During the height of the Cold War, the 1980 Summer Olympic games were to be held in Moscow.  At the same time, the Soviet Union was at war in Afghanistan.  On January 20, 1980, President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States would boycott the Olympic games if the Soviet Union did not withdraw.

On this day, August 3rd, in 1980, the closing ceremonies of the Moscow Olympics took place without United States participation.  Although the boycott was a strong political statement, many American athletes protested the boycott, wanting the rare chance to win an Olympic medal. One notable protest was made at the United States Olympic Trials by marathoner Gay Fanelli with a shirt reading, “The Road to Moscow Ends Here.”

In addition to the United States boycott, an additional 65 countries did not attend the games.  Twenty-three countries participated in the games, but either did not participate in the opening parade or paraded without their nation’s flag.