At the height of the 1980s Cold War, the USSR elected not to travel to America to compete in the Games
On May 8, 1984, the Soviet Union announced a boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles marked one of the defining political moments in Olympic history. The USSR claimed it could not guarantee the safety of its athletes in the United States and accused organizers of promoting anti-Soviet sentiment. However, most historians viewed the move as retaliation for the American-led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, which had been organized in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
The boycott dramatically altered the landscape of the Games. Fourteen Eastern Bloc nations eventually joined the Soviet Union in refusing to participate, although Romania famously broke ranks and attended, receiving widespread applause from American crowds.
The absence of Soviet athletes removed many of the world’s top competitors from events such as gymnastics, track and field, weightlifting, and wrestling.
For the United States, the Games became both a sporting triumph and a symbolic Cold War victory. American athletes captured 83 gold medals and dominated the medal standings in front of enthusiastic home crowds.
Meanwhile, the Soviet Union organized an alternative competition known as the “Friendship Games,” allowing Eastern Bloc athletes to compete outside the Olympic spotlight. The boycott highlighted how deeply global politics had infiltrated international sports during the height of the Cold War.
[…] The stunning reversal sent shock waves through the sporting world. Johnson had entered the Seoul Games as the reigning world champion and the man who had spent years locked in a highly publicized rivalry with Lewis. His 9.79-second performance had appeared to settle that rivalry once and for all. Instead, his victory lasted only 62 hours before the positive test turned the celebration into one of the most infamous scandals in Olympic history. […]