http://frostwhisper2012.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-1984-los-angeles-olympic-games.html
The 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games was the first time that the Olympics became Mainstream.
It was the first Olympic Games that I watched on the Television and Home Video.
I was mesmerized by this event, and till this day I consider myself an Olympic Games Fan.
The 1984 Summer Olympics are also often considered the Most Financially Successful Modern Olympics.
The Games of the XXIII Olympiad were held on July 28 - August 12, 1984 with
the Opening Ceremony held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The Olympics were opened by US President Ronald Reagan.
Los Angeles is the only US city to host the Summer Olympics twice.
The US Host Broadcaster was ABC Sports.
Philippine Sports Heroes - Lydia de Vega, Isidro del Prado, Leopoldo Cantancio,
Elma Muros and Christine Jacob competed in the 1984 LA Games.
THE STORY
After 52 years, the Summer Olympic Games returned to the United States in 1984, and once again, the Games came to Los Angeles. Looking for respite after the previous three difficult Olympics, the IOC would not find it in Los Angeles.
In May 1984, the Soviet Union announced that it would not attend the Olympics in Los Angeles, citing concerns over the safety of its athletes because of the "anti-Soviet and anti-Communist activities" in the Los Angeles area. Most people considered the boycott one of retribution for the United States' refusal to compete in Moscow. Most of the Eastern European countries joined in the Soviet-bloc boycott, notably East Germany (GDR), and they were joined by Cuba. Although only 14 invited countries did not compete in Los Angeles, the absence of the U.S.S.R., Cuba, and the GDR made many of the events mere shadows of what was anticipated.
The United States and it's Allies boycotted the previous 1980 Moscow Olympics as a result of the Cold War.
Still, more countries and athletes competed at Los Angeles than in any previous Olympics. However, what the 1984 boycott lacked in numbers relative to the 1980 boycott, it made up for it in its impact on the competition. Boxing, weightlifting, wrestling, gymnastics, and track & field would have been dominated by the boycotting nations. The nations which did not compete were: Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia, German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Laos, Mongolia, North Korea, Poland, South Yemen, Vietnam, and the U.S.S.R. Bravely, Romania defied the boycott and competed at the Olympics, receiving an ovation at the opening ceremonies second only to that of the host country. Yugoslavia, not Soviet dominated, was the only other country from Eastern Europe to compete.
For the first time ever, the Games were managed in an entrepreneurial fashion.
Organizing committee President Peter Ueberroth insisted that the Olympics be designed to break even or even provide a profit. Again, the Europeans, used to the simon-pure idealistic image of the Olympics for the Olympics' sake, rebelled against this philosophy. But Ueberroth was determined not to have another white elephant like Montréal and he succeeded admirably in that regard. So admirably, in fact, that when the final tally came in, the organizing committee had made several hundred million dollars. It should be pointed out, however, that Ueberroth's marketing methods, though decried by the Europeans, have since been copied by all organizing committees and even the IOC itself.
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| Olympic Mascot - Sam The Eagle |
OPENING CEREMONY HIGHLIGHTS
The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Opening Ceremony featured the arrival of Bill Suitor by means of the Bell Aerosystems rocket pack (also known as a Jet Pack).
A Release of Huge White Balloons into the sky
A Mosaic of World Flags on the Background
John Williams composed the theme for the Olympiad, "Olympic Fanfare and Theme". This piece won a Grammy for Williams and became one of the most well-known musical themes of the Olympic Games, along with Leo Arnaud's "Bugler's Dream"; the latter is sometimes attached to the beginning of Olympic Fanfare and Theme. NBC, Official USA broadcaster continues to use this Theme in its Olympic Coverage.
As a result of an IOC agreement designating the Republic of China (Taiwan) Chinese Taipei, the People's Republic of China returned to the summer Olympics for the first time since Helsinki 1952 and won 15 gold medals.
Rafer Johnson was the Final Torchbearer. He ran the whole track and ran a whole long flight of stairs where he
lit a specially-designed Cauldron with 5 Burning Olympic Rings
LEVIS was the Official USA Outfitter
SOURCES:
http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1984/
Youtube
Wikipedia
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