United States Boycott the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow

1. United States Boycott the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow Myriah Wiseman

2. Thesis • What led the United States to boycott the summer Olympics in Moscow was the • Soviet Invasion in Afghanistan, • SALT II, • …and the protest effects of the boycott

3. Background • Olympic games started on July 19, 1980 • All athletes have been qualified and were ready for the games to begin • First time Olympic games would be held in a communist country: Moscow • 9 billion dollars invested in the games

4. Soviets invaded Afghanistan December 1979 • A little over 7 months before the games were to be started • Ten year conflict

5. Very upset Condemned the invasion Sent help and convert channels to try to get Soviets out Jimmy Carter intervened

6. If Soviets did not withdraw the U.S. would not participate in the Olympic Games held months later in Moscow Jimmy Carter gave them until 12:01 A.M. on February 20th 1980 to be fully out Carter’s Protest

7. Carters protest= Unsuccessful May 15, 1988 Jimmy Carter declared Boycott on March 21, 1980 61 Countries joined in boycott

8. Participating Countries in boycott Japan Kenya South Korea Liberia Liechtenstein Malawi Malaysia Mauritania Monaco Morocco Netherlands Antilles Niger Norway Pakistan Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Philippines Saudi Arabia Singapore Somalia Sudan Swaziland Thailand Togo Tunisia Turkey United Arab Emirates United States Uruguay U.S. Virgin Islands Zaire Albania Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belize Bermuda Bolivia Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile People's Republic of China[4] [5] Côte d'Ivoire Egypt El Salvador Fiji Gabon Gambia West Germany Ghana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Indonesia Israel

9. Jimmy Carter wrote to Robert Kane President of the U.S. Olympics Carter asked Kane to write to International Olympic Committee to change place of where Olympics would be held Carter threatened he would: Withhold funding Take away organizations tax exemption Only if Olympics would still be held in Moscow International Olympic Committee declined Carter’s request and stated the games will still be held in Moscow Leading up to boycott..

10. Carters Announcement Speech Was not necessary for Soviets to take over a small weak country He stated it was unnecessary because Soviets had already taken freedom from enough other countries Not fair So powerful against so weak

11. Reason for bitterness of Carter’s Boycott Fairly new signed treaty Soviets & United States Treaty was SALT II “Strategic Arms Limitation Talks” Lasted from 1977-1979 Controversial between Carter & Leonid Brezhnev

12. SALT II Policy of attempts to reduce possibilities of nuclear war by threatening other sides with non acceptable levels of destruction

13. Purpose of SALT II Create a nuclear balance between two super powers and limit the development of new technologies The U.S. and Soviets agreed on not making new very powerful destructive techniques that other countries could find out and use against them. The two countries could work together

14. Result 6 months after signing : Soviets invaded Afghanistan going against treaty Carter immediately removed U.S. from the treaty United States senate although, never fully ratified the treaty, Soviets still went against it

15. The Soviets used strategic weapons in the invasion that they were secretly producing Exactly what the treaty was not to do U.S. and Soviets held limitations about SALT II until 1986

16. Why invasion was protested.. Carter did not feel or believe in what Soviets were doing Going against treaties Protest of boycott was thought to be a effective symbolic protest As well as dramatic and visible event that would stick out to show Soviets they were doing wrong

17. “Best for world Peace” Carter believed boycotting the summer Olympics and by trying to get the Soviets out of Afghanistan would be best for the world He felt if the U.S. withdrew and other countries too, would make the Soviets withdraw. The boycott led into a major world event

18. Outcomes 9 billion dollars invested by Soviets in Moscow for the Games One of the most important events at the time for the Soviet Union since World War II $400 million dollars was was lost in tourism and investments with all the countries boycotting

19. U.S. loss too.. United States was sent into a major economic set back as well U.S. had absence of American Coverage NBC was to give 152 hours worth of broadcasting Without U.S. being there this could not happen

20. Angry athletes 61 Countries of athletes did not agree with the protest and boycott Caused a lot of controversy with presidents and all the athletes Did not think it was fair that they would have to be un-benefited for something like this Once in a life time opportunity for them that was taken away

21. Statistic 446 athletes from U.S. qualified for games in 1980 Only 247 of those 446 qualified four years later in the 1884 Olympic games The athletes that didn’t re qualify lost there only chance

22. Still till this day athletes are coping.. “Look at Afghanistan now. The Russians aren't there. We are.” -Bob Coffman, gymnast at the time of boycott

23. Overall.. Olympic Games in Moscow was boycotted in 1980 By 61 teams Soviets did not succeed and getting what they wanted Finally gave up after ten years

24. Restated Thesis Soviet invasion in Afghanistan led to boycott As well as bitterness from SALT II The protest was to show Soviets to withdraw which would be “best for world peace”. And, the effect of the athletes and the economic hardships

25. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Summer_Olympics_boycott http://middleeast.about.com/od/afghanistan/a/me080803.htm http://www.sportslawnews.com/archive/history/HT11.htm http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/carter-tells-us-athletes-of-olympic-boycott http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/acda/treaties/salt2-1.htm http://www.fas.org/nuke/control/salt2/text/salt2-2.htm