Sports: A Weapon
During The Cold War
By Anna Bryson and
Michelle Goddard
Overview
• Olympics Games were created to
support peace
• During the Cold War:
• Sports were used as a weapon of
international affairs
• The Olympics = the chance to display
superiority through their athletes
• Attempt to manipulate international
politics
Growing tensions
through sports
• 1972 Munich games –
The Americans lost the
gold medal in
basketball for the first
time during the Cold
War to the U.S.S.R
• After confusion over
the time left on the
clock, the Soviets
were able to replay
the final 5 seconds
and beat the U.S. 5150.
• Needless to say, the
U.S. was pissed
Use of Performance
Enhancers and Cheating
• The U.S. and U.S.S.R. were desperate to
outdo each other in every aspect during
the Cold War and would stop at nothing
• Both were accused of poor sportsmanship
and use of performance enhancers in
sporting events
1980 Lake Placid Winter
Olympics
• Soviets had won every Winter
Olympic ice hockey tournament
since 1960
• They were well seasoned and had been
playing together for many years
• U.S. team was composed of college
students with little history of playing
together
• The U.S. amazed everyone and reached
the final game
Miracle on Ice – U.S. vs.
U.S.S.R
• Regarded as the greatest
moment in the history of
American sports
• The amateur U.S. team defeated
the highly favored U.S.S.R. 4-3
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1980 – Moscow Summer
Olympics
• USA boycotted these events
• President Jimmy Carter said the boycott
was because of the Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan
• "I pointed out ... that continued aggressive
actions by the Soviets would endanger the
participation of athletes and travel to
Moscow by spectators." – President Jimmy
Carter
• Change of venue proposal
• Revoking of passports
"At the time, I was really
angry, but ... looking back, it
beats sending 18-year-olds
over there with guns. It was
something [Carter] could
do.” – Dick Buerkle, a U.S. long
distance runner who had qualified
for the Olympics
Everyone Join In
• USA made efforts to persuade it’s
allies to boycott the event as well
• In the end, about 60 teams
boycotted the Moscow Olympics
• The U.S.S.R. won 80 gold medals,
195 medals in all, in what critics
called the most lopsided Olympics
since 1904
1980 Summer Olympics medal count
Pos Country
Total
1
USSR
80 69 46 195
2
East Germany (GDR)
47 37 42 126
3
Bulgaria
8
16 17 41
4
Cuba
8
7
5
20
5
Italy
8
3
4
15
6
Hungary
7
10 15 32
7
Romania
6
6
13 25
8
France
6
5
3
14
9
Great Britain
5
7
9
21
Poland
3
14 15 32
10
1984 – Los Angeles
Olympics
• Soviet Union
boycotted these
events
• Desire to retaliate
against the U.S.’s
boycott on the
Moscow Olympics
• 14 other
communist nations
didn’t attend
• More participating
nations than any
previous Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics medal count
Pos Country
Total
1
United States
83 61 30 174
2
Romania
20 16 17 53
3
West Germany (FRG) 17 19 23 59
4
China
15 8
9
5
Italy
14 6
12 32
6
Canada
10 18 16 44
7
Japan
10 8
14 32
8
New Zealand
8
1
2
11
9
Yugoslavia
7
4
7
18
South Korea
6
6
7
19
10
32