Takeoff to Tokyo: The US Boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics
By John Lohn
Years of hard work went unfulfilled. Dreams turned into nightmares. Sadness and anger abounded. The repercussions of the United States’ decision to boycott the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow were severe. This summer marks the 40th anniversary of a toxic mix of sports and politics.
There was no proper reaction to the official announcement. The athletes, as was their right, reacted differently, and in fashions that were personally appropriate. Some immediately let the tears flow. Several instantly harbored intense anger. Others sat in disbelief, wondering how such a decision could be made.
An adage that sports and politics do not mix has been uttered for years. Fans want their athletes to play. They want touchdowns. They want goals. They want baskets. More, citizens don’t need their elected officials to infuse government policy into the games they follow. Yet, when President Jimmy Carter announced on March 21, 1980 that the United States would not send a delegation to that summer’s Olympics in Moscow—instead choosing to boycott the Games—sports and politics were puréed in the same blender.
Upon the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, Cold War tensions between the USSR and the United States sizzled. For Carter, the invasion was an unacceptable overstep of force by the Soviets, and a move that called for a strong response. With Moscow set to be the focal point of the athletic world in the summer of 1980, Carter felt an American presence would legitimize the Soviet government and its actions. The consequence was an American boycott of the Olympic Games.
“It is absolutely imperative that we and other nations who believe in freedom and who believe in human rights and who believe in peace let our voices be heard in an absolutely clear way, and not add the imprimatur of approval to the Soviet Union and its government while they have 105,000 heavily armed invading forces in the freedom-loving and innocent and deeply religious country of Afghanistan,” Carter said.
In its decision to refrain from competing in the 22nd Olympiad, the United States was joined by more than 60 other nations. Still, what may have been deemed as the politically correct move left thousands of athletes—from swimming, track and field, gymnastics and beyond—emotionally crippled. While Carter may be known for his generosity wielding a hammer on behalf of Habitat for Humanity during his post-Oval Office days, the former president also used that tool—in a figurative sense—on athletes’ dreams.
To read more about the far-reaching consequences of the US Boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games,
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FEATURES
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Years of hard work went unfulfilled. Dreams turned into nightmares. Sadness and anger abounded. The repercussions of the United States’ decision to boycott the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow were severe. This summer marks the 40th anniversary of a toxic mix of sports and politics.
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