The Soviet Union
The Soviet Union was isolated from much of the world in 1980 and the nation's manufacturing and construction were not capable of building a terminal that would welcome visitors first to Moscow. However, Leonid Brezhnev wanted the games to represent, "the Soviet system, a military superpower and economic basket case." Moscow proceeded to become a different city for the Olympics. Streets were paved, buildings were painted and shops were stocked with goods not seen for years. International newspapers showed up in news kiosks and at hotels. The main highway to the Moscow airport had been lined with old dachas, the charming but ramshackle Hansel-and-Gretel log homes of rural Russia. Those homes disappeared almost overnight before the Games. (Associated Press)
Advisers to Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev claimed that the intervention in Afghanistan would be quick and uncontested. They suggested that U.S. President Jimmy Carter was too engrossed in the ongoing hostage crisis in Iran to respond to the situation in Kabul. (U.S. State Department) In April 1978, Marxists had seized power in Afghanistan but gained little popular support and provoked a civil war. Nine months later, the Soviet Union sent in troops that quickly secured the capital of Kabul. The Soviets faced ceaseless guerrilla warfare throughout the countryside. Among them was an idealistic young Saudi called Osama Bin Laden, who had turned his back on the extreme wealth of his family to fight against Soviets, and it was here that the seeds of Al Qaeda were sown. Carter placed an embargo on grain exports to the Soviet Union, withdrew the United States from participation in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, drastically increased the U.S. military budget, and instructed the CIA to offer covert aid to the Soviet Union's guerrilla opposition, the mujaheddin. (CNN)
Carter Leads The Way
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Monroe, Bill, prod. "Carter Announces Plans to Boycott Olympics." Meet the Press. NBC. New York, 20 Jan. 1980. NBCNews.com. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
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"It was certainly the right thing to do as a sense of conveying to Moscow that it was isolated internationally and this was not a smart thing to do."
-Zbigniew Brzezinksi, Carter's national security adviser U.S. President Jimmy Carter took the lead in the call for a boycott of the 1980 Olympics, and approximately 60 other countries joined the United States in staying away from Moscow. In early 1980, the movement toward either boycotting the games altogether or moving them out of the Soviet Union gained momentum. Calls for boycotts of Olympic events were not uncommon, in fact, Carter sent American boxer Mohammad Ali to persuade African governments to join. The trip backfired, however, when Ali himself was talked out of his support of the boycott during the course of his meetings. In the end, the only U.S. allies to join the movement against the Moscow games were Canada, West Germany and Israel. (U.S. State Department) President Carter lacked the authority to order a boycott, but he told reporters that he believed the United States Olympic Committee would support his proposal if the Soviet troops were not withdrawn from Afghanistan. (New York Times) “We will not go to Moscow and participate in the Olympic games in your capital. We call for the moving of the Olympics or the delay of the Olympics for at least a year, until Soviet troops are withdrawn from Afghanistan, or the cancellation of the games, or either we would not participate.” - President Jimmy Carter |
1. NY Daily News
2. Travel Guide, Olympic History
3. NBC Nightly News
4. CBC archives, 1980 Summer Olympics
2. Travel Guide, Olympic History
3. NBC Nightly News
4. CBC archives, 1980 Summer Olympics