1980 Olympic BOYCOTT was a terrible political move by America, and a lot of athletes were against it.

Scorpion_runner wrote:

My favorite quote regarding the ordeal:

Don Kardong

Fourth in 1976 Olympic Marathon

"For years the government’s been telling you sports and government are separate—therefore we won’t give you any money. Now all of a sudden sports and politics are united! So I expect the subsidies to start flowing. "

LOL

And the crazy thing about it, Afghanistan still sent athletes!

The foundation of the olympics is to bring all nations together to compete against one another in the complete spirit of humanism and and athletic competition. It is a realm that is separate from politics and religion, and should not be adulterated or suspended due to politics or religion.

So many great athletes missed out on doing some unbelievable things. The red army stayed in Afghan for another 10 years, and then that morphed into the longest war in american history.

Thanks for the bulletin. It's never been publicly acknowledged that a lot of the athletes were against the Olympic boycott.

The host nation of the 1980 Olympics had invaded another country the year before the Games. This, too, at the height of the Second Cold War. If Hitler had invaded Czechoslovakia before the Berlin Games you would have been ok with that, too, and run around the Berlin stadium?

As someone who knew several of the athletes personally and read everything about T &F that I could at the time, I would say it was crystal clear how the athletes felt. Most knew it was their one shot ever of competing in the Olympics and they felt seriously screwed to get caught in the middle of a political conflict.

Armstronglivs wrote:

The host nation of the 1980 Olympics had invaded another country the year before the Games. This, too, at the height of the Second Cold War.

Do you never hear anything contrary to corporate media nonsense?

The Soviet military was already in Afghanistan at the request of the legitimate government to fight terrorist rebels organized by the CIA under Carter, an illegal act of war. This occurred in a context of the 70s detente which involved a "no insurrections" agreement that the Soviets were honoring but Carter was breaking.

When the Afghan government started failing, the Soviets then engineered a factional coup d'etat, and the new faction then authorized a fuller military presence. This was also illegal, but was hardly an "invasion" when no factions of the government were opposed to their presence, and was a reaction to the US starting the war.

I'll assume you can spot for yourself the hypocrisy of comparing that to Hitler, but not the much longer and bloodier US invasion and occupation of the same country. If it's still going on next time the US gets an olympics, will you be calling for a boycott?

Well, the Soviets went into Afghanistan because - so they say - of Afghan Islamic extremists threatening their - the Russians - security. Now, remind me, why did the Americans go into Afghanistan?

O.P., you believe it was a terrible decision for U.S. to not send athletes to the Soviet Union. The Cold War was for the most part, U.S.A. v. Soviet Union. What would have been the smart move in your opinion? Soviets stayed in Afghanistan for app. 8 1/2 more years, not 10 years. They began leaving in 1988 and were out by early 1989. Carter cannot be responsible for how Afghanistan was dealt with by Reagan. Do not just state Carter was in error without stating what Carter should have done.

Not at all pleased wrote:

Most knew it was their one shot ever of competing in the Olympics and they felt seriously screwed to get caught in the middle of a political conflict.

The summer Olympics are held ever four years. There was one preceding Moscow in Montreal in 1976 and one after in Los Angeles in 1984.

Not true wrote:

Not at all pleased wrote:

Most knew it was their one shot ever of competing in the Olympics and they felt seriously screwed to get caught in the middle of a political conflict.

The summer Olympics are held ever four years. There was one preceding Moscow in Montreal in 1976 and one after in Los Angeles in 1984.

You get a passing grade for knowing this, but in reality people often get 1 shot. Back in those days athletes did not make money (not that they make a ton now) so the window to put one's life on hold was much smaller. For some athletes they might have been too young and not at their peak. Then by the time 84 rolled around might have been past their prime.

Luv2Run wrote:

For some athletes they might have been too young and not at their peak. Then by the time 84 rolled around might have been past their prime.

Sorry but you get a failing grade for stating this. Hyperbole surely?

Well done, for rewriting history as fiction.

If we would care about nations invading others the usa would never be allowed to host or participate

The President of the USA should not be a Military puppet.

Armstronglivs wrote:

The host nation of the 1980 Olympics had invaded another country the year before the Games. This, too, at the height of the Second Cold War. If Hitler had invaded Czechoslovakia before the Berlin Games you would have been ok with that, too, and run around the Berlin stadium?

The same country that opposed of World War 2, and was against getting involved and sending troops. America had to be begged by Churchill to send them supplies, and America didn't join the war until Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.

So yeah, had that happened, american athletes would have been competing in Berlin.

That is the purpose of the Oylmpics is to continue to show humanism spirit even during a time of war. It's purpose is to bring nations together, so yes I would have been okay with that.

Scorpion_runner wrote:

It is a realm that is separate from politics and religion, and should not be adulterated or suspended due to politics or religion.

1972 (and 1976) was before 1980. This didn't happen in a vacuum, despite any solipsistic, revisionist wishes.

KTHXBAI wrote:

Scorpion_runner wrote:

It is a realm that is separate from politics and religion, and should not be adulterated or suspended due to politics or religion.

1972 (and 1976) was before 1980. This didn't happen in a vacuum, despite any solipsistic, revisionist wishes.

I think his point was that sport and politics shouldn't mix. Wishful thinking of course, they are inseperable. But using the Olympic Games as a political tool in the Cold War, was a low blow for both the US in 1980 and the USSR in 1984.

Modern Olympic Games are political in their essential nature, flags, ideology, and national pride are inextricably tied to the event. People here just don't like when it bit US athletes in the butt.

KTHXBAI wrote:

Modern Olympic Games are political in their essential nature, flags, ideology, and national pride are inextricably tied to the event. People here just don't like when it bit US athletes in the butt.

Me neither. It would have been nice to see British athletes compete with the US in Moscow.

Not true wrote:

Luv2Run wrote:

For some athletes they might have been too young and not at their peak. Then by the time 84 rolled around might have been past their prime.

Sorry but you get a failing grade for stating this. Hyperbole surely?

Not really, The number of athletes who manage to compete in two or more Olympics is probably around 20%. If you look at the male marathon runners at the Olympics since 1960 the US has sent 39 athletes, only 7 competed twice.

Jimmy Carter has admitted it was a mistake. It was a mistake.