on may 24, cuba became the eleventh country to announce its participation in the boycott, making front-page news in the united states because it was a "serious blow to boxing and baseball". south yemen was the twelfth country to remove itself from the event (may 27); the "los angeles times" stated that this was due to their "marxist" connections. north korea was the thirteenth nation to boycott the 1984 olympics. ethiopia became the first african state to participate in the boycott, followed by angola.