1984 Summer Olympics

Multi-sport event in Los Angeles, California, US June 2026 August 2018 1984 Summer Olympics 1984 Summer Olympics logo.svg 260 Los Angeles, United States Play a Part in History 140 6,800 (5,231 men, 1,569 women) 221 in 21 sports (29 disciplines) July 28, 1984 August 12, 1984 President Ronald ReaganFactsheet - Opening Ceremony of the Games of the Olympiad https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_documents_Factsheets/Opening_ceremony_of_the_Games_of_the_Olympiad.pdf live International Olympic Committee 9 October 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20160814215458/https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_documents_Factsheets/Opening_ceremony_of_the_Games_of_the_Olympiad.pdf 14 August 2016 22 December 2018 IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch Rafer Johnson Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Moscow 1980 Seoul 1988 Sarajevo 1984 Calgary 1988 The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was the second time that Los Angeles had hosted the Games, with the first in 1932.List of Olympic Host Cities – Architecture of the Games https://architectureofthegames.net/olympic-host-cities/ 2024-08-13 en California was the home state of the incumbent U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who officially opened the Games. These were the first Summer Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Juan Antonio Samaranch. The 1984 Games were boycotted by 14 Eastern Bloc countries, including the Soviet Union and East Germany, in response to the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow in protest at the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; Romania was the only Soviet-aligned state that opted to attend the Games. Albania, Iran, Libya and Upper Volta also chose to boycott the Games, but for unrelated reasons. Despite the field being depleted in certain sports due to the boycott, 140 National Olympic Committees took part in the 1984 Games, a record number at the time.NO BOYCOTT BLUES https://www.olympic.org/los-angeles-1984 olympic.org January 6, 2017http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1984 Games of the XXIII Olympiad International Olympic Committee August 31, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080830223138/http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1984 August 30, 2008 live The United States won the most gold and overall medals, followed by Romania and West Germany. The 1984 Summer Olympics are widely considered to be the most financially successful modern Olympicshttps://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/86729520.html?dids=86729520:86729520&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Oct+28%2C+2001&author=ALAN+ABRAHAMSON&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=L.A.+the+Best+Site%2C+Bid+Group+Insists%3B+Olympics%3A+Despite+USOC+rejection%2C+officials+say+their+plan+was+in+line+with+IOC%27s+call+for+downsizing+of+Games.&pqatl=google LA the Best Site, Bid Group Insists; Olympics: Despite USOC rejection July 25, 2004 Los Angeles Times August 17, 2008 Alan Abrahamson November 5, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121105125946/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/86729520.html?dids=86729520:86729520&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Oct+28%2C+2001&author=ALAN+ABRAHAMSON&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=L.A.+the+Best+Site%2C+Bid+Group+Insists%3B+Olympics%3A+Despite+USOC+rejection%2C+officials+say+their+plan+was+in+line+with+IOC%27s+call+for+downsizing+of+Games.&pqatl=google dead. As a result of low construction costs, due to the use of existing sport infrastructure, coupled with a reliance on private corporate funding,https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8FdWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6520%2C4188033 Spokesman-Review Spokane, Washington Associated Press Clarke Norm It's official: Sponsors help pay for Olympics April 7, 1984 18 the 1984 Games generated more than $200 million 200000000 1984 in profit.Still Game https://labusinessjournal.com/government/still-game/ Los Angeles Business Journal Caroline Anderson July 28, 2016 Los Angeles will host the Summer Olympics for the third time in 2028, becoming the third city in the world—following London and Paris—to do so.David Wharton https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-sp-la-olympics-approved-20170913-story.html L.A. officially awarded 2028 Olympic Games Los Angeles Times September 13, 2017 September 13, 2017 Host selection Los Angeles bid for the 1984 Summer Olympics After the terrorist attack at the 1972 Summer Olympics, the significant financial debts of Montreal (1976), and various boycotts by National Olympic Committees, few cities by the late 1970s were willing to bid for the Summer Olympics. Only two cities (Tehranسند تاریخی: ایران و میزبانی جام جهانی ۹۰ https://www.varzesh3.com/news/1416397/%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%AF-%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%AE%DB%8C-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%88-%D9%85%DB%8C%D8%B2%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-90 2024-10-02 ورزش سه fa and Los Angeles) made serious bids for the 1984 Summer Games. Tehran submitted its bid to host the 1984 Summer Olympics to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 29 August 1975. The selection of the host city was made at the 80th IOC Session in Athens on 18 May 1978, where Los Angeles was chosen as the host city.Past Olympic host city election results http://www.gamesbids.com/english/archives/past.shtml dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110124022022/http://www.gamesbids.com/eng/past.html 24 January 2011 13 November 2018 GamesBids Los Angeles had unsuccessfully bid for the two previous Summer Olympic Games (1976 and 1980, which went to Montreal and Moscow, respectively). The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) had submitted at least one bid for every Olympics since 1944 but had not succeeded since the Los Angeles Olympics in 1932, the previous time only a single bid had been issued for the Summer Olympics. In 1977, the USOC selected Los Angeles over New York City to be the American candidate for the 1984 Summer Olympics in a 55–39 vote."Los Angeles Gets U.S. Nod for '84 Games", Associated Press, via the Miami Herald, September 26, 1977, page 1-BW. + 1984 Summer Olympicsbidding results City Nation Votes Los Angeles Unanimous Tehran Iran 1964 Did not advance Development and preparations The Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee (LAOOC) was officially established on June 15, 1978, to manage the games using private funds rather than public debt. Peter Ueberroth was selected as President of the LAOOC in early 1979.1984 Olympic Games https://www.sccog.org/1984-olympic-games#:~:text=After%20a%20number%20of%20starts,the%20LAOOC%20in%20early%201979 2026-05-02 en. This was the first edition in which new rules of coexistence within the Olympic Village were implemented and it was decided that from this edition onwards all athletes would have to stay in the same place, as opposed to being divided by gender and sometimes even political blocs which was the case previously. Using UCLA student housing as the primary village. UCLA hosted 4,000 athletes, along with USC, it hosted swimmers and UCSB hosted the rowing teams."Olympic Summer Games Villages from Paris 1924 to Tokyo 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20230429041930/https://library.olympics.com/Default/doc/SYRACUSE/161899/olympic-summer-games-villages-from-paris-1924-to-rio-2016-international-olympic-committee-olympic-st 2023-04-29 ." The Olympic Studies Centre. 2022 June 20. LAOOC had to prepare for twenty-six competition venues. Twenty of the competition venues were existing, three were new: the Olympic Velodrome on the California State University, Dominguez Hills campus, Prado Park for shooting and the Olympic Swim Stadium on the University of Southern California campus. The Velodrome was constructed between 1981 and 1982, while the Swim Stadium was constructed between 1980 and 1983. 7-Eleven convenience stores sponsored the Velodrome, while McDonald's sponsored the Swim Stadium, though neither corporate name was mentioned in the official Olympic report. The three temporary venues were set up at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club for equestrian, Long Beach shoreline for sailing and Lake Casitas for rowing. Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Venues Overview https://www.olympics.com/ioc/news/los-angeles-1984-olympic-venues-overview Olympics.com 2026-05-02 en Budget #Financial Success Financial success of Los Angeles as host city The Games cost a total of $546 million ($1.7 billion in 2026).TheYear the Olympics were Privatized https://fee.org/articles/the-year-the-olympics-were-privatized/ Fee.org 2016-08-10 en The LAOOC calculated early on, it would have to make six times the revenue of previous games from sponsorship, television rights, and ticket sales. Ueberroth auctioned off sponsorship rights for each product area and required each sponsor to make a minimum contribution of $4 million as a in-kind donation to the LAOOC. For example, Coca-Cola beat out Pepsi for the soft drink sponsorship area by paying $12.6 million. When Kodak persisted in offering only half of Ueberroth’s $4 million minimum for the film supply sponsorship, the LAOOC offered Fuji Film seventy-two hours to sign a contract - which resulted in a $7 million deal. These sponsorships were sold in record amounts and covered the majority of the Games' expenditures. All revenues were immediately deposited into interest bearing accounts, which due to the high interest rates of that period (in excess of 20% in 1979) yielded most of the operating budget for the LAOOC into the early 1980s.Percentage of available tickets sold at the Olympic Summer Games from 1984 to 2016 https://www.statista.com/statistics/199946/tickets-sold-in-percent-at-the-olympic-summer-games-since-1984/?srsltid=AfmBOopjSQ5RbOFp0itRIARB24pwudrHZGMyWmyHj1wcXc-zUW5XMnMV#google_vignette 2026-05-02 Security At the time, the largest local and federal security force was assembled due to prior Olympic games security failures, primarily the events in Munich. The Los Angeles Police Department, federal agents and thousands of temporary security agents were tasked to provide safety at each event.Robert Lindsey The Olympics: Los Angeles '84 – Security Is Called Largest in Peacetime https://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/26/sports/the-olympics-los-angeles-84-security-is-called-largest-in-peacetime.html 1984-07-26 en 2026-05-03 Security was the most expensive item on the budget. LAOOC provided $35 million and the federal government provided $50 million each. The rest was covered by the city and state government. The California Highway Patrol was responsible for the security of visiting dignitaries, including President Ronald Reagan. Security planning was marred by unresolved disputes between the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department, both of which claimed the right to take lead control in case of an incident. No major incident took place.Robert Lindsey Los Angeles: A City Nearly Transformed https://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/22/sports/los-angeles-a-city-nearly-transformed.html 1984-07-22 en 2026-05-03 Transportation Los Angeles County's SCRTD was tasked to coordinate games movement, including transporting the "olympic family" of athletes, coaches, officials and media. Totaling over 25,000 persons. SCRTD was operating the nation’s largest all-bus system in the 1980s. LAOOC and SCRTD coordinated a 550 special olympic bus fleet, including 24 shuttle services, dedicated express lanes and multiple park-and-ride routes. Los Angeles had no public rail transit in 1984, the red car Pacific Electric rail network, the largest in the world, was dismantled by 1963. City leaders advised Angelenos to opt out of driving during the games or alter their driving habits and work hours. Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and LAOOC prepared an advertising informational campaign push called, "Take the Bus". Bus schedules were provided to early bird ticket buyers to provide options on transportation to events. During the games, more than 1 million boarding passengers heeded his message. Predictions of gridlock and heavy smog never materialized. 28 Years Ago This Week: The World Returns For Los Angeles' Gold Medal Performance In Olympic Traffic Relief https://metroprimaryresources.info/28-years-ago-this-week-the-world-returns-for-los-angeles-gold-medal-performance-in-olympic-traffic-relief/4310/ 2012-08-09 en How the Gleeful Aesthetic of L.A.’s 1984 Olympics Unified a Sprawling City https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/lost-la/how-the-gleeful-aesthetic-of-l-a-s-1984-olympics-unified-a-sprawling-city 2021-07-21 en Venues Venues of the 1984 Summer Olympics thumb|The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (pictured in 2025) hosted track and field events, as well as ceremonies thumb|The Forum hosted the basketball events Venues in the city of Los Angeles Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – opening/closing ceremonies, athletics Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena – boxing Dodger Stadium – baseball Pauley Pavilion, University of California, Los Angeles – gymnastics Eagle's Nest Arena, California State University, Los Angeles – judo Olympic Swim Stadium, University of Southern California – swimming, diving, synchronized swimming Olympic Village (athlete housing), University of Southern California Los Angeles Tennis Center, University of California, Los Angeles – tennis Athletes Village, University of California, Los Angeles Albert Gersten Pavilion, Loyola Marymount University, Westchester, California – weightlifting Streets of Los Angeles – athletics (marathon) Venues in Southern California El Dorado Park, Long Beach, California – archery The Forum, Inglewood, California – basketball and team handball finals Lake Casitas, Ventura County, California – canoeing, rowing Olympic Velodrome, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, California – cycling (track) Mission Viejo, Orange County, California – cycling (individual road race) Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California – equestrian Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, Rancho Santa Fe, California, California – equestrian sports (eventing endurance) Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California – fencing Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California – football (final) Titan Gymnasium, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, California – handball Weingart Stadium, East Los Angeles College, Monterey Park, California – field hockey Coto de Caza, Orange County, California – modern pentathlon (fencing, riding, running, shooting) Olympic Shooting Range, Prado Recreational Area, Chino, California – shooting Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California – volleyball Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California – water polo Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California – wrestling Long Beach Shoreline Marina, Long Beach, California – sailing Artesia Freeway – cycling (road team time trial) Heritage Park Aquatic Center, Irvine, California – modern pentathlon (swimming) Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, California – athletics (marathon start) Santa Monica, California – athletics (marathon) Other venues Harvard Stadium, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts – football preliminaries Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland – football preliminaries Stanford Stadium, Stanford University, Stanford, California – football preliminaries Olympic Arts Festival The 1984 Summer Olympics was preceded by the 10-week-long adjunct Olympic Arts Festival or the Cultural Olympics, which opened on June 1 and ended on August 12.Olympic Arts Festival, June 1-August 12, 1984: Prelude to the Olympics California Revealed https://californiarevealed.org/do/aa9d1f95-391d-4fb9-918a-432d379ebe90 9 March 2025 It provided more than 400 performances by 146 theater, dance, and music companies, representing every continent and 18 countries, as well as art exhibitions and films. It was organized by then-CalArts President Robert Fitzpatrick.Rabkin Gerald The Olympic Arts Festival Performing Arts Journal Performing Arts Journal, Inc. 8 3 1984 0735-8393 3245482 43–58 10.2307/3245482 http://www.jstor.org/stable/3245482 9 March 2025 subscription Along with many famous American dance companies, such as the Dance Theatre of Harlem, the festival hosted three international debuts: German choreographer Pina Bausch and her Tanztheater Wuppertal, Groupe Emile Dubois from France, and the Japanese Butoh.Olympic Arts Festival, June 1-August 12, 1984: Prelude to the Olympics - A Gala Concert Internet Archive 23 October 2016 https://archive.org/details/claphila_000068/page/24/mode/2up 9 March 2025 Program for Olympic Arts Festival Week at the Hollywood Bowl, which took place July 23–27, 1984. Local Los Angeles artist Rodolfo Escalera was commissioned to create nine paintings depicting the Summer Games that would later be turned into collectible plates and presented as "The Official Gift of the 1984 Olympics". LAOOC also designated Ernie Barnes as "Sports Artist of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games" and Barnes was commissioned to create five Olympic-themed paintings and serve as an official Olympic spokesman to encourage inner-city youth. Olympic Music John Williams Olympic Theme.ogg "Olympic Fanfare and Theme" composed by John Williams for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra Ogg John Williams composed the theme for the Olympiad, "Los Angeles Olympic Theme" later also known as "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. Composer Bill Conti also wrote a song to inspire the weightlifters called "Power". An album, The Official Music of the XXIII Olympiad—Los Angeles 1984, featured tracks with sports themes written for the occasion by popular musical artists including Foreigner, Toto, Loverboy, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Christopher Cross, Philip Glass, Paul Engemann and Giorgio Moroder.https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll8/id/39639/rec/51 Official report of the Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad, Los Angeles, 1984. Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee Richard B. Perelman 1984 0-9614512-0-3 Los Angeles 229 12601151Various – The Official Music Of The XXIIIrd Olympiad – Los Angeles 1984 (LP) at Discogs Discogs December 8, 1984 http://www.discogs.com/Various-The-Official-Music-Of-The-XXIIIrd-Olympiad-Los-Angeles-1984/release/694895 https://web.archive.org/web/20090201050708/http://www.discogs.com/Various-The-Official-Music-Of-The-XXIIIrd-Olympiad-Los-Angeles-1984/release/694895 February 1, 2009 live September 10, 2009 "Reach Out" was the main soundtrack and is the official theme song of the 1984 Summer Olympics.Check out the credit at Music Video on YouTube The Brazilian composer Sérgio Mendes produced a special song for the 1984 Olympic Games, "Olympia," from his 1984 album Confetti. A choir of approximately one thousand voices was assembled of singers in the region. All were volunteers from nearby churches, schools and universities. Pop-punk band Bowling for Soup references the games in the song "I Can't Stand LA". During a section showing appreciation for the city, the song states, "thank you for hair metal and the '84 Olympics." In the same week that the Games began, British pop star Howard Jones released a single called "Like to Get to Know You Well" which eventually made number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. On the sleeve, the record was "dedicated to the original spirit of the Olympic Games". Torch relay 1984 Summer Olympics torch relay The 1984 Olympic Torch Relay began in New York City and ended in Los Angeles, traversing 33 states and the District of Columbia. Unlike later torch relays, the torch was continuously carried by runners on foot. The route covered more than 9,320 mi (15,000 km) and involved 3,636 runners. The cross country relay raised $10.31 million for charity (about $33 million in 2026). Gina Hemphill, a granddaughter of Jesse Owens, carried the torch into the Coliseum, completed a lap around the track, then handed it off to the final runner, Rafer Johnson, winner of the decathlon at the 1960 Summer Olympics. With the torch, he touched off the flame which passed through a specially designed flammable Olympic rings. Johnson became the first person of African descent to light the cauldron in Olympic history.https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2020-12-02/rafer-johnson-dead?_amp=true&__twitter_impression=true Rafer Johnson, the Olympic gold medalist who helped bring the games to L.A., has died Los Angeles Times December 2, 2020 The flame then passed up to the cauldron atop the peristyle and remained aflame for the duration of the Games. Tickets Tickets were initially sold through an early access mail-in order form, lottery-style system on June 20, 1983. Sears, Manufacturers Hanover Corporation and First Interstate Bank provided mail-in order forms and brochures to the public. Sears was a major distributor with 3,300 stores throughout the US. Ticket management and advertisement was run by IMG. Tickets sales in Southern California were sold separately. A total of 6.8 million tickets went on sale to the public with prices ranging from $3 to $95. Opening and closing ceremonies ranged from $50, $100 and $200 per ticket.https://www.isenberg.umass.edu/mccormack-archives/archives-looking-la-84-olympics-tickets-visit-sears Looking for LA '84 Olympics Tickets? Visit Sears : Isenberg School of Management : UMass Amherst Isenberg.umass.edu A record 5.7 million tickets were sold, or 83% of capacity. The remaining tickets were sold to "olympic family" members, sponsors or sold to corporations.https://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/14/sports/ticket-sale-starts-for-1984-olympics.html TICKET SALE STARTS FOR 1984 OLYMPICS Special to the New York Times June 14, 1983 NYTimes.com Marketing Emblem thumb|right|Official poster of the 1984 Summer Olympics The emblem was designed by local design firm Robert Miles Runyan & Associates unveiled on August 4, 1980. The "Stars and Motion" features three red, white, and blue stars representing first, second, and third place, intertwined with 13 horizontal stripes to convey speed and American pride.https://www.logohistories.com/p/stars-in-motion Los Angeles 1984 Logo Design History Richard Baird Logohistories.com Branding The "Look of the Games," was designed by Jon Jerde and Deborah Sussman of Sussman/Prejza & Co. They designed an aesthetic known as "festive federalism".1984 Olympics https://www.jerde.com/projects/8083/1984-olympics 2026-05-02 en Sussman created an eleven-color palette scheme for the games. It utilized bright, unconventional colors combined with geometric shapes, stars, and banners to create a celebratory, cost-effective, and a unified visual identity across distant city venues.http://www.theolympicdesign.com/olympic-games/the-look-of-the-games/los-angeles-1984/ Los Angeles 1984 – Look of the Games theolympicdesign – Olympic Design Webseite! Colors were chosen to represent the "California spirit", Latin-American influences in LA and Mediterranean influences in the Olympic movement, primarily Greece. The main color was #FF0090 Magenta, with accented: 18em #FFA700 Chrome yellow, #43b3ae Aqua, #E34234 Vermilion, #ADD8E6 Light blue, #00FF00 Green, #E6E6FA Lavender, #FFFF00 Informational yellow, #FFC0CB Pink, #00008B Dark blue, #8000FF Violet.http://www.theolympicdesign.com/olympic-games/colours/los-angeles-1984/ Los Angeles 1984 – Colours theolympicdesign – Olympic Design Webseite! The 1984 Games were the first to use colorful themed graphics at every venue and field of play. The term “Look of the Games” came into common usage as a result of Los Angeles’ innovative design program. Mascot Sam (mascot) The mascot was a bald eagle named Sam the Olympic Eagle.Los Angeles 1984 - The Mascot https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/los-angeles-1984/mascot olympics.com Corporate sponsorship LAOOC utilized a "free-enterprise" model, featuring 34 exclusive corporate sponsors that contributed over $126 million ($430 million in 2026), marking a shift toward high-stakes sponsorship. Sponsors, licensees, and suppliers were allowed to use the Olympics star-in-motion logo, the interlocking-rings symbol, and the official mascot. The marketing team rounded up 64 suppliers, and 65 licensees. They also created hospitality centers, introducing the concept for the first time. Official licensees handed over 10% in royalties on sales, and official suppliers provided the materials needed to run the games. Sears withdrew from being an official sponsor but was still granted rights to distribute forms applications at Sears stores nationwide as a partner, selling tickets to the games. Manufacturers Hanover also was not official but distributed tickets, in the New York City area.https://www.csmonitor.com/1983/0505/050503.html Winners in the sunglasses and T-shirt Olympics Christian Science Monitorhttps://pure.port.ac.uk/ws/files/7698371/Consuming_Olympism.pdf Consuming Olympism: Consumer culture, sport star sponsorship and the commercialization of the Olympics Journal of Consumer Culture For television rights, ABC bid against CBS and NBC for the US rights to broadcast the games, they agreed to pay a total of $225 million. Under the terms of the agreement, ABC paid $100 million for the basic rights to the games, of which one third went to the IOC, and two thirds went to the LAOOC. The remainder $125 million went to the LAOOC for special transmission facilities, venue lighting and other venue equipment required for the broadcasts.Lindsey Robert September 27, 1979 https://www.nytimes.com/1979/09/27/archives/abctv-pays-record-225-million-for-84-olympics-rise-in-advertising.html ABC‐TV Pays Record 225 Million for '84 Olympics The New York Times Los Angeles June 13, 2026 Sponsors of the 1984 Summer OlympicsLitsky Frank August 5, 1980 https://www.nytimes.com/1980/08/05/archives/1984-olympics-unit-is-off-and-running-8-sponsors-pay-75-million.html#:~:text=These%20sponsors%20have%20become%20the,care%20products%20and%20fruit%20juices. 1984 Olympics Unit Is Off and Running; 8 Sponsors Pay $75 Million Surplus Expected nytimes.com May 6, 2026https://luskincenter.history.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2021/08/Lessons-Learned-from-the-1984-Olympic-Games.pdf LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE 1984 OLYMPIC GAMES & THE LOS ANGELES BID FOR 2024 August 25, 2015 New York Times Los Angeles May 6, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20240814035902/https://la28.org/en/our-partners.html August 14, 2024 livehttps://dmndlimited.com/products/1984-olympic-pin-set-limited-edition-sponsor-set-corporate-issue-los-angeles 1984 Olympic Pin Set Limited Edition Sponsor Set Corporate Issue Los Angeles DMND Limitedhttps://sportstamps.org/wp-content/uploads/exhibits/1984LA-Full-opt.pdf OLYMPIC RETROSPECTIVE: THE 1984 GAMES OF LOS ANGELES sportstamps.org May 6, 2026Key official sponsors tier: 22em American Express (credit card) Anheuser-Busch (official beer) Arrowhead Water (official water) Budget (official car rental) Canon USA (official camera) Champion (official sportswear) Coca-Cola (official soft-drink) Sprite, TAB, Diet Coke Converse (official footwear) First Interstate Bank (official bank) Fuji Film (official film) Gal Plastics, Inc. (souvenir bags) IBM Kraft Levi's (official outfitter) Longines (official timekeeper) M&M's/Mars Inc. (official snack foods) McDonald’s (official fast-food) Pacific Bell (official tele-communications) Perrier (official mineral water) Sanyo (official video products) SP Logistics United Airlines (official airline) Vuarnet (official sunglasses)Sponsors/partners/suppliers/licensees 22em 7-Eleven (sponsor of new velodrome) ABC (official broadcaster) ARA services (official food services) AT&T (official sponsor of torch relay) ARCO (sponsor of new track at Coliseum) Buick (official automobile) Manufacturers Hanover (official ticket distribution) Motorola (official radio communications) Times Mirror (official sponsor of art festival) Transamerica (official insurance) Sears (official ticket distribution) Vidal Sassoon (official hair products/cuts) Xerox (official copier and facsimile provider) Participating National Olympic Committees thumb|Participating states thumb|Number of athletes Athletes from 140 states competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Eighteen states made their Olympic debut: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, British Virgin Islands, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Grenada, Mauritania, Mauritius, North Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Rwanda, Western Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and the United Arab Emirates. Zaire had previously competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics as Congo-Kinshasa. The People's Republic of China made its first appearance in a Summer Olympics since 1952, while for the first time the Republic of China team participated under the politically contrived name of Chinese Taipei. As a result of the Nagoya Resolution signed in 1979, and the designating the Republic of China (Taiwan) as Chinese Taipei, the People's Republic of China returned to the Summer Olympics for the first time since Helsinki 1952. The Military anthem of China was played for both teams during the opening ceremony. The Soviet Union led the Warsaw Pact members and other Communist countries in a boycott of the Los Angeles Olympics, in retaliation for the U.S.-led boycott of the Moscow Olympics four years earlier (over the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in 1979). The pretexts for the 1984 Soviet-led boycott were concerns over security, "chauvinistic sentiments" and "an anti-Soviet hysteria ... being whipped up" in the United States.https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/09/world/moscow-will-keep-its-team-los-angeles-olympics-tass-cites-peril-us-denies-it.html Burns John F. Moscow will keep its team from Los Angeles Olympics; Tass cites peril, U.S. denies it; Protests are issue The New York Times May 9, 1984 However, a handful of communist countries disregarded the boycott and attended the Games anyway, among them Yugoslavia (host of the 1984 Winter Olympics), the People's Republic of China, and Romania (the only Warsaw Pact country that had opted to ignore the Soviet demands). The Romanian team received a particularly warm reception from the United States; when the Romanian athletes entered during the opening ceremonies, they were greeted by a standing ovation from the spectators, who were mostly U.S. citizens. This would turn out to be Romania's most successful Olympic Games – they won 53 medals, including 20 golds.Yake D. Byron '84 Olympics: Gala trumpets in Games https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QHAuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tdoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4162%2C4820549 2020-08-28 Beaver County Times AP July 29, 1984 A1, A10 The Romanians, the only Eastern bloc nation to defy the Soviet boycott, were greeted with a standing ovation.Leavy Jane Romania: No Boycott, A Winning Presence https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1984/07/23/romania-no-boycott-a-winning-presence/4931ede6-05ba-4a61-b50b-1470bdb7a9de/ The Washington Post 23 July 1984 Participating National Olympic Committees16em ALG 1984 Summer 33 athletes AND 1984 Summer 2 ANT 1984 Summer 14 ARG 1984 Summer 81 AUS 1984 Summer 242 AUT 1984 Summer 103 BAH 1984 Summer 22 BRN 1984 Summer 10 BAN 1984 Summer 1 BAR 1984 Summer 16 BEL 1984 Summer 63 BIZ 1984 Summer 11 BEN 1984 Summer 3 BER 1984 Summer 12 BHU 1984 Summer 6 BOL 1984 Summer 11 BOT 1984 Summer 7 BRA 1984 Summer 147 IVB 1984 Summer 9 BIR 1984 Summer 1 CMR 1984 Summer 46 CAN 1984 Summer 408 CAY 1984 Summer 8 CAF 1984 Summer 3 CHA 1984 Summer 3 CHI 1984 Summer 52 CHN 1984 Summer 215 COL 1984 Summer 39 CGO 1984 Summer 9 CRC 1984 Summer 28 CYP 1984 Summer 10 DEN 1984 Summer 60 DJI 1984 Summer 3 DOM 1984 Summer 19 ECU 1984 Summer 11 EGY 1984 Summer 114 ESA 1984 Summer 10 GEQ 1984 Summer 4 FIJ 1984 Summer 14 FIN 1984 Summer 86 FRA 1984 Summer 238 GAB 1984 Summer 4 GAM 1984 Summer 10 FRG 1984 Summer 391 GHA 1984 Summer 21 GBR 1984 Summer 337 GRE 1984 Summer 63 GRN 1984 Summer 6 GUA 1984 Summer 24 GUI 1984 Summer 1 GUY 1984 Summer 10 HAI 1984 Summer 3 HON 1984 Summer 10 HKG 1984 Summer 47 ISL 1984 Summer 30 IND 1984 Summer 48 INA 1984 Summer 16 IRQ 1984 Summer 23 IRL 1984 Summer 42 ISR 1984 Summer 32 ITA 1984 Summer 268 CIV 1984 Summer 15 JAM 1984 Summer 45 JPN 1984 Summer 226 JOR 1984 Summer 13 KEN 1984 Summer 61 KOR 1984 Summer 175 KUW 1984 Summer 23 LIB 1984 Summer 22 LES 1984 Summer 4 LBR 1984 Summer 7 LIE 1984 Summer 7 LUX 1984 Summer 5 MAD 1984 Summer 5 MAW 1984 Summer 15 MAS 1984 Summer 21 MLI 1984 Summer 4 MLT 1984 Summer 7 MTN 1984 Summer 2 MRI 1984 Summer 4 MEX 1984 Summer 99 MON 1984 Summer 8 MAR 1984 Summer 34 MOZ 1984 Summer 9 NEP 1984 Summer 10 NED 1984 Summer 136 AHO 1984 Summer 8 NZL 1984 Summer 130 NCA 1984 Summer 5 NIG 1984 Summer 4 NGR 1984 Summer 32 NOR 1984 Summer 103 OMA 1984 Summer 16 PAK 1984 Summer 31 PAN 1984 Summer 8 PNG 1984 Summer 7 PAR 1984 Summer 14 PER 1984 Summer 35 PHI 1984 Summer 19 POR 1984 Summer 38 PUR 1984 Summer 51 QAT 1984 Summer 24 ROM 1984 Summer 124 RWA 1984 Summer 3 SMR 1984 Summer 19 KSA 1984 Summer 37 SEN 1984 Summer 24 SEY 1984 Summer 9 SLE 1984 Summer 7 SIN 1984 Summer 5 SOL 1984 Summer 3 SOM 1984 Summer 7 ESP 1984 Summer 179 SRI 1984 Summer 4 SUD 1984 Summer 7 SUR 1984 Summer 5 SWZ 1984 Summer 8 SWE 1984 Summer 174 SUI 1984 Summer 129 SYR 1984 Summer 9 TPE 1984 Summer 38 TAN 1984 Summer 18 THA 1984 Summer 35 TOG 1984 Summer 6 TGA 1984 Summer 7 TRI 1984 Summer 16 TUN 1984 Summer 23 TUR 1984 Summer 46 UGA 1984 Summer 26 UAE 1984 Summer 7 USA 1984 Summer 522 (host) URU 1984 Summer 18 VEN 1984 Summer 26 ISV 1984 Summer 29 WSM 1984 Summer 8 YAR 1984 Summer 2 YUG 1984 Summer 139 ZAI 1984 Summer 8 ZAM 1984 Summer 16 ZIM 1984 Summer 15 Number of athletes by National Olympic Committees In the table below, the number of athletes representing each state is shown in parentheses. 6,829 athletes took part in the Games. IOC Letter Code Country Athletes USA USA 1984 Summer 522 CAN CAN 1984 Summer 408 FRG FRG 1984 Summer 391 GBR GBR 1984 Summer 337 ITA ITA 1984 Summer 268 AUS AUS 1984 Summer 242 FRA FRA 1984 Summer 238 JPN JPN 1984 Summer 226 CHN CHN 1984 Summer 215 ESP ESP 1984 Summer 179 KOR KOR 1984 Summer 175 SWE SWE 1984 Summer 174 BRA BRA 1984 Summer 147 YUG YUG 1984 Summer 139 HOL NED 1984 Summer 136 NZL NZL 1984 Summer 130 SUI SUI 1984 Summer 129 ROM ROM 1984 Summer 124 EGY EGY 1984 Summer 114 AUT AUT 1984 Summer 103 NOR NOR 1984 Summer 103 MEX MEX 1984 Summer 99 FIN FIN 1984 Summer 86 ARG ARG 1984 Summer 81 BEL BEL 1984 Summer 63 GRE GRE 1984 Summer 63 KEN KEN 1984 Summer 61 DEN DEN 1984 Summer 60 CHI CHI 1984 Summer 52 PUR PUR 1984 Summer 51 IND IND 1984 Summer 48 HKG HKG 1984 Summer 47 CMR CMR 1984 Summer 46 TUR TUR 1984 Summer 46 JAM JAM 1984 Summer 45 IRL IRL 1984 Summer 42 COL COL 1984 Summer 39 POR POR 1984 Summer 38 TPE TPE 1984 Summer 38 SAU KSA 1984 Summer 37 PER PER 1984 Summer 35 THA THA 1984 Summer 35 MAR MAR 1984 Summer 34 ALG ALG 1984 Summer 33 ISR ISR 1984 Summer 32 NGR NGR 1984 Summer 32 PAK PAK 1984 Summer 31 ISL ISL 1984 Summer 30 ISV ISV 1984 Summer 29 CRC CRC 1984 Summer 28 UGA UGA 1984 Summer 26 VEN VEN 1984 Summer 26 GUA GUA 1984 Summer 24 QAT QAT 1984 Summer 24 SEN SEN 1984 Summer 24 IRQ IRQ 1984 Summer 23 KUW KUW 1984 Summer 23 TUN TUN 1984 Summer 23 BAH BAH 1984 Summer 22 LIB LIB 1984 Summer 22 GHA GHA 1984 Summer 21 MAS MAS 1984 Summer 21 DOM DOM 1984 Summer 19 PHI PHI 1984 Summer 19 SMR SMR 1984 Summer 19 TAN TAN 1984 Summer 18 URU URU 1984 Summer 18 BAR BAR 1984 Summer 16 INA INA 1984 Summer 16 OMA OMA 1984 Summer 16 TRI TRI 1984 Summer 16 ZAM ZAM 1984 Summer 16 CIV CIV 1984 Summer 15 MAW MAW 1984 Summer 15 ZIM ZIM 1984 Summer 15 ANT ANT 1984 Summer 14 FIJ FIJ 1984 Summer 14 PAR PAR 1984 Summer 14 JOR JOR 1984 Summer 13 BER BER 1984 Summer 12 BIZ BIZ 1984 Summer 11 BOL BOL 1984 Summer 11 ECU ECU 1984 Summer 11 BRN BRN 1984 Summer 10 CYP CYP 1984 Summer 10 ESA ESA 1984 Summer 10 GAM GAM 1984 Summer 10 GUY GUY 1984 Summer 10 HON HON 1984 Summer 10 NEP NEP 1984 Summer 10 IVB IVB 1984 Summer 9 CGO CGO 1984 Summer 9 MOZ MOZ 1984 Summer 9 SEY SEY 1984 Summer 9 SYR SYR 1984 Summer 9 CAY CAY 1984 Summer 8 MON MON 1984 Summer 8 AHO AHO 1984 Summer 8 PAN PAN 1984 Summer 8 SWZ SWZ 1984 Summer 8 WSM WSM 1984 Summer 8 ZAI ZAI 1984 Summer 8 BOT BOT 1984 Summer 7 LBR LBR 1984 Summer 7 LIE LIE 1984 Summer 7 MLT MLT 1984 Summer 7 NGU PNG 1984 Summer 7 SLE SLE 1984 Summer 7 SOM SOM 1984 Summer 7 SUD SUD 1984 Summer 7 TON TGA 1984 Summer 7 UAE UAE 1984 Summer 7 BHU BHU 1984 Summer 6 GRN GRN 1984 Summer 6 TOG TOG 1984 Summer 6 LUX LUX 1984 Summer 5 MAD MAD 1984 Summer 5 NCA NCA 1984 Summer 5 SIN SIN 1984 Summer 5 SUR SUR 1984 Summer 5 GEQ GEQ 1984 Summer 4 GAB GAB 1984 Summer 4 LES LES 1984 Summer 4 MLI MLI 1984 Summer 4 MRI MRI 1984 Summer 4 NIG NIG 1984 Summer 4 SRI SRI 1984 Summer 4 BEN BEN 1984 Summer 3 CAF CAF 1984 Summer 3 CHA CHA 1984 Summer 3 DJI DJI 1984 Summer 3 HAI HAI 1984 Summer 3 RWA RWA 1984 Summer 3 SOL SOL 1984 Summer 3 AND AND 1984 Summer 2 MTN MTN 1984 Summer 2 YAR YAR 1984 Summer 2 BAN BAN 1984 Summer 1 BIR BIR 1984 Summer 1 GUI GUI 1984 Summer 1 Total 6,800 Boycotting countries thumb|upright=1.6|The 15 Eastern Bloc nations which boycotted the 1984 Games are shaded blue; the 4 non-Eastern Bloc nations that boycotted are shaded teal. 1984 Summer Olympics boycott Fifteen countries took part in the Soviet-led boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics:http://www.infoplease.com/ipsa/A0114812.html 1984 Olympics infoplease.com June 11, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060618175049/http://www.infoplease.com/ipsa/A0114812.html June 18, 2006 dead Afghanistan 1980 Afghanistan Angola Angola Bulgaria 1971 Bulgaria Cuba Cuba Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia East Germany East Germany Ethiopia 1975 Ethiopia Hungary Hungary Laos Laos Mongolia 1945 Mongolia North Korea 1948 North Korea Poland Poland Soviet Union Soviet Union South Yemen South Yemen Vietnam Vietnam Albania, Iran, Libya and Upper Volta (changed to Burkina Faso following August 4)Genova James Making New People Politics, Cinema, and Liberation in Burkina Faso, 1983-1987 Michigan State University Press November 2022 9781609177096 East Lansing, Michigan November 2022 87 also missed the Los Angeles Olympics, citing political reasons, but these countries were not a part of the Soviet-led boycott. Albania, Iran and Upper Volta were the only three countries to boycott both the 1980 and 1984 Summer Games. Albania 1946 Albania Iran Iran Libya 1977 Libya Upper Volta 1977/Burkina Faso 1977 Upper Volta/Burkina Faso Soviet doping plan A document obtained in 2016 by The New York Times revealed the Soviet Union's plans for a statewide doping system in track and field in preparation for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Dated prior to the country's decision to boycott the Games, the document detailed existing steroids operations of the program, along with suggestions for further enhancements.Ruiz Rebecca R. 13 August 2016 The Soviet Doping Plan: Document Reveals Illicit Approach to '84 Olympics https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/sports/olympics/soviet-doping-plan-russia-rio-games.html?_r=0 https://web.archive.org/web/20210819003345/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/sports/olympics/soviet-doping-plan-russia-rio-games.html?_r=0 August 19, 2021 The New York Times Calendar All times are in Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7); the other two cities, Boston and Annapolis use Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)  ●  Opening ceremony     Event competitions  ●  Event finals  ●  Closing ceremony DateJulyAugust28thSat29thSun30thMon31stTue1stWed2ndThu3rdFri4thSat5thSun6thMon7thTue8thWed9thThu10thFri11thSat12thSun Archery● ● Athletics● ●●● ●● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ●● ●●● ●● ●● ● ●● ● ●● ● ● ●● ● ● ●● Basketball●● Boxing● ● ● ●● ● ● ●● ● ● ● Canoeing● ● ●● ● ●● ● ●● ● ● Cycling● ●●●●● ●● Diving●●●● Equestrian● ●● ●●● Fencing●●●●●●●● Field hockey●● Football● Gymnastics●●●●● ● ●● ● ●● ●● ●● Handball●● Judo●●●●●●●● Modern pentathlon● ● Rowing● ● ●● ● ●● ● ● ●● ● ● ● Sailing● ● ●● ● ●● Shooting● ●●●● ●●●● ●● Swimming● ●● ●● ●● ● ●● ●● ● ●● ●● ● ●● ●● ● ●● ●● ● ● Synchronized swimming●● Volleyball●● Water polo● Weightlifting●●●●●●●●●● Wrestling●● ●●● ●● ●● ●●● ●●● ●● ●● ● Total gold medals 9 8 13 10 12 16 24 21 10 5 14 11 20 43 4 Ceremonies ● ●Date28thSat29thSun30thMon31stTue1stWed2ndThu3rdFri4thSat5thSun6thMon7thTue8thWed9thThu10thFri11thSat12thSunJulyAugust The Games Ceremonies thumb|right|The Opening Ceremony at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 1984 Summer Olympics opening ceremony 1984 Summer Olympics closing ceremony For the first time in history, the International Olympic Committee authorized the formal segments of the opening ceremony to be interspersed with the cultural segments. The start of the event featured the arrival of Bill Suitor by means of the Bell Aerosystems rocket pack (also known as a Jet Pack). Etta James performed "When the Saints Go Marching In" at the opening ceremony.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glAu9xxlMJ8&list=PLiFG--hp3gpW60VYhtj8L7nkAe8FjPqH7 Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Opening Ceremony Complete September 6, 2014 YouTube Go to time stamp 29:40 for Etta James' performance. A previously cited Associated Press story (in which James was credited for singing the national anthem) was an AP reporting error. The national anthem was performed by a choir, and James appeared to perform 'When The Saints Go Marching In' later in the ceremony. Alongside Williams and the house orchestra, 84 pianists performed an abridged version of George Gershwin's composition Rhapsody in Blue. Vicki McClure, along with the International Children's Choir of Long Beach, sang "Reach Out and Touch". Lionel Richie performed a special extended 9-minute version of his hit single "All Night Long" at the closing ceremonies.Malone MacKenzie Tuning into the Games, Watching the Olympics is the next best thing to playing https://www.timesunion.com/entertainment/article/Tuning-into-the-Games-3720777.php April 4, 2014 Times Union July 19, 2012 Sports The 1984 Summer Olympic program featured 221 events in the following 21 sports: 22em Aquatics Diving 4 d Swimming 29 d Synchronized swimming 2 d Water polo 1 d Archery 2 d Athletics 41 d Basketball 2 d Boxing 12 d Canoeing 12 d Cycling d Road (3) Track (5) Equestrian d Dressage (2) Eventing (2) Show jumping (2) Fencing 8 d Field hockey 2 d Football 1 d Gymnastics d Artistic (14) Rhythmic (1) Handball 2 d Judo 8 d Modern pentathlon 2 d Rowing 14 d Sailing 7 d Shooting 11 d Volleyball 2 d Weightlifting 10 d Wrestling d Freestyle (10) Greco-Roman (10) Demonstration sports Baseball 16 d Tennis 4 d Athletic Achievements Carl Lewis of the United States, making his first of four appearances at the Olympics, equaled the 1936 performance of Jesse Owens by winning four gold medals, in the 100 m, 200 m, 4 × 100 m relay and long jump. Edwin Moses of the United States won the gold medal in the 400m hurdles 8 years after winning in 1976. Joaquim Cruz of Brazil won the 800 meter run with a time of 1:43.00 to set an Olympic record. Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco became the first female Olympic champion of a Muslim nation—and the first of her country—in the 400 m hurdles. Carlos Lopes, from Portugal, won the Marathon at the age of 37, with a time of 2:09:21, an Olympic record that stood for 24 years. It was the first gold medal ever for Portugal. Gold medal favorite, World Record holder and the then World Champion, Robert de Castella from Australia, finished in 5th place, 1:48 behind Lopes. A marathon for women was held for the first time at the Olympics (won by Joan Benoit of the U.S.). The event was also remembered for Swiss runner Gabriela Andersen-Schiess, who – suffering from heat exhaustion – entered the stadium for the final lap in a state of almost total exhaustion, barely able to walk but eventually completing the race, collapsing at the finishing line and being immediately treated by medical personnel. Daley Thompson of Great Britain apparently missed a new world record in winning his second consecutive gold medal in the decathlon; the next year, his score was retroactively raised to 8847, giving him the record. Sebastian Coe of Great Britain became the first man to win consecutive gold medals in the 1500m. Maricica Puică of Romania won the 3000 meters, known for the Mary Decker vs. Zola Budd rivalry. World champion and heavy favorite Decker fell after a controversial collision with Budd. However, Puică had the best annual time at the distance, easily run away from silver medalist Wendy Sly of Great Britain and appeared to have more to give if it had been necessary. Puică was injured during the very first Track and Field World Championships in Helsinki the year before, in which Decker had won both the 1500 meters and the 3000 meters.Sky Documentary "Mary Decker vs Zola Budd", aired on Danish DR2, 2.August 2018, 23:30 CEST The first gold medal to be awarded at the Los Angeles Olympics was also the first-ever medal to be won by an athlete from China when Xu Haifeng won the 50 m Pistol event. Archer Neroli Fairhall from New Zealand was the first paraplegic Olympian at any Olympic Games, coming 35th in the Women's individual event. Synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics debuted in Los Angeles as Olympic events, as did wind surfing. Li Ning from the People's Republic of China won 6 medals in gymnastics, 3 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze, earning him the nickname "Prince of Gymnasts" in China. Li would later light the Olympic Cauldron at the 2008 Olympics.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-li-ning/li-ning-prince-of-gymnasts-and-businessman-idUSSP4750620080808 Li Ning, "Prince of Gymnasts" and businessman Nick Mulvenney August 8, 2008 Reuters Steve Redgrave of Great Britain won his first title in rowing of the record five he would go on to win in five Olympic competitions. Victor Davis of Canada set a new world record in winning the gold medal in the 200-meter breaststroke in swimming. Mary Lou Retton of the United States became the first gymnast outside Eastern Europe to win the gymnastics all-around competition. In men's gymnastics, the American team won the gold medal. France won the Olympic association football (soccer) tournament, defeating Brazil 2–0 in the final. Olympic football was unexpectedly played before massive crowds throughout America, with several sell-outs at the 100,000+ seat Rose Bowl. This interest eventually led to the U.S. hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The Soviet-led boycott affected weightlifting more than any other sport: 94 of the world's top 100 ranked lifters were absent, as were 29 of the 30 medalists from the recent world championships. All 10 of the defending world champions in the 10 weight categories were absent. The success of the Eastern Bloc countries might be explained by state-run doping programs that had been developed there.https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/sports/olympics/soviet-doping-plan-russia-rio-games.html The Soviet Doping Plan: Document Reveals Illicit Approach to '84 Olympics August 13, 2016 The New York Times November 13, 2017 en Future Dream Team members Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and Chris Mullin were on the team that won the gold medal in basketball. The 1984 U.S. men's Olympic basketball team was coached by Indiana Hoosiers head coach Bobby Knight. Connie Carpenter-Phinney of the United States became the first woman to win an Olympic cycling event when she won the women's individual road race. In the judo open division, four-time world champion Yasuhiro Yamashita of Japan tore a right calf muscle in the preliminary match against Arthur Schnabel. This put Yamashita at a huge disadvantage since he executed his throws by pivoting on his right leg. Though he managed to win the match with an Okuri-Eri-Jime, the injury caused him to visibly limp during the semi-final match against Laurent Del Colombo. Yamashita was thrown with an Osoto Gari only 30 seconds into the match, but managed to return an Osoto Gari and won the match with a Yoko-Shiho-Gatame (side four-quarter hold). He played the final match against Mohamed Ali Rashwan of Egypt. Yamashita won the final and the gold medal despite his injury. The match witnessed a remarkable fair play act from Rashwan who did not aim for Yamashita's right leg. Rashwan was even given an award from the International Fairplay Committee.http://www.fairplayinternational.org/winners_item.php?id=156 International Fairplay Committee - Mohamed Ali Rashwan 21 January 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20071010143658/http://www.fairplayinternational.org/winners_item.php?id=156 10 October 2007 Medal table 1984 Summer Olympics medal table The United States topped the medal count for the first time since 1968, winning a record 83 gold medals and surpassing the Soviet Union's total of 80 golds at the 1980 Summer Olympics.https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-gold-medals-won-at-a-single-summer-olympic-games-country Most gold medals won at a single Summer Olympic Games - Country Guinness World Records These are the top ten nations that won medals at the 1984 Games. Key #ffffff darkgray Changes in medal standings (see here) Broadcasting rights Olympics on television#1984 Summer Olympics In the United States, the Games were broadcast by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), as part of a domestic deal with the LAOOC and with the IOC. It was the first time the IOC and a OCOG provided support for in-venue distribution. International television broadcasters and radio rights were acquired by 156 countries.https://www.obs.tv/assets/OlympicBroadcastingHistoryV3.pdf PDF Olympic broadcasting through the years (2008 - 1924) Pbs.tv June 17, 2026https://library.olympics.com/Default/doc/SYRACUSE/2288013/los-angeles-1984-a-turning-point-for-television-rights-and-technology-by-richard-w-pound?_lg=en-GB Los Angeles 1984 : a turning point for television rights and technology Richard W. Pound Library.olympics.com June 17, 2026 Eurovision: Provided coverage for 31 countries in Europe Intervision: Provided coverage for 11 countries in Eastern Europe OTI (Organización de Televisión Iberoamericana): Represented the Spanish-speaking world Yugoslav Radio Television (JRT): The public broadcaster of Yugoslavia TV Asahi: Held the rights for Japan Channel Seven: Provided coverage for Australia TVNZ: Broadcast the Games live for New Zealand CBC: Canada Televisa: Mexico Inravisión: Cadena Uno of Colombia Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão: Brazil BBC: United Kingdom China Central Television (CCTV): Mainland China Antenne 2: France Doordarshan: India Legacy The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics redefined the Games by introducing a financially sustainable private sponsorship model. It is known as the first "modern" Games for its use of existing venues, pioneering technology, and lasting community, social, and economic impact. Los Angeles 1984 an influential legacy https://www.olympics.com/ioc/news/los-angeles-1984-an-influential-legacy 2026-05-02 en The LAOOC's sponsorship model became the IOC's "The Olympic Partner programme", which now generates more than 40% of IOC revenue. Transporting games attendees and locals was so successful that several analyses were performed to understand why it worked so well. Planning for the games was a success that the organizers of several subsequent games contacted SCRTD and LA Metro to learn from the Los Angeles experience. Officials from Salt Lake City 2002, Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008 contacted Los Angeles transit leaders regarding the preparation and execution of the 1984 transportation plan.https://metroprimaryresources.info/28-years-ago-this-week-the-world-returns-for-los-angeles-gold-medal-performance-in-olympic-traffic-relief/4310/ 28 Years Ago This Week: The World Returns For Los Angeles' Gold Medal Performance In Olympic Traffic Relief August 9, 2012 "Look of the Games" was a term first used by LA to describe the venue aesthetics for television. All subsequent games have used the term and have designed their look for all around use. LAOOC also for the first time allowed any athlete wishing to attend the closing ceremony to do so, a decision that has been continued. The 1984 Olympics were the subject of the 1983–84 United States commemorative coin series. Additionally, filmmaker Bud Greenspan made the documentary 16 Days of Glory, which features behind-the-scenes look at athletes with in-depth interviews, recording sporting statistics, and covering games. It was released in 1985.https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/03/02/16-days-of-glory-an-olympian-effort-to-capture-the-spirit-behind-the-games/ '16 DAYS OF GLORY' AN OLYMPIAN EFFORT TO CAPTURE THE SPIRIT BEHIND THE GAMES March 2, 1986 On July 18, 2009, a 25th anniversary celebration of the 1984 Games was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The celebration included a speech by former Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee president Peter Ueberroth, a short re-enactment of the Flying Rocketman sequence, the presentation of more than 35 (mostly South California-based) gold medal winners from 1984 (which was part of Ceremonies producer David Wolper's original 1984 plans) as well as a re-lighting of the Olympic cauldron. Financial Success thumb|upright=0.9|Newspaper vending machine announcing the 1984 Olympics. Following the news of the massive financial losses of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, the only two cities to express a genuine interest in hosting the 1984 Games were Los Angeles and New York. Given that only one city per country is allowed to bid for any one Games, the USOC vote for the American bid city was effectively the deciding vote for the 1984 Olympics host city. In this case, the Los Angeles bid received 55 votes compared with New York's 39 votes – this is the closest that the city of New York has ever come to being selected to host the Olympic Games, coming closer in 1984 than they did in their 2012 bid (when they lost to London).http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/Books/No_Olympics_No_Problem.pdf No Olympics, No Problem: New York City's Political Regime after the Bid for the 2012 Games Andrew H. Levin April 27, 2007 27 July 24, 2009 June 1, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120601141412/http://la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/Books/No_Olympics_No_Problem.pdf dead Ambitious construction projects for the two previous Summer Olympics, Montreal 1976 and Moscow 1980, had burdened organizers with substantial debts as expenses greatly exceeded revenues. Furthermore, the 1976 and 1980 Olympics were entirely government-funded. Unlike Montreal and Moscow, Los Angeles 1984 was privately funded, with strict controls imposed on expenditure; rather than constructing new venues with overly ambitious designs, the organizers chose instead to utilize existing venues and facilities wherever possible. The main example of this was the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which was also the Olympic Stadium for the 1932 Summer Olympics.Let Boston 2024 pay for the Olympics https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/10/09/private-group-wants-olympics-boston-let-them-pay-for/Lhszp3SJirPrwAsrfpWz5J/story.html The Boston Globe July 28, 2015 registration The only two new venues constructed specifically for the 1984 Summer Olympics were secured with the backing of corporate sponsors: the Olympic Velodrome was largely funded by the 7-Eleven corporation and the Olympic Swim Stadium by McDonald's. In addition to corporate support, the Olympic committee also used the income from the exclusive television rights, and for the first time these contracts would prove to be a significant source of revenue. Adjusted for inflation, the Los Angeles Games secured twice the amount of income received by the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics and four times that of the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics.Shoval, Noam. "A New Phase in the Competition For The Olympic Gold: The London and New York Bids For The 2012 Games." Journal of Urban Affairs 24.5 (2002): 583–99. The low level of interest among potential host cities for the 1984 Games had been viewed as a major threat to the future of the Olympic Games. However, after the financial success of the Los Angeles Games, cities began to show a renewed interest in bidding to become host again. The Los Angeles and Montreal Games are seen as examples of best and worst practice when organizing the Olympics and serve as valuable lessons to prospective host cities. The total surplus was USA 232.5 m USD US $ 1984 US-GDP no. Under the agreement made in 1979, 40 percent of any surplus was to stay in Southern California, with the other 60 percent going to the United States Olympic Committee. LA84 Foundation The LA84 Foundation was founded as a private, nonprofit institution created by the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee to manage Southern California's endowment from the 1984 Olympic Games. The LA84 Foundation's mission is to promote and expand youth sports opportunities in Southern California and to increase knowledge of sport and its impact on people's lives. Since inception, the Foundation has invested more than $225 million in Southern California by awarding grants to youth sports organizations, initiating sports and coaching education programs, and operating the world's premier sports library. In popular culture April 2014 American fast food chain McDonald's ran a promotion titled "When the U.S. Wins, You Win" where customers scratched off a ticket with the name of an Olympic event on it. If the U.S. won a medal in that event, then they would be given a free menu item: a Big Mac for a gold medal, an order of french fries for a silver medal, and a Coca-Cola for a bronze medal. The promotion became more popular than expected due to the Soviet boycott which led to the U.S. winning far more Olympic medals than expected.https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0B13FA3F5C0C738DDDA10894DC484D81&n=Top/News/Business/Companies/McDonald's%20Corporation The New York Times August 10, 1984 April 20, 2010 Advertising; Big Mac's Olympic Giveaway Pamela G. Hollie This promotion was parodied in The Simpsons episode "Lisa's First Word", where Krusty Burger runs a similar offer. The promotion was intended to be rigged so that prizes would only be offered in events dominated by the Eastern Bloc, but the Soviet-led boycott causes Krusty to personally lose $44 million. He vehemently promises "to spit in every fiftieth burger," to which Homer retorts "I like those odds!" Chief Wiggum also exclaims that he could kiss Carl Lewis, who won four gold medals at the Games. On NCIS, Tim McGee has an obsession with jet packs, stemming from having attended the 1984 Olympic ceremony as a child and having Bill Suitor fly over his head in his jet pack.Ignition NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service NCIS (TV series) CBS January 5, 2010 7 11 43 This storyline is based on the real experience of executive producer and writer Jesse Stern.Stern, Jesse The Future is Now: NCIS meets the jet pack NCIS: The Seventh Season (Disc 3 special features) CBS Studios Jilly Cooper's novel Riders has a storyline set at the show jumping event at the 1984 Summer Olympics. In the Seinfeld episode "The Gymnast", Jerry dates a woman who competed in the 1984 Olympics and won a silver medal for Romania. In American Horror Story: 1984, the characters watch it together on the TV in the girls cabin. See also 1980s United States Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics Use of performance-enhancing drugs in the Olympic Games — 1984 Los Angeles 16 Days of Glory – official film De-satellization of Romania References 30em Further reading Dyreson, Mark. "Global television and the transformation of the Olympics: The 1984 Los Angeles Games." International Journal of the History of Sport 32.1 (2015): 172–184. Edelman, Robert Simon. "The Russians are not coming! The Soviet withdrawal from the games of the XXIII Olympiad." International Journal of the History of Sport 32.1 (2015): 9-36. Bill Henry An Approved History of the Olympic Games 1984 Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games 0-88284-243-9 registration https://archive.org/details/approvedhistoryo00henr Llewellyn, Matthew, John Gleaves, and Wayne Wilson. "The Historical Legacy of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games." International Journal of the History of Sport 32#1 (2015) : 1–8. Llewellyn, Matthew, John Gleaves, and Wayne Wilson, eds. The 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games: Assessing the 30-Year Legacy (Routledge, 2017). Whitakers Olympic Almanack 2004 0-7136-6724-9 Greenberg Stan A. & C. Black External links 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic Review 1984 – Official results https://web.archive.org/web/20080625185007/http://www.la84foundation.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1984/ore203/ORE203h.pdf June 25, 2008 Official Report Vol. 1 Official Report Vol. 2 cbbVk3AGVhE Video of President Reagan declaring games open, and torch-lighting by Rafer Johnson Egyptian judoka refused to attack his opponent's clearly injured right leg soly Moscow XXIII OlympiadLos Angeles 1984 Seoul Olympics United States Los Angeles Sports 1980s Category:Olympic Games in California Category:Summer Olympics in Los Angeles Category:Summer Olympics by year Olympics Olympics Olympics Category:July 1984 sports events in the United States Category:August 1984 sports events in the United States Olym