Friendship Games

Shortly after the Soviet Union had decided to boycott the 1984 Los Angeles Games, and other Eastern Bloc nations had followed suit, it declared it would stage alternative competitions. These Friendship Games were held in nine boycotting nations (Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Mongolia, North Korea, Poland and the Soviet Union) between June and September 1984, although the bulk was held in the Soviet Union in August, shortly after the conclusion of the Olympics. Apart from the host nations, other boycotting nations that competed were Afghanistan, Angola, Cuba, Ethiopia, South Yemen, and Vietnam. However, other nations were also welcome, and even some medallists from the United States and West Germany entered. But competition was dominated by the Soviet Union, which won 126 gold medals, and 282 in total. Several world records were broken, notably in weightlifting (30), but also swimming (5) and track & field (1).