Mikhail Gorbachev - USSR

Berlin wall built
"The Anti Fascist Protection Barrier".

the berlin wall
The Berlin wall was used as a canvas for many artists.

Moscow Olympic Games

Moscow Olympic Games

If international capitalism could not forgive him that the USSR disputed world hegemony at all levels, would have a hard drink that October 23, 1974. That same day, the International Olympic Committee had to decide on the headquarters Vienna the Olympic Games in 1980. There were two candidate cities: Los Angeles and Moscow. Two cities, two forms of social organization, the capitalist bastion against the capital of the first socialist state in the world. The result of the vote was 39 votes in favor of Moscow and 20 in favor of the Angels.

The US could not fit that defeat and led an international boycott against holding the Olympics in Soviet territory. In March 1980, US President Jimmy Carter threatened to withdraw the athletes passport to travel to compete in Moscow. The most servile to US states banned their athletes compete in the Olympics. No athlete in the US, West Germany, Japan, China and Canada attended Moscow.

Other capitalist countries like Spain, Britain and Italy gave freedom to their athletes, although they recommended not to participate and banned the use of national symbols. Thus, some countries had to compete under the colors of the IOC, rather than national.

Like any Olympic occasion, the host city had to adapt major sporting complexes and infrastructures are complexies. Stresses the Olympic "Lenin" Stadium, Terminal 2 of the airport, great hotel "Cosmos" (for up to 3000 guests), housing , hospitals ... For the first time in history, a socialist country organized the Summer Olympics.

Despite all this, imperialism did not achieve its objectives. The games took place as normal, with leading sports and friendship among people. The celebration of the Olympics allowed to break all the myths created by the West regarding the USSR. The anti-Soviet propaganda was belied by the good level of life and happiness of Soviet citizens. Even today, the time is considered by Russians as the happiest and longed according to the 2011 survey.

5,217 athletes participated in 204 specialties. The amount of Olympic records achieved was much higher (74 Olympic records were set) to other Olympic game.

The inaugural ceremony took place on July 19, 1980 in the Lenin Stadium in Moscow. The Olympic torch arrived in the hands of the athlete Viktor Saneyev (Olympic gold in triple jump at Mexico 68, Munich Monreal 72 and 76) who deliver to Sergei Belov (basketball player who in 1972 scored in the dying seconds of the final in Munich 72 giving the gold to the Soviet Union against the United States). Sergei Belov was responsible for lighting the Olympic torch high. The gymnast Nikolai Andrianov, made the Olympic oath (Nikolai Andrianov, Munich 72 gold, 76 Monreal got 4 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze). Space connection is established and cosmonauts Leonid Popov and Valery Ryumin passed their encouragement on to the athletes. Finally, Brezhnev declared opened the XXII Olympic Games, before the parade of athletes from the different countries.