1980 Moscow Summer Games
5,512 Athletes, 81 Countries, 203 Events
The 1980 Summer Olympics were the first to be held in a Socialist
country, which was an issue to the thirty-ninth President of the
United States, Jimmy Carter. President Carter was
wary of the Soviets, who had invaded Afghanistan in December 1979
to the dismay of the United States and its allies. First, the
administration sought that the Games be moved to another country
but when that was no longer a choice, the possibility of a boycott
grew imminent.
On April 13, some three months before Opening Ceremonies in
Moscow, the USOC House of Delegates showed its support of President
Carter's wishes and voted not to send a team. This decision was
backed up with warnings from the administration that any athletes
who defied the ruling would be stripped of their US passports. In
total, 65 nations declined their Olympic invitations by the May 24
deadline the majority was part of the American boycott. Some
nations, like Great Britain and Australia, allowed athletes to make
their own decision as to whether or not to attend. Only 80 nations
did make the journey to Moscow making the number of nations at the
Summer Olympics the lowest since the 1956 Melbourne Games.
Many American athletes took issue with the decision, and tried
their best to reverse it. Anita DeFrantz was in
the process of receiving a law degree from Penn while training for
the 1980 Olympics. She was part of the bronze medal women's eight
oared shell team at the 1976 Montreal Games and wanted to duplicate
or better that experience. When the boycott decision was levied,
she became one of the most outspoken athletes seeking a reversal,
leading an ultimately lawsuit against the USOC.
Thirtyone Ivy Leaguers had qualified to attend the Games.
| Name |
School |
Sport |
| Tom Losonczy |
Columbia University |
Men's Fencing |
| Walter 'Chip' Lubsen |
Cornell University |
Men's Rowing |
| Charlotte M. Geer |
Dartmouth College |
Women's Rowing |
| Julia H. Geer |
Dartmouth College |
Women's Rowing |
| Thomas W. Hull |
Dartmouth College |
Men's Rowing |
| Elizabeth C. Kent |
Dartmouth College |
Women's Rowing |
| Kurt F. Somerville |
Dartmouth College |
Men's Rowing |
| Nancy Parssinen Vespoli |
Dartmouth College |
Women's Rowing |
| Charles Altekruse |
Harvard University |
Men's Rowing |
| Richard Cashin |
Harvard University |
Men's Rowing |
| Thomas Howes |
Harvard University |
Men's Rowing |
| Christopher R. 'Tiff' Wood |
Harvard University |
Men's Rowing |
| John Chatzsky |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Rowing |
| Steven Christensen |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Rowing |
| Sean Colgan |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Rowing |
| Karla Drewson |
University of Pennsylvania |
Women's Rowing |
| Bruce Epke |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Rowing |
| Jonathan Fish |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Rowing |
| Julie Staver |
University of Pennsylvania |
Women's Field Hockey |
| Philip Stekl |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Rowing |
| George Tintor |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Rowing |
| Carol Whipple Colgan |
University of Pennsylvania |
Women's Rowing |
| Thomas Woodman |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Rowing |
| Carol Brown |
Princeton University |
Women's Rowing |
| Anne Marden |
Princeton University |
Women's Rowing |
| Virginia Gilder |
Yale University |
Women's Rowing |
| Steve Keisling |
Yale University |
Men's Rowing |
| Andrew Messer |
Yale University |
Men's Rowing |
| Mary O'Conner |
Yale University |
Women's Rowing |
| Anne Warner |
Yale University |
Women's Rowing |