40 years later: Finding comfort in talking about the Moscow 1980 boycott
The members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team can be divided into two categories: Those who competed in another Olympic Games and those who never had another chance.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games bring us not only some of the top athletic achievements in sports, but they are also some of the most important moments in history.
The Summer Games gallery is dedicated to telling stories of summer sports, relying on physical and digital elements to do so.
In this gallery, guests find historically significant artifacts and have the chance to see the RFID and digital technology come to life.
The gallery contains an interactive wall with in-depth information on each Olympic and Paralympic sport, so guests learn about their current favorite sports and leave with new ones.
On March 21, 1980, President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States would boycott the Moscow Games. Not sending a delegation to the Moscow Games prevented many athletes from having an opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games. Instead, athletes were presented the Congressional Gold Medal during a White House visit that summer.
Learn more about how the 1980 Summer Olympics marked a significant first in Olympic history at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum.
The film “Murderball” inspired long-time wheelchair basketball player Chuck Aoki to turn to the sport, where he would eventually become one of Team USA’s most impactful wheelchair rugby players.
Learn why it was such a tough decision for Shannon Miller to donate the scrunchie she wore for every major competition during the peak of her career.
After an injury, John Register became a two-sport Paralympian, setting an American long jump record and winning the silver medal at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.
The members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team can be divided into two categories: Those who competed in another Olympic Games and those who never had another chance.
One of the world’s greatest athletes ever, Carl Lewis won nine Olympic gold medals, including four consecutive gold medals in the long jump.
Shannon Miller won five medals in the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games and returned four years later to lead the United States to the team all-around gold medal at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games.
Although not the prototypical sprinter, Eddie Tolan almost always finished where sprinters wanted to be: first.
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum offers parking in the adjacent Park Union District lot for $7.50 per-day. Metered parking is also available on Sierra Madre and Vermijo.
Olympic Marks are used under license from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. 36 U.S.C. 220506
Website development supported in part by a grant from the Colorado Tourism Office.
