1. Sports Competitions Throughout the Cold War
USSR VS. U.S.
Sports Competitions Throughout the Cold War
By Hannah Groesbeck & Shelley Devereaux

2. Why was the competition so important?
Because the two countries never faced each other militarily, the Olympics served as a face-off between the USSR and the U.S.
Each game was a platform for the two countries to display their superiority of economic and political systems through their athletes.

3. 1952 Olympics
The USSR joined the Olympics in 1952, and immediately became a threat
The US had always been the dominant sports team in the Olympic, until USSR joined
Became instant rivals
USA: 76 medals, USSR:71

4. 1972 Olympics-Munich
One of the most controversial basketball games in history took place between the U.S. and USSR
The U.S. basketball team had been undefeated in 62 Olympic competition
The game against the Soviets resulted in a loss for the U.S.
-they filed an official protest, claiming that they had been robbed of the gold

5. 1972 Chess Competition
In 1972, American genius, Bobby Fischer, challenged Soviet champion Boris Spassky
Fischer triumphed over Spassky, despite the Soviet’s 25 years of chess success
This marked the beginning of the end of Cold War

6. 1980 Winter Olympics Held in Lake Placid.
Most memorable victory was the U.S. ice hockey defeat against the Soviets.
The Soviets had dominated in men’s ice hockey since 1964.

7. Why was this victory so significant?
The Soviets were recognized as best hockey team in the world, while the U.S. was ranked the seventh seed.
The victory happened during the peak of the cold war
Symbolically showed U.S. dominance over the Soviets.

8. U.S Boycotts 1980 Summer Olympics
the USA and more than 60 other countries boycotted the Moscow Olympics in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

9. 1980 Summer Olympic Results
Because the U.S. boycotted the Games, the level of competition decreased as a result
The Soviet team won 195 medals, total
-80 of those were gold

10. Russia Boycotts Summer 1984 Olympics
12 weeks before the Olympics began in Los Angeles, Russia announced a boycott
The USSR claimed that the U.S. was:
-using the Games for political purposes
-not taking the security of Russian athletes seriously
-and, commercializing the LA Games

11. Summer 1984 Olympic Results
Once again, because of the boycott, there was an unbalanced distribution of medals, favoring the U.S.
The U.S. won a total of 174 medals -83 of those were gold

12. THE END