Friendship Games
friendship game friendship russian дружба druzhba international multisport event held july september soviet union eight eastern bloc state boycotted summer olympics los angeles although friendship game official denied game counterolympic event avoid conflict international olympic committee competition often dubbed soviet bloc alternative olympics fifty state took part competition boycotting country represented strongest athlete state sent reserve team consisting athlete failed qualify game los angeles may less three month summer olympics scheduled begin soviet union announced decision boycott game citing lack security soviet athlete los angeles tass news agency accused united state trying exploit game political purpose stating arrogant hegemonic course washington administration international relation odds noble ideal olympic movement article published london evening standard several hour official announcement victor louis – soviet journalist writing western press thought used kremlin unofficial mean leaking information west – first informed world ussr decision boycott adding detailed plan soviet bloc alternative game already made louis claimed would probably announced last minute throw american organization chaos article named bulgaria possible host country may bulgaria became first soviet ally join boycott soon followed east germany also may mongolia vietnam may louis wrote another article may french le journal du dimanche stating soviet union contemplating counterolympic game possibly held sofia capital bulgaria however time noted idea unlikely soviet feared organizing event might prompt international olympic committee exclude ussr day soviet sport commentator vsevolod kuskuskin interview abc television program week david brinkley said eastern bloc would definitely organize game also may lao czechoslovakia afghanistan announced decision boycott los angeles game may marat gramov head soviet olympic committee called press conference discus boycott conference gramov assured moscow would support alternative game staged compete olympics day poland stated eastern bloc official vetoed counterolympics idea bloc would instead sponsor sport event various nation substitute participation los angeles game holding different time olympics hungary became ninth country boycott summer olympics may followed poland day later may olaf brockmann austrian newspaper die presse citing alexander ushakov head trainer soviet decathlon team said eastern bloc country hastily arranging series sport event brockmann named five competition two track field athletics meet one held prague czechoslovakia east berlin potsdam east germany plus fencing modern pentathlon boxing event held poland ushakov reportedly said event would held either olympics avoid conflict ioc would ban form counterolympic game juan antonio samaranch president ioc held conference national olympic committee eleven eastern bloc country eight boycotting state – bulgaria czechoslovakia east germany hungary mongolia poland soviet union vietnam – plus cuba north korea romania prague czechoslovakia starting may samaranch hoped convince boycotting state change position romania assured would attend summer olympics remaining ten country change stance even used meeting discus summer game official announcement made antonin himl president czechoslovak olympic committee appeared prague television may himl said olympic game ended various eastern bloc country would hold sport event olympic discipline himl stated game intention would give athlete conscientiously prepared past four year possibility sell ability thus friendship game idea officially proclaimed himl said game would held august ie summer olympics country czechoslovakia would host gymnastics archery womens handball womens track field athletics also gave assurance event would open athlete including nonboycotting nation soon meeting cuba also announced decision boycott summer olympics end june north korea south yemen ethiopia angola announced decision boycott june soviet union official asked ted turner turner broadcasting system televise event held hungary american audience turner eventually declined assured network would give spot coverage game treat sporting event initial estimate placed number athlete participating soviet event venue approximately later number expected participant lowered representing country however expected athlete showed exact number athlete took part event held outside soviet union unknown olympicboycotting country represented strongest athlete state sent reserve team consisting athlete failed qualify summer olympics athlete competed los angeles olympics friendship game claudia losch west germany olympic gold shot put united state alice brown olympic silver medallist neither losch brown able place medal friendship game interview long jumper joyce oladapo competed great britain friendship game said initially impression event along line regular athletics meeting realised significance arrived hotel prague athlete staying literally anyone anyone eastern bloc although game began july table tennis event held north korea official opening ceremony held august moscow soon first event hosted soviet union started twohour ceremony held central lenin stadium included girl white leotard spinning red white beachball unison dozen child traditional costume soviet republic squadron young performer created human weaving machine ducking turning mesh colored banner redattired teenage girl silver hula hoop spelled word ussr peace ceremony described reminiscent olympic gala olympic opening ceremony torch bearer soviet runner gold medalist viktor markin carried flame stadium lit giant bowl built moscow olympics torch lit eternal flame world war ii victim located kremlin team marched onto stadium behind flag unlike olympics national team sporting organisation dynamo spartak song performed ceremony included military march dedicated red army stadium dream written olympics specially composed song chorus sunny peace – yes yes yes nuclear blast – general secretary konstantin chernenko attend ceremony expected five politburo member present dimitri ustinov mikhail gorbachev grigory romanov vitaly vorotnikov viktor grishin event hosted nine country bulgaria cuba czechoslovakia east germany hungary north korea mongolia poland soviet union july september exception equestrian jumping event held summer olympics los angeles held july august game contested olympic discipline except association football synchronized swimming nonolympic table tennis tennis sambo wrestling soviet union five six possible medal interview shortly event began soviet team coach igor terovanesyan said athlete beat ten world record preparation competition soviet athlete set new record game still dominated winning half gold medal new world record set east german irina meszynski womens discus throw unusual feat alberto juantorena cuba ryszard ostrowski poland crossed finish line exactly moment men metre run official unable decide came first – even examining photograph – declared winner annual moscow marathon declared friendship game event caused minor controversy united state marine guard american embassy usually took part withdrew learning would treated friendship game competition soviet union men final czechoslovakia – cuba came third ahead poland ussr also finished first womens event since roundrobin tournament semifinal final host nation cuba fully dominated event winning eleven twelve gold medal east german torsten schmitz welterweight category noncuban win gold teófilo stevenson threetime consecutive olympic gold medalist lost chance win fourth gold cuba boycotted los angeles game super heavyweight category boxing one three discipline soviet union win gold medal others modern pentathlon table tennis host east germany soviet union twelve gold medal six apiece schleizer dreieck schleiz east germany usually used car motorcycle race track served cycling venue individual road race event saw participation top cyclist era including numerous peace race veteran uwe ampler uwe raab diving yet another event dominated east german soviet gold medalist included aleksandr portnov brita baldus equestrian event discipline contested time summer olympics jumping event took place august also discipline west german italian athlete medal individual dressage yuri kovshov gold silver riding two different horse soviet fencer men event hungary womens event thanks gertrúd stefanek edit kovács soviet union team men tournament soviet union b team came third fourthplace finisher zimbabwe awarded bronze medal team representing democratic republic afghanistan also competed men event lost match including loss east germany artistic gymnastics olga mostepanova achieved perfect score ten time four individual competition six team event fifteen medal rhythmic gymnastics four athlete bulgarian anelia ralenkova diliana gueorguieva soviet galina beloglazova dalia kutkaitė east germany men event thanks win soviet union poland came third péter kovács hungary top scorer goal ussr finished first womens tournament soviet union gold medal event also particularly successful poland seven medal hungarian lászló fábián individual competition hungary also team event ussr took gold medal east germany captured remaining three sailing took place baltic sea near tallinn estonian ssr sailing summer olympics also took place exception finn class contested lake balaton hungary soviet east german gold medal canada finland friendship game medal discipline mimicked olympic game term event womens shooting included nonolympic competition namely metre air pistol metre rifle three position event five new world record set competition sergei zabolotnovs result men metre backstroke excited crowd one half second better rick careys result olympics fifteenyearold sylvia gerasch east germany set world record womens breaststroke also part relay team beat × medley record table tennis nonolympic sport time event hosted north korea four seven gold medal notably people republic china odds socialist state following sinosoviet split took part event soviet player dominated single category also men double event czechoslovakian womens double team nonsoviet team win gold surprisingly soviet team finished first men event cuba poland womens tournament cuba final ussr soviet team – composed mostly player gold summer olympics – finished first hungary cuba took second third spot dominated bulgaria soviet union event saw thirty world record broken including two super heavyweight category set anatoly pisarenko addition freestyle grecoroman event nonolympic sambo wrestling event also contested sambo event hosted mongolia following table based statistic book na olimpijskim szlaku gwiazdy sportu include sambo result medium side iron curtain frequently compared result summer olympics friendship game sixty friendship game result would secured medal olympic game eastern bloc athlete outperformed olympic winner trackandfield event eleven swimming event li yuwei olympic gold medal metre running target shooting obtained score friendship game would placed sixth indeed event weightlifting wrestling friendship game included almost top athlete time must also noted eastern bloc country ran massive statesponsored doping program time however journalist noted comparison unjustified due differing condition equipment example marlies göhrs result womens metre run slightly better evelyn ashfords winning time olympics two met headtohead week friendship game ashford much faster göhr set new world record similarly eastern bloc result track cycling better olympic result friendship game cyclist competed indoor wooden track olympic event took place outdoor concrete track like saying carl lewis faster jesse owen muhammad ali would beaten joe louis secretariat would outrun man war sam lacy afroamerican concluded comparison also political significance friendship game organizer repeatedly assured press event alternative olympics presumably avoid punitive ioc measure soviet staterun medium often alluded comparison tass agency declared eastern bloc game major event olympic year sovietsky sport newspaper described game main event olympic quadrennium marat gramov head soviet olympic committee said socialist nation remain faithful task strengthening unity olympics movement describing los angeles game full chauvinism mass psychosis asked friendship game monique berlioux director ioc said reaction whatsoever competition law justice party poland proposed granting friendship game medalist sport retirement benefit similar given olympic medalist signed law facing international sporting isolation wake invasion ukraine russia announced plan revive friendship game host second edition may russia announced would reviving event world friendship game take place summer olympics – september people olympiad – proposed alternative summer olympics berlin planned held spain liberty bell classic – track field athletics event country boycotting summer olympics moscow held philadelphia united state ganefo alternate olympics spartakiad goodwill game politics sport druzhba russian moscow fizkultura sport yearbook great soviet encyclopedia russian moscow sovetskaya enciklopediya pp – panorama sport year russian moscow fizkultura sport pp – chmielewski zbigniew et al na olimpijskim szlaku sarajewo los angeles polish warsaw sport turystyka isbn trzciński tomasz et al gwiazdy sportu polish warsaw krajowa agencja wydawnicza isbn