Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games

Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Los Angeles that took place July 28–Aug. 12, 1984. The Los Angeles Games were the 20th occurrence of the modern Olympic Games.

Many communist countries—including the Soviet Union, East Germany, and Cuba—retaliated for the U.S.-led boycott of the Moscow 1980 Games by staying away from the 1984 Games, citing concerns over the safety of their athletes in what they considered a hostile and fiercely anticommunist environment. China, however, participated in the Summer Games for the first time since 1952. In all, nearly 6,800 athletes representing 140 countries came to Los Angeles. The number of events for women grew to include cycling, rhythmic gymnastics, synchronized swimming, and several new track-and-field events, most notably the marathon.

Under the direction of the American entrepreneur Peter Ueberroth, the 1984 Olympics witnessed the ascension of commercialism as an integral element in the staging of the Games. Corporate sponsors, principally U.S.-based multinationals, were allowed to put Olympic symbols on their products, which were then marketed as the “official” such product of the Olympics. A spot on the torch relay team sold for $3,000 per km. The Olympics turned a profit ($225 million) for the first time since 1932. Despite concerns about growing corporate involvement and the reduced competition caused by the communist boycott, the financial success and high worldwide television ratings raised optimism about the Olympic movement for the first time in a generation.

As in 1980, the boycott resulted in empty lanes and canceled heats on the track and an unbalanced distribution of medals. At the 1984 Games the U.S. team benefited most, capturing 174 medals, 83 of which were gold. The track-and-field competition returned to the Memorial Coliseum, which had been renovated for the Games. American Carl Lewis, competing in the same events Jesse Owens had won in 1936, won four gold medals. Sebastian Coe and Daley Thompson of Great Britain each repeated their gold medal performances of 1980, winning the 1,500-metre run and the decathlon, respectively. See also Sidebar: Zola Budd: Collision and Controversy.

The U.S. women’s team won 11 of the 14 swimming events. Mary T. Meagher and Tracy Caulkins each earned three gold medals. American Greg Louganis swept the diving events. With the powerful eastern European teams absent, the U.S. men’s and women’s gymnastic teams had their best Olympic showing ever; Mary Lou Retton became the first American woman to capture the individual gold medal in the combined exercises. In boxing, without the challenge of the Cubans, the U.S. team dominated the competition, earning nine gold medals.