1980 Winter Olympics
Encyclopedia
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event
which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid
, New York
, United States
of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York
village hosted the Games, after 1932
. The only other candidate city to bid for the Games was Vancouver
-Garibaldi
, British Columbia, Canada; which withdrew before the final vote.
The mascots of the Games were "Roni" and "Ronny", two raccoon
s. The mask-like rings on a raccoon's face recall the goggles
and hats worn by many athletes in winter sports.
The sports were played at the Olympic Center (later renamed Herb Brooks Arena), Whiteface Mt., Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Bobsled Run, , the Olympic Ski Jumps, the Cascade Cross Country Ski Center, and the Lake Placid High School Speed Skating Oval.
team. The team was composed mostly of collegiate players and was not predicted to advance beyond group play. They won the gold medal, defeating the heavily favored Soviet team and Finland in the medal round. The United States team's 4–3 win over the Soviet team, which came into the 1980 Games having won 4 consecutive Olympic gold medals, became known as the "Miracle on Ice
" in the US press. The win captured the hearts of Americans during a time of Cold War tensions, even though it was the win against Finland
that captured the gold medal. A film about the event, called Miracle, was released in 2004.
Other notable highlights included:
Critics decried poorly planned transportation which left spectators waiting for hours in freezing weather, and some athletes complained about lousy accommodations at the Olympic village, where the dorms would later be turned into a prison. The supply and demand for event tickets never merged, as would-be buyers were unable to buy unsold tickets because only those who already had a ticket could enter ticket-sales areas at venues. Unsold tickets are still being sold as souvenirs at several local tourist shops, including the Olympic Regional Development Association's gift shop at the Olympic Arena. The former Will Rogers Memorial Hospital
was briefly used as press headquarters.
participated. United States President Jimmy Carter
had already called for the boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics
in Moscow, leading to a great deal of tension at the Games. Nevertheless, the USSR and its allies participated (though the USSR didn't participate in the 1984 Summer Olympics
, held in Los Angeles
).
Cyprus
made their Olympic debut at the 1980 Winter Olympics. The People's Republic of China and Costa Rica
both made their Winter Olympic debut. The Republic of China
had boycotted the Games over the IOC's recognition of the PRC as "China", and its request for the Republic of China to compete as "Chinese Taipei
".
" by the American flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione
, who performed the song (along with the song "Pina Colada") live at the Closing Ceremonies, with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (Canada).
Multi-sport event
A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports between organized teams of athletes from nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the modern Olympic Games.Many...
which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
village hosted the Games, after 1932
1932 Winter Olympics
The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4 and closed on February 15. It would be the first winter olympics held in the United...
. The only other candidate city to bid for the Games was Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
-Garibaldi
Garibaldi, British Columbia
Garibaldi, originally named Daisy Lake and also known as Garibaldi Lodge and Garibaldi Townsite, is an abandoned locality in British Columbia, Canada, on the Cheakamus River around its confluence with Rubble Creek and just south of Daisy Lake....
, British Columbia, Canada; which withdrew before the final vote.
The mascots of the Games were "Roni" and "Ronny", two raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s. The mask-like rings on a raccoon's face recall the goggles
Goggles
Goggles or safety glasses are forms of protective eyewear that usually enclose or protect the area surrounding the eye in order to prevent particulates, water or chemicals from striking the eyes. They are used in chemistry laboratories and in woodworking. They are often used in snow sports as well,...
and hats worn by many athletes in winter sports.
The sports were played at the Olympic Center (later renamed Herb Brooks Arena), Whiteface Mt., Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Bobsled Run, , the Olympic Ski Jumps, the Cascade Cross Country Ski Center, and the Lake Placid High School Speed Skating Oval.
Highlights
The most notable highlight of the Games involved the United States men's ice hockeyIce hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics was held at the Olympic Arena and the Olympic Fieldhouse in Lake Placid, New York. Twelve teams competed in the tournament, which was held from February 12 to February 24...
team. The team was composed mostly of collegiate players and was not predicted to advance beyond group play. They won the gold medal, defeating the heavily favored Soviet team and Finland in the medal round. The United States team's 4–3 win over the Soviet team, which came into the 1980 Games having won 4 consecutive Olympic gold medals, became known as the "Miracle on Ice
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" is the name in American popular culture for a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, February 22...
" in the US press. The win captured the hearts of Americans during a time of Cold War tensions, even though it was the win against Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
that captured the gold medal. A film about the event, called Miracle, was released in 2004.
Other notable highlights included:
- Lake Placid 1980 marked the first use of artificial snow in Olympic competition.
- Although they did not get any medals, the People's Republic of China entered the Olympics Games for the first time after the IOCInternational Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
agreed to designate the Republic of ChinaRepublic of ChinaThe Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
"Chinese TaipeiChinese TaipeiChinese Taipei is the designated name used by the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, to participate in some international organizations and almost all sporting events, such as the Olympics, Paralympics, Asian Games and Asian Para Games...
". - SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's Ingemar StenmarkIngemar StenmarkJan Ingemar Stenmark is a Swedish former skier, active during the 1970s and 1980s. He is regarded as one of the most prominent Swedish sportsmen, and as the greatest slalom and giant slalom specialist of all time. He competed for Fjällvinden Tärnaby.Stenmark was born in the province of Lappland...
won both the giant slalom and the slalom. - Hanni WenzelHanni WenzelHannelore Wenzel is a former champion alpine ski racer from Liechtenstein. She won the country's first Olympic medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria....
won the women's giant slalom and slalom, making LiechtensteinLiechtensteinThe Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
the smallest country to produce an Olympic champion. - Ulrich WehlingUlrich WehlingUlrich Wehling is a retired German skier who won the nordic combined event in the Winter Olympics three consecutive times, in 1972, 1976, and 1980...
of East Germany and Irina RodninaIrina RodninaIrina Konstantinovna Rodnina is one of the most successful figure skaters ever and the only pair skater to win 10 successive World Championships and three successive Olympic gold medals . She initially competed with Alexei Ulanov and later teamed up with Alexander Zaitsev...
of the USSR won their respective events for the third time. - Aleksandr TikhonovAleksandr TikhonovAlexander Ivanovich Tikhonov is a retired Russian biathlete who represented the USSR. Tikhonov trained at Dynamo in Novosibirsk. He is one of the most successful biathletes of all time, with nine world championship gold medals and four Olympic gold medals...
of the USSR earned his fourth straight gold medal. - Nikolay ZimyatovNikolay ZimyatovNikolay Semyonovich Zimyatov , name also spelled Nikolaj Zimjatov, was one of the most successful Soviet/Russian male cross-country skiers ever. He trained at Spartak and later at the Armed Forces sports society...
of the USSR earned three gold medals in cross-country skiing. - Eric HeidenEric HeidenEric Arthur Heiden, M.D. is an American former long track speed skater and road cyclist who won all the men's speed skating races, and thus an unprecedented five individual gold medals, and set four Olympic records and one world record at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York,...
of the United States won 5 gold medals in speedskatingSpeed skating at the 1980 Winter OlympicsThese are the results of the 1980 Winter Olympic Games speed skating competition held in Lake Placid, New York, at the Olympic Ice Center.-500 m:Friday February 15, 1980 — 37 competitors from 18 countries...
(500m, 1,000m, 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m), setting 4 Olympic records and 1 world record (10,000m) in the process. Heiden was the first to win 5 individual gold medals at one Winter Games. - Robin CousinsRobin CousinsRobert "Robin" Cousins is a British retired competitive figure skater. He is the 1980 Olympic Champion, the 1980 European champion, a three-time World medalist and four-time British national champion. He later starred in ice shows and also produced his own...
won gold for Great Britain in the men's singles figure skating. - The closing ceremonies are held indoor at the Herb Brooks ArenaHerb Brooks ArenaThe Herb Brooks Arena, known as the Olympic Center until 2005, is a 7,700-seat multi-purpose arena in Lake Placid, New York. This arena was built for the 1932 Winter Olympics, the first indoor arena used for the Winter Olympics. For the 1932 Games, it hosted the figure skating and six of the twelve...
. - East Germany won the most medals overall (23) but had fewer golds (9) than the USSR (10).
- In possibly the most dramatic duel of the games, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's Thomas WassbergThomas WassbergThomas Wassberg is a Swedish former cross-country skier. A fast skating style - push for every leg - is still called "Wassberg" after him in several countries....
edged FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
's Juha MietoJuha MietoJuha Iisakki Mieto . is a former Finnish cross country skier who competed during the 1970s and 1980s. He won five medals at the Winter Olympics...
in the 15 km cross-country skiing by 0.01 seconds, the closest margin of victory ever in Olympic cross-country skiingCross-country skiing at the 1980 Winter Olympics-15 km:February 17, 1980This extremely close race in electronic timing led to the International Ski Federation having all cross-country competitions being timed to the 1/10 second in future.-30 km:February 14, 1980...
. This led the International Ski FederationInternational Ski FederationThe International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
(ISF) to time all events to the nearest 1/10 second in the future.
Sports
See the medal winners, ordered by sport:Venues
- Intervales Ski-HillLake Placid Olympic Ski Jumping ComplexThe Lake Placid Olympic Ski Jumping Complex comprises a 90- and 120-meter ski jumps towers built for the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York, United States...
– Nordic combined (ski jumping), Ski jumping - Lake Placid Equestrian StadiumLake Placid Equestrian StadiumLake Placid Equestrian Stadium is an equestrian stadium in Lake Placid, New York, USA. In addition to hosting equestrian events, it also hosted the opening ceremonies to the 1980 Winter Olympics. The stadium holds 30,000.-Reference:* Volume 1. pp. 78-81....
– Opening ceremonies - Lake Placid Olympic Sports Complex Cross Country Biathlon CenterLake Placid Olympic Sports Complex Cross Country Biathlon CenterThe Lake Placid Olympic Sports Complex Cross Country Biathlon Center is a venue located in Lake Placid, New York. During the 1980 Winter Olympics, it hosted the biathlon, cross-country skiing, and the cross-country skiing portion of the nordic combined events....
– Biathlon, Cross-country skiing, Nordic combined (Cross-country skiing) - Mt. Van Hoevenberg Bob and Luge Run – Bobsleigh, Luge (separate tracks)
- Olympic CenterHerb Brooks ArenaThe Herb Brooks Arena, known as the Olympic Center until 2005, is a 7,700-seat multi-purpose arena in Lake Placid, New York. This arena was built for the 1932 Winter Olympics, the first indoor arena used for the Winter Olympics. For the 1932 Games, it hosted the figure skating and six of the twelve...
– Figure skating, Ice hockey, Closing ceremonies - James B. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval – Speed skating
- Whiteface MountainWhiteface MountainWhiteface Mountain is the fifth-highest mountain in New York State, and one of the High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. Set apart from most of the other High Peaks, the summit offers a 360-degree view featuring the Adirondacks and perhaps on a clear day glimpses of Vermont and even Canada. The...
– Alpine skiing
Critics decried poorly planned transportation which left spectators waiting for hours in freezing weather, and some athletes complained about lousy accommodations at the Olympic village, where the dorms would later be turned into a prison. The supply and demand for event tickets never merged, as would-be buyers were unable to buy unsold tickets because only those who already had a ticket could enter ticket-sales areas at venues. Unsold tickets are still being sold as souvenirs at several local tourist shops, including the Olympic Regional Development Association's gift shop at the Olympic Arena. The former Will Rogers Memorial Hospital
Will Rogers Memorial Hospital
Will Rogers Memorial Hospital is a historic tuberculosis sanatorium located at Saranac Lake in Essex County. It was built in 1928 by the National Vaudeville Artists association, who previously sent patients to the Kennedy Cottage. It is a three story, "T" shaped, steel frame and reinforced...
was briefly used as press headquarters.
Medal count
(Host nation highlighted)| 1 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 22 | |
| 2 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 23 | |
| 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 12 | |
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | |
| 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| 7 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 9 | |
| 8 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | |
| 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
Participating nations
36 NOCsNational Olympic Committee
National Olympic Committees are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, they are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games...
participated. United States President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
had already called for the boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
in Moscow, leading to a great deal of tension at the Games. Nevertheless, the USSR and its allies participated (though the USSR didn't participate in the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
, held in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
).
Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
made their Olympic debut at the 1980 Winter Olympics. The People's Republic of China and Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
both made their Winter Olympic debut. The Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
had boycotted the Games over the IOC's recognition of the PRC as "China", and its request for the Republic of China to compete as "Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei is the designated name used by the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, to participate in some international organizations and almost all sporting events, such as the Olympics, Paralympics, Asian Games and Asian Para Games...
".
Theme song
The official theme song for the 1980 Winter Olympics was "Give It All You GotGive It All You Got
"Give It All You Got" is an instrumental song from 1980 by the American flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione. It was written and produced by Mangione, and can be found on his 1979 album Fun and Games....
" by the American flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione
Chuck Mangione
Charles Frank "Chuck" Mangione is an American flugelhorn player and composer who achieved international success in 1977 with his jazz-pop single, "Feels So Good." Mangione has released more than thirty albums since 1960.-Early life and career:...
, who performed the song (along with the song "Pina Colada") live at the Closing Ceremonies, with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (Canada).