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

Quite a few people thought that after the invasion, the USSR woukd be stripped of its right to host the Olympics. Yeah, that should have happened. Those people didn't understand how the IOC works. Or doesn't work.

I read Craig Virgin's book over the past week, good stuff if you want to know how he felt about the boycott. Also just a good book to remind everyone what running was like for those in the 70's and 80's. Lots of great names, great races, and great not so long ago running history.

Cold War: U.S.A. v. G.D.R. & Soviets wrote:

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.

What should Carter have done? Maybe nothing? Why was, and still is, what goes on between two foreign countries half a world away from the US the business of the US president?

But let's assume that it is his business and ask what he should have done? Maybe something effective, something that could have gotten the Soviets actually to leave Afghanistan? Which would have been....well, pretty much nothing at the time. Getting them out of Afghanistan was something the Afghans needed to do themselves and the only really effective thing the US could do to make that happen was what we did, provide aid to the Afghans which over time did get the USSR out of the country.

Boycotting the Olympics was a useless, symbolic, gesture on Carter's part because he knew he'd be hammered in the media and opinion polls if the US sent an Olympic team to Moscow. Even so, Carter had no real means of forcing the USOC to refrain from sending a team. Britain sent a team even though their government also called for a boycott. The USOC could have done the same.

Thereandback wrote:

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?

Because Saudis bombed Manhattan?

9 years later the Berlin wall fell

looks like it worked

Because the United States has the exclusive right to invade countries (Cuba, Vietnam, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Grenada, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria), and boycotting the Olympics is the only possible way to enforce that right of exclusivity.

Everybody agrees, Carter was an idiot for ordering the boycott.

Born in the 856 wrote:

Everybody agrees, Carter was an idiot for ordering the boycott.

I think Carter was a bad President, and I think the boycott was bad policy, but I don't think that policy was adopted because Carter was "an idiot"; rather, I think it was adopted because Carter wanted to create a foreign-policy "crisis" to help him stave off the primary challenge he had gotten from Teddy Kennedy.

Born in the 856 wrote:

Everybody agrees, Carter was an idiot for ordering the boycott.

That's right. Sport exists in a moral and political vacuum. To athletes. But nothing else does.

runn wrote:

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

Please provide that quote. I have a hard to believing Carter wishes he sent Olympic team to Soviet Union.

notrump wrote:

Because the United States has the exclusive right to invade countries (Cuba, Vietnam, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Grenada, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria), and boycotting the Olympics is the only possible way to enforce that right of exclusivity.

Of your list only Iraq would qualify as unprovoked invasion. We were involved in the Bay of Pigs, but it was a halfassed attempt to support some Cubans to overthrow Castro. The U.S. involvement in Vietnam was to stop the spread of communism. Afghanistan not being willing to turn over Bin Laden triggered that invasion. Somalia began as a humanitarian mission and the rest of your list is the U.S. supporting various factions. Except for Vietnam, any of those countries would be easy to defeat and occupy.

I often wonder just what a 1980 Olympics would've looked like with the Americans in play. You would've had Mary Decker at her ascendancy, and Bill Rodgers reaching the end of his dominance as a marathoner. And then Steve Scott, Matt Centrowitz and Craig Virgin in the 1500, 5000 and 10,000 respectively. A tantalizing series of what ifs.

Athletes were against the Olympic boycott? Wow, who'd have guessed it?

Given that a Democratic president called for the boycott, aren't all liberals required to unquestionably support it?

I didn't read that ... . I didn't hear that ... wrote:

runn wrote:

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

Please provide that quote. I have a hard to believing Carter wishes he sent Olympic team to Soviet Union.

I hate it when you people do this- it was a story I read quite a long time ago:

A shot putter who was one of the favorites in Moscow was on a plane. Carter was on it, years later, 1990's before your social media stuff).

I think I read it in RW or T&FN, the SP said Carter introduced himself to everyone on the plane. The SP told him he missed out on an opportunity, Carter took it from him ...

Carter said that the Boycott was a mistake.

As I remember, and I was 21 at the time, MOST people were opposed to it.

I thought it was wrong and (I'm a Political Scientist, my college professors thought it was a mistake and knew it wouldn't accomplish anything.

I, a registered Democrat, did not vote for him in 1980.

Brianruns10 wrote:

I often wonder just what a 1980 Olympics would've looked like with the Americans in play. You would've had Mary Decker at her ascendancy, and Bill Rodgers reaching the end of his dominance as a marathoner. And then Steve Scott, Matt Centrowitz and Craig Virgin in the 1500, 5000 and 10,000 respectively. A tantalizing series of what ifs.

Don Paige! I think Liquari was healthy.

I often wondered if Virgin would have been able to beat Yifter.

Brianruns10 wrote:

I often wonder just what a 1980 Olympics would've looked like with the Americans in play. You would've had Mary Decker at her ascendancy, and Bill Rodgers reaching the end of his dominance as a marathoner. And then Steve Scott, Matt Centrowitz and Craig Virgin in the 1500, 5000 and 10,000 respectively. A tantalizing series of what ifs.

The only one you listed with a shot at earning a medal, Mary Decker. Others who would have interesting to see: Don Paige, peak James Robinson, Renaldo Nehemiah, Edwin Moses and peak Carl Lewis in LJ. Steve Scott would have gotten 5th at best 1500m behind: Coe, Ovett, Straub & Wessinghage.

This is farcical. No one actually believes an Olympic boycott has any effect right? It doesn't do anything whatsoever. The USSR boycotted us right back and what came of it? Absolutely nothing. The Soviet collapse had nothing to do with the Olympics it was a non factor. Another thing here is people trying to defend invasions by the US, there aren't any good moral reasons to invade another country. That's not an argument you can win. Brush up on your US history in latin america, the US military was routinely used in latin america to prop up american corporations in many different countries and we caused suffering that is still felt to this day, this is a fact. I'm not a Russian sympathizer but the united states is not a virtuous country either. The boycott was stupid and it didn't help anyone to do anything. No communist leaning country was going to see the boycott and say "oh no look at that these countries didn't show up let's drop communism". That would be ridiculous. The Olympics is just a game, it's not important to any nation that has any real global power. Carter made a stupid move by joining the boycott.

Not Only Would wrote:

Quite a few people thought that after the invasion, the USSR woukd be stripped of its right to host the Olympics. Yeah, that should have happened. Those people didn't understand how the IOC works. Or doesn't work.

IOC == Political

Just as I stated. Carter never said he wished he would have sent U.S. Olympic team to Soviet Union.

I am about seven or so years younger than you. I could not vote until 1984. Because you did not vote for James Carter, people like you are responsible for: Contras v. Sandinistas, Iran-Contras. C.I.A. and for sure George H.W. Bush and most likely Reagan knew they could not go to U.S. Congress for money for Central American Wars. Older M-16-A1 rifles and other weapons went down to Central America and Iran. Cocaine went to big cities in U.S. to pay for said war courtesy of C.I.A. Democrats who did not vote for Carter in 1980 ... . Wow!