- Historical event:
- 3 August 1980
- The 1980 Moscow Olympic Games were marked by the largest boycott in Olympic history. The boycott was organized by the USA, in protest to the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan.
The Moscow Olympic Games were ended on this day in 1980.
These were the 22nd modern Olympic Games, and are notable for being boycotted by around 50 countries. The boycott was organized by the USA, in protest to the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan.
As many as 67 of the invited countries did not participate in said games. However, not all 67 failed to appear due to the boycott, since some were prevented from doing so simply due to economic reasons.
It is estimated that around 45-50 responded to the American call for a boycott. In the end, only 80 countries were represented at the Moscow games, the smallest number in the last 24 years.
At the next Olympic Games in 1984, the USSR responded with a similar boycott. Namely, most of the Eastern Bloc countries did not participate at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984.