among those subscribing to the "revenge hypothesis" was peter ueberroth, the chief organizer of the 1984 l.a. games, who expressed his views in a press conference after the boycott was announced, on the same day that the olympic torch relay in the united states began in new york city. u.s. president ronald reagan later stated his belief that the soviets feared some of their athletes might defect. as well, president reagan and his administration agreed to meet all of the demands of the soviet union in turn for the soviet bloc's attendance at the 1984 olympics, marking a stark contrast in reagan's "hawkish" views on cold war foreign policy. as more countries withdrew, the ioc announced on the deadline week that it would consider extending the deadline for entry into the olympics. the three top medal winners from the 1980 games (which was the subject of a boycott by sixty six nations) in moscow were among the boycotters, and media analysis noted this would weaken the field of competitors in a number of sports. however, it was later disclosed that both the soviet union and east germany boosted their performances with the help of state-run steroid programs.