, U.S.S.R. from July 19th to August 3rd. Almost 6,000 competitors from 81 countries arrived to compete in 22 sports. An estimated 10,000 athletes were expected to be a part of the 1980 Summer Games. The boycott, a result of the December 1979 invasion of Afghanistan by Soviet troops, was announced by President Jimmy Carter on January 20th, 1980. A February 20th deadline was given to the Soviets to pull out of the country or else the United States would refuse to participate in the Summer Games and would request that other countries do the same. Needless to say, a huge controversy erupted. The Soviet Union justified its invasion as being "the correct response to a neighbor's call for help." U.S. athletes opposed the boycott because they felt that the boycott was only hurting them and believed it would have little to no effect on Soviet policies. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said that the Games should not be concerned with politics and looked down upon the United States' actions. Nevertheless, the U.S. stood firmly by its decision and did not participate. Canada, Japan, China and West Germany also joined in boycotting the Summer Games. Highlights included the Soviets earning 197 medals (including 80 gold) and new world records being set in the high jump (Gerd Wessig of East Germany), the pole vault (Poland's Wladyslaw Kozakiewicz), and the hammer throw (Yuri Sedykh of the Soviet Union). |