1984 Summer Olympics boycott

The boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. The boycott was a follow up to the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The boycott involved 14 Eastern Bloc countries and allies, led by the Soviet Union who initiated the boycott on May 8, 1984, and joined by others, including East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Cuba. Romania, considered a Soviet ally, notably did not withdraw, instead turning up in Los Angeles for the Games held on July 28 through August 12.

The Friendship Games, an alternative event, was established instead.

Reasons

The USSR announced its intentions to boycott the 1984 Summer Olympics on May 8, 1984. Six more states followed within days: Bulgaria, then East Germany (on May 10, citing the attitude of the American government for "destroy[ing] the basis" of its desired participation), followed by Mongolia and Vietnam (both May 11), and then Laos and Czechoslovakia (both May 13), with China formally accepting that it would be present in Los Angeles as the Laotians and Czechs announced their decision to absent themselves. Afghanistan was the eighth country to boycott the 1984 Olympics. Hungary and Poland were the ninth and tenth countries to join the boycott on May 16 and May 17 respectively, Hungary saying the lives of its athletes would be put in danger if they were to spend time in Los Angeles, Poland saying the United States was engaging in a "campaign aimed at disturbing the Games" and the Soviet Union saying the White House intended to permit any possible massacre of Soviet athletes in their apartments, leaving Romania as the only remaining Soviet ally to announce a boycott. Cuba was the eleventh country to announce its participation in the boycott, making front page news in America because it was a "serious blow to boxing and baseball" (May 24). South Yemen were the twelfth state to drop out (May 27), with Los Angeles Times stating that this was due to their "Marxist" connections. North Korea were the thirteenth state to boycott the 1984 Olympics. Radio Moscow announced Angola's decision to boycott the 1984 Olympics, as the country became the second African state and 15th state to participate in the boycott.

Iran decided to boycott 1984 because of "United States interference in the Middle East, its support for the regime occupying Jerusalem and the crimes being committed by the U.S.A. in Latin America, especially in El Salvador." Iran was the only country not to attend both the 1980 Moscow and the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. For different reasons, Libya also boycotted.^{[citation needed]}

Announcing its intentions on May 8, 1984, the Soviet Union cited security concerns and stated that "chauvinistic sentiments and an anti-Soviet hysteria [were] being whipped up in the United States." A US official said the country had ignored suggestive comments by the Soviets in the weeks building up to the announcement and that, in spite of all the indications, America was "absolutely dumbfounded" when the official announcement actually came. The American media saw the boycott as revenge for the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games in response to the 1979 Soviet war in Afghanistan. Among those subscribing to the revenge hypothesis was Peter Ueberroth, the chief organizer of the 1984 L.A. Games, who expressed his views in a press conference after the boycott was announced, on the same day that the Olympic torch relay in the United States began in New York City. U.S. President Ronald Reagan later stated his belief that the Soviets feared some of their athletes might defect. As more and more countries withdrew and the United States became more desperate the IOC even announced on deadline week that it would consider extending the deadline for entry into the Olympics. The three top medal winners from the 1980 Games in Moscow were among the boycotters, but the United States saw this as a "clear advantage" as it meant they would win more medals.

Boycotting governments

Incomplete map of olympic boycotts, showing 1984 boycotting countries in red and orange

Listed in the chronological order of their withdrawal, not by alphabetical or any geographical order. 16 or 18 (from different sources) in all.

• Soviet Union
• Bulgaria
• East Germany
• Mongolia
• Vietnam
• Laos
• Czechoslovakia
• Afghanistan
• Hungary
• Poland
• Cuba
• South Yemen
• North Korea
• Ethiopia
• Angola

Notes

• Three others did not compete:
  • Iran
  • Libya
  • Albania

Effects (Friendship Games)

The boycott affected a large number of Olympic events that were normally dominated by the absent countries. Boycotting countries organized another major event, called the Friendship Games, in July–August 1984.

In popular culture

In the season 4 episode, "Lisa's First Word", of the U.S. television show The Simpsons, Krusty Burger is featured in a promotion where the characters get free food if they receive a slip that features an event that was "won" by the United States. The promotion was rigged, as was said in the episode, where every game card was to be in an event that "Communists never lose." However, almost immediately after that is said, word of the boycott is spread and the rigging backfires. Krusty Burger loses so much money on the promotion that Krusty states publicly he will "personally spit in every 50th burger".

The Krusty Burger promotion paralleled a real-life McDonald's scratch-card promotion from the 1984 Olympics that also lost that company money. The promotion was called "If the US Wins, You Win!" and gave away Big Mac hamburger sandwiches for every gold medal, fries for every silver medal, and Coca-Cola beverages for every bronze; like the Krusty Burger promotion, McDonald's lost money. (McDonald's promotion lost money due to employees handing out promotion cards at will instead of with purchases as was intended.)