The
1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the
XIII Olympic Winter Games, were a
winterWinter is the coldest season of the year, between autumn and spring.-Meteorology:Meteorological winter is the season having the shortest days and the lowest average temperatures. This corresponds to the months of December, January and February, which have the coldest weather and, especially in the...
multi-sport eventA multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, and featuring competition in many different sports between organized teams of athletes from nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the modern Olympic Games.Many...
which was celebrated in February 13 through February 24, 1980 in
Lake PlacidLake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638. Lake Placid is named after nearby Lake Placid....
,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
,
United States of AmericaThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This was the second time the upstate
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
village hosted the Games, after
1932The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4, 1932.- Highlights :...
. The only other candidate city to bid for the Games was
VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
-
GaribaldiGaribaldi, originally named Daisy Lake and also known as Garibaldi Lodge and Garibaldi Townsite, is an abandoned locality in British Columbia, Canada, on the Cheakamus River around its confluence with Rubble Creek and just south of Daisy Lake....
,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; they withdrew before the final vote.
The mascots of the Games were "Roni" and "Ronny", the
raccoonProcyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most widespread species, the Common Raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
.
The
1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the
XIII Olympic Winter Games, were a
winterWinter is the coldest season of the year, between autumn and spring.-Meteorology:Meteorological winter is the season having the shortest days and the lowest average temperatures. This corresponds to the months of December, January and February, which have the coldest weather and, especially in the...
multi-sport eventA multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, and featuring competition in many different sports between organized teams of athletes from nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the modern Olympic Games.Many...
which was celebrated in February 13 through February 24, 1980 in
Lake PlacidLake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638. Lake Placid is named after nearby Lake Placid....
,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
,
United States of AmericaThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This was the second time the upstate
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
village hosted the Games, after
1932The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4, 1932.- Highlights :...
. The only other candidate city to bid for the Games was
VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
-
GaribaldiGaribaldi, originally named Daisy Lake and also known as Garibaldi Lodge and Garibaldi Townsite, is an abandoned locality in British Columbia, Canada, on the Cheakamus River around its confluence with Rubble Creek and just south of Daisy Lake....
,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; they withdrew before the final vote.
The mascots of the Games were "Roni" and "Ronny", the
raccoonProcyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most widespread species, the Common Raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
. The natural mask on a raccoon recalls the
gogglesGoggles or safety glasses are forms of protective eyewear that usually enclose or protect the area surrounding the eye in order to prevent particulates, water or chemicals from striking the eyes. They are used in chemistry laboratories and in woodworking. They are often used in snow sports as...
and hats worn by many athletes in winter sports.
Highlights
- An upstart United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ice hockeyIce Hockey is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a puck into the opposing team's goal. It is a fast-paced and physical sport...
team, made up mostly of collegiate players, won the gold medal, defeating the heavily favored Soviet team and FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
in the medal round. Their 4–3 defeat of the Soviet team, which came into the '80 Games having won 4 consecutive Olympic gold medals, became known as the "Miracle on IceThe "Miracle on Ice" is the nickname given to a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, which occurred on February 22. The United States team, made up of amateur and collegiate players and led by coach Herb Brooks, defeated the Soviet Union team,...
" in the USThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
press. The win captured the hearts of Americans during a time of Cold War tensions, even though it was the win against FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
that captured the gold medal. A film about the event, called Miracle, was released in 2004.
- Lake Placid 1980 marked the first use of artificial snow in Olympic competition.
- Although they did not get any medals, the People's Republic of China
The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
entered the Olympics Games for the first time after the IOCThe International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on 23 June 1894. Its membership consists of the 205 National Olympic Committees....
agreed to designate the Republic of ChinaThe Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, is a state in East Asia that has evolved from a single-party state with full global recognition and jurisdiction over China into a democratic state with limited international recognition and jurisdiction only over Taiwan and minor islands, though it...
"Chinese TaipeiChinese Taipei is the designated name used by the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, to participate in some international organizations and almost all sporting events, such as the Olympics and Asian Games...
".
- Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
's Ingemar StenmarkJan Ingemar Stenmark is a Swedish former skier, active during the 1970s and 1980s. He is regarded as one of the most prominent Swedish sportsmen, and as the greatest slalom and giant slalom specialist of all time. He competed for Fjällvinden Tärnaby.Stenmark was born in the province of Lappland...
won both the giant slalom and the slalom.
- Hanni Wenzel
Hanni Wenzel is a former alpine ski racer from Liechtenstein. She won the country's first Olympic medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck ....
won the women's giant slalom and slalom, making LiechtensteinThe Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine microstate in Western Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over 160 km² and it has an estimated population of 35,000...
the smallest country to produce an Olympic champion.
- Ulrich Wehling
Ulrich Wehling is a retired German skier who won the nordic combined event in the Winter Olympics three consecutive times, in 1972, 1976, and 1980...
of East Germany and Irina RodninaIrina Konstantinovna Rodnina is one of the most successful figure skaters ever and the only pair skater to win 10 successive World Championships and three successive Olympic gold medals...
of the USSR won their respective events for the third time.
- Aleksandr Tikhonov
Alexander Ivanovich Tikhonov is a retired Russian biathlete who represented the USSR. Tikhonov trained at Dynamo in Novosibirsk. He is one of the most successful biathletes of all time, with nine world championship gold medals and four Olympic gold medals...
of the USSR earned his fourth straight gold medal.
- Nikolay Zimyatov
Nikolay Semyonovich Zimyatov , name also spelled Nikolaj Zimjatov, was one of the most successful Soviet/Russian male cross-country skiers ever. He trained at Spartak and later at the Armed Forces sports society...
of the USSR earned three gold medals in cross-country skiing.
- Eric Heiden
Eric Arthur Heiden is an American former long track speed skater who won all the men's speed skating races, and thus an unprecedented five individual gold medals, and set four Olympic records and one world record at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York, United States. He also...
won 5 gold medals in speedskating-500 m:Friday February 15 1980 — 37 competitors from 18 countriesWorld record
– 37,00 Yevgeny Kulikov-1,000 m:Tuesday February 19 1980 — 41 competitors from 19 countriesWR
Eric Heiden 1:13.60-1,500 m:...
(500m, 1,000m, 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m), setting 4 Olympic records and 1 world record (10,000m) in the process. Heiden was the first to win 5 individual gold medals at one Games.
- Robin Cousins
Robin Cousins is a British retired competitive figure skater. He is the 1980 Olympic Champion.-Biography:...
won gold for Great Britain in the men's ice skating
- East Germany won the most medals overall (23) but had fewer golds (9) than the USSR (10).
- In possibly the most dramatic duel of the games, Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
's Thomas Wassberg edged FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
's Juha MietoJuha Iisakki Mieto . is a former Finnish cross country skier who competed during the 1970s and 1980s. He won five medals at the Winter Olympics...
in the 15 km cross-country skiing by 0.01 seconds, the closest margin of victory ever in Olympic cross-country skiing-15 km:February 17, 1980This extremely close race in electronic timing led to the International Ski Federation having all cross-country competitions being timed to the 1/10th second in future.-30 km:February 14, 1980...
. This led the International Ski FederationThe International Ski Federation/Fédération Internationale de Ski FIS main international organisation of ski sports. Founded by 14 member nations in 1924 in Chamonix, France, today it has a membership of 109 national ski associations and is based in Oberhofen am Thunersee, Switzerland.-Ski...
(FIS) to time all events to the nearest 1/10th second in the future.
Medals awarded
See the medal winners, ordered by sport:
- Alpine skiing
At the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, U.S.A., the six alpine skiing events were held at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, northeast of Lake Placid, from February 14-23, 1980....
- Biathlon
-10 km:-20 km:-4 x 7.5 km relay:Tikhonov announced his retirement after his fourth straight biathlon relay gold medal and fifth medal overall....
- Bobsleigh
-Two-man:-Four-man:-Medal table:-References:**...
- Figure skating
-Medal table:- Ladies:-Men :- Pairs :Medal favorites Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner were forced to withdraw before the competition due to an injury to Gardner.- Ice Dancing :- External links :* has links to pages with results for all competitors....
- Ice hockey
At the 1980 Winter Olympics hosted in Lake Placid, New York, one ice hockey event was held: Men's Ice Hockey, played at the Olympic Center, now known as the Herb Brooks Arena.- Background :...
- Luge
-Men's singles:-Doubles:The doubles team of Hans Rinn and Norbert Hahn became the first repeat winners of an Olympic luge event.-Women's singles:-Medal table:-References:***...
- Nordic skiing
At the 1980 Winter Olympics, ten Nordic skiing events were contested – seven cross-country skiing events, two ski jumping events, and one nordic combined event....
- Cross-country skiing
-15 km:February 17, 1980This extremely close race in electronic timing led to the International Ski Federation having all cross-country competitions being timed to the 1/10th second in future.-30 km:February 14, 1980...
- Nordic combined
-Men's event:Wehling is the first man to win three consecutive gold medals in the same individual Winter Olympics event....
- Ski jumping
-Large hill:February 23 1980-Normal hill:February 17 1980...
- Speed skating
-500 m:Friday February 15 1980 — 37 competitors from 18 countriesWorld record
– 37,00 Yevgeny Kulikov-1,000 m:Tuesday February 19 1980 — 41 competitors from 19 countriesWR
Eric Heiden 1:13.60-1,500 m:...
Venues
- Bobsleigh and luge track
The Lake Placid bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton located in Lake Placid, New York. This venue was used for the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics and for the only winter Goodwill Games in 2000...
(separate facilities)
- Olympic Center
The Herb Brooks Arena is a 7,700-seat multi-purpose arena in Lake Placid, New York. The famous Miracle on Ice occurred here during the 1980 Winter Olympics when the underdog United States ice hockey team beat the Soviet Union 4-3...
(now known as Herb Brooks Arena)--ice hockey, figure skating
- Olympic Jumping Complex
The Lake Placid Olympic Ski Jumping Complex comprises a 90- and 120-meter ski jumps towers built for the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York. They are located two miles from Lake Placid, off of the Old Military Road, in Essex County, New York....
- Olympic Sports Complex
- Whiteface Mountain
Whiteface Mountain is the fifth-highest mountain in New York State, and one of the High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. Set apart from most of the other High Peaks, the summit offers a 360-degree view featuring the Adirondacks and perhaps on a clear day glimpses of Vermont and even Canada...
- Mirror Lake-award ceremonies
Critics decried poorly planned transportation which left spectators waiting for hours in freezing weather, and some athletes complained about lousy accommodations at the Olympic village, where the dorms would later be turned into a prison. The supply and demand for event tickets never merged, as would-be buyers were unable to buy unsold tickets because only those who already had a ticket could enter ticket-sales areas at venues. Unsold tickets are still being sold as souvenirs at several local tourist shops, including the Olympic Regional Development Association's gift shop at the Olympic Arena.
Medal count
(Host nation highlighted)
| 1 |
URS |
10 |
6 |
6 |
22 |
| 2 |
GDR |
9 |
7 |
7 |
23 |
| 3 |
USA |
6 |
4 |
2 |
12 |
| 4 |
AUT |
3 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
| 5 |
SWE |
3 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
| 6 |
LIE |
2 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
| 7 |
FIN |
1 |
5 |
3 |
9 |
| 8 |
NOR |
1 |
3 |
6 |
10 |
| 9 |
NED |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
| 10 |
SUI |
1 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
Participating nations
36 NOCs participated. United States President
Jimmy CarterJames Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
had already called for the boycott of the
1980 Summer OlympicsThe 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
in
MoscowMoscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a...
, leading to a great deal of tension at the Games. Nevertheless, the USSR and its allies participated.
Three NOCs made their Olympic debut at the 1980 Winter Olympics: the
People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
,
Costa RicaCosta Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east and south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south and the Caribbean Sea to the east.Costa Rica, which translates literally as "Rich Coast", constitutionally...
, and
CyprusCyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey and west of Syria and Lebanon....
. The
Republic of ChinaThe Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, is a state in East Asia that has evolved from a single-party state with full global recognition and jurisdiction over China into a democratic state with limited international recognition and jurisdiction only over Taiwan and minor islands, though it...
boycotted the Games over the IOC's recognition of the PRC as "China", and its request for the Republic of China to compete as "
Chinese TaipeiChinese Taipei is the designated name used by the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, to participate in some international organizations and almost all sporting events, such as the Olympics and Asian Games...
".
Theme song
The official theme song for the 1980 Winter Olympics was "
Give It All You Got"Give It All You Got" is an instrumental song from 1980 by the American flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione. It was written and produced by Mangione, and can be found on his 1980 album Fun and Games....
" by the American flugelhorn player
Chuck MangioneCharles Frank "Chuck" Mangione is an American flugelhorn player and composer who achieved international success in 1977 with his jazz-pop single, "Feels So Good"...
, who performed the song live at the Closing Ceremonies.
See also
- 1980 Winter Paralympics
The 1980 Winter Paralympic Games were the second winter Paralympics and they were held from 1 to 7 February 1980 in Geilo, Norway. Eighteen countries took part with 350+ athletes. Here, a demonstration event was held in sledge downhill racing. All classes of athletes with locomotor disabilities...
- Olympic Games
The Olympic Games are a major international event of summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes compete in a wide variety of events. The Games are currently held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in...
- International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on 23 June 1894. Its membership consists of the 205 National Olympic Committees....
- IOC country codes
External links