General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums1980, US and a lot of countries boycotted the Olympics. Do you remember why?
Ironic. Very ironic. I do not understand these times we live in now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Summer_Olympics_boycott
(clip)
The United States was ultimately joined in the boycott by some other countries including Japan, West Germany (Schmidt was able to convince the national Olympic committee not to send a team by a narrow margin), China, the Philippines, Argentina and Canada. Some of these countries competed at the Olympic Boycott Games in Philadelphia. Notably, United Kingdom, France and Australia supported the boycott but allowed their athletes to participate if they wished and left the final decisions to participate in the Games to their respective National Olympic Committees and the individual athletes of the countries concerned. The United Kingdom and France sent a much smaller delegation of athletes than usual. The British equestrian, hockey, and yachting associations boycotted completely.[10] Nevertheless, the delegation of the United Kingdom was the largest among Western Europe, with 170 athletes applying to compete.[11]
Spain, Italy, Sweden, Iceland and Finland were other principal nations representing western Europe,[11] though Italian athletes belonging to military corps did not attend the Games, due to the government's support of the boycott, which severely affected many events. Some American-born athletes who were citizens of other countries, such as Italy and Australia, did compete in Moscow.
At the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, athletes from a number of countries, including Australia, Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Puerto Rico, San Marino, Spain, and Switzerland, marched under the Olympic Flag, instead of their national flags, a fact that the Soviet TV coverage alternately ignored. Lord Killanin permitted athletes to compete at the Olympic Games without their national flags or anthems which allowed National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to send athletes in a non-national context. This did not allow for individuals to compete under national NOCs because the NOCs believed it would weaken their authority.[12] Moreover, although the government of New Zealand officially supported the boycott, four athletes from that country competed independently and marched under their NOC's flag.[13] Altogether, the athletes of 16 countries were not represented by their national flags, and the Olympic Anthem replaced their national anthems at medal ceremonies. As a result, there was one ceremony where three Olympic Flags were raised.
libdem4life
(13,877 posts)Lasher
(27,502 posts)Very ironic indeed. Thanks for the reminder. This is worthy of some reflection.
Response to uppityperson (Original post)
William769 This message was self-deleted by its author.
htuttle
(23,738 posts)So we boycotted them for doing what we hoped they would do, and then did ourselves a couple of decades later.
Ron Obvious
(6,261 posts)Women in particularly, if that regime had been kept in place.
SolutionisSolidarity
(606 posts)I defy anyone to look at Afghanistan and not be awestruck at the uplifting power of capitalism.
former9thward
(31,807 posts)Feudalistic at best.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)former9thward
(31,807 posts)I see constant misuse of the terms "capitalist" and "socialist" on this board. I don't care if you are either one or some combination but at least apply the terms correctly.
SolutionisSolidarity
(606 posts)All I know is that Afghanistan was a repressive soviet socialist hellhole before the West decided to arm those freedom fighters you malign as warlords. And now look at it - who wouldn't want to raise their children in Afghanistan, land of liberty?
former9thward
(31,807 posts)A mission impossible.
alittlelark
(18,886 posts)babylonsister
(170,964 posts)I do wish people would take history into consideration. We're supposed to learn from it.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)That's right; the Tariki government asked for Soviet help.
Hep against whom? well, the mujaheddin rebels. Originally a problem started by Pakistan, these guys soon came under CIA influence. Yes, with full presidential support; That would be president Carter, mind you. Operation Cyclone funneled money and arms to mujaheddin well before the USSR got involved - the intent was to bring down the pro-Soviet government in Afghanistan. Through our shitty Little client State of Saudi Arabia, we managed to cast the Soviet intervention as a war against Islam, winning tons of new recruits for the mujaheddin.
Now, mind - the Tariki government wasn't on the side of angels - part of the reason there was an opposition was because this government was pretty fucking brutal - By the time Carter signed the funding papers, something like twenty-seven thousand Afghans had been executed - not killed in fighting, but executed as criminals - as part of the government's plan to totally "modernize" the country.
Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)hughee99
(16,113 posts)Reading your post, one might be left with the impression that a fairly elected leader (Tariki) asked for help from an uninterested neutral party (the USSR) to fend off the mujaheddin and the CIA.
reddread
(6,896 posts)nearly a Grand Slam. When the world gets done with us for our malarkey, we will not be holding our heads up.
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)That is why Carter backed the boycott. Someone needs to update the wiki.
former9thward
(31,807 posts)It was opposition to Soviet foreign policy. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/carter-tells-us-athletes-of-olympic-boycott
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)President Jimmy Carters remarks to members of the U.S. Olympics teams, March 21, 1980: <snipped>
But 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.
"I have notified the U.S. Olympic Committee that with Soviet invading forces in Afghanistan, neither the American people nor I will support sending an Olympic team to Moscow." The next day, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 386-12 to support Carter's call.
former9thward
(31,807 posts)The Soviet Union was a dictatorship putting people in gulags. Carter had no problem with that. It was all about Afghanistan.
countryjake
(8,554 posts)That boycott was purely for political reasons, part of a red-hot "cold war" strategy at a time when our CIA was recruiting mujahedin from all over the world, shipping them to training camps in Afghanistan and arming them, simply to kick the "commies" out of the country. Our government didn't give two figs about the people of Afghanistan when President Carter called for backing out of those Moscow Olympics, it was all part of the "game" we were playing with the USSR. Afghans were used as nothing but pawns on the chess board of Brezhnev and Carter and to this day, they still suffer from it.
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)President Jimmy Carters remarks to members of the U.S. Olympics teams, March 21, 1980: <snipped>
But 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.
"I have notified the U.S. Olympic Committee that with Soviet invading forces in Afghanistan, neither the American people nor I will support sending an Olympic team to Moscow."
The next day, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 386-12 to support Carter's call.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)It's ok for US to be in Afghanistan because...because...help me here folks, there's gotta be SOMETHNG....
Cha
(295,929 posts)out now.
progressoid
(49,827 posts)35?
sofa king
(10,857 posts)Hey, you wanted it, there it is. You think it's a joke, but just you go looking into it to disprove it, and see what you find....
ReRe
(10,597 posts)... I knew.
Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)He literally spent his entire life getting on the team and he was too old for the '84 games. We worked in the same bar.
Cleita
(75,480 posts)hostage situation, that Jimmy Carter lost the election to Ronald Reagan? I always wondered.
JHB
(37,133 posts)That and the Sandinista victory in Nicaragua, and various insurgents, fed into their view that Detente with the Soviets was just a way of for them to bide their time until they could expand.
Even so, the polls didn't start clearly breaking Reagan's way until shortly before the election. Personally, I attribute the bulk of that to the realization that there would be no "October Surprise" by Carter bringing the Iran Embassy hostages home in time for the election. Once it became clear that he didn't have an ace up his sleeve there, it combined with Afghanistan, Central America, and the economy to send the numbers Reagan's way on election day.
former9thward
(31,807 posts)High unemployment plus super high inflation is not a good mix.
KauaiK
(544 posts)I agree...I don't understand the times in which we live.
WillyT
(72,631 posts)Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)Jenoch
(7,720 posts)to the 1980 Winter Olympics. The U.S. hockey team defeated the USSR and then Finland to win the Gold. I think Eric Heiden did quite well in speed skating as well.
countryjake
(8,554 posts)It wasn't until 1994 that the seasonal games were split up to occur alternately every two years, before that they'd both been held during the same year, ever four years.
The USA did not attend the summer games in Moscow in 1980.
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)It's February. The 2014 WINTER Olympics are being conducted in Russia. I am going to guess that this will be one of the lowest fan attendance of any winter olympics ever.
former9thward
(31,807 posts)Olympics should be held where there are major airlines/rail hubs.
NoGOPZone
(2,971 posts)The Republic of China (Taiwan)
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)not the U.S.
NoGOPZone
(2,971 posts)Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)no_hypocrisy
(45,786 posts)But hey! It's different when we do the same thing.
YarnAddict
(1,850 posts)announced the boycott. I believe it was in the same televised address when he announced that he was reinstating draft registration. My heart sank when I saw that. I knew right then that he would probably not be re-elected.
Le Taz Hot
(22,271 posts)yes. Because the Ruskies (then the Soviet Union) invaded Afghanistan. Tragically, the boycott added to Carter's defeat in 1980 to you-know-who.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)Just looked that up because of the graphic. Interesting.