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After the U.S. boycotted the
1980 Summer Games, it only
made sense that the Soviet Union boycott the 1984 Summer Games,
right? Right.
Fourteen nations from around the globe did not send athletes to the Summer Games of the
XXIII Olympiad held in Los Angeles, California. From July 28th through August 12th,
cheering crowds of nearly 100,000 watched as medals were awarded for 221 events, including
two new ones -- synchronized swimming (which had a beautiful parody write-up on "Saturday
Night Live") and rhythmic gymnastics. Tennis and basketball were also on display as
"exhibition" sports but no medals were awarded.
Memorable moments were Carl Lewis' speed
garnering him four gold medals,
Edwin Moses hurdling to victory in the
400-m race, diver Greg Louganis taking the
gold in the springboard and platform events,
Mary Decker and
Zola Budd colliding on the track, and the
future Queen of Wheaties,
Mary Lou Retton, doing her stuff.
The Games of the XIV Winter Olympics, in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia,
went off without a single problem (i.e. no political intervention). Vucko, the official
mascot of the Olympics, was on hand to welcome the 1,500+ athletes from 49 countries.
The Games ran from February 7th through the 19th.
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