2017 marks 37 years since the Soviet Union hosted the Olympic Games on its soil. In Moscow and around the world, the event caused a wide response. On July 19, 1980, at 4 pm Moscow time, a sound familiar to Muscovites and other residents of the country was heard over the brand new Luzhniki stadium. The chimes on the Spasskaya Tower sounded. Following him, the speakers "came to life": the majestic notes of the festive overture by composer Dmitry Shostakovich stirred up the feelings of the people. So the signals were given for the beginning of the opening ceremony of the XXII Summer Games.
Chitons, togas, chariots
The tradition of holding major complex sports competitions is rooted in ancient Greece. From 776 BC e. to 394 AD e. 293 of the most important Hellenic national festivities took place in the sanctuary of Olympia. The modern continuation of a good undertaking became possible thanks to the initiative of a Frenchman, who at the end of the 19th century distinguished himself by his stormy social activities. His name is Pierre de Coubertin. The first summer games after the resumption were held inApril 1896 in Athens. Subsequently, they were held regularly, every four years, excluding the time of global cataclysms. Waited in the wings and the XXII Olympic Games. On July 19, 1980, in Moscow, to the jubilation of the stands, the “ancient Greeks” entered the huge arena of the Luzhniki stadium: simple guys and girls in togas and chitons.
They were accompanied by "ancient" two-wheeled chariots with four harnessed horses each. This was a tribute to the ancient land of Hellas, the eternal spirit of the Olympics. It is worth saying that during the opening ceremony (as well as closing) the eastern stand was part of the action. Hats, shirt-fronts, flags in the hands of volunteers formed thematic pictures, sometimes quite complex (174 subjects).
The process of living "drawing" looked like a surging sea: the waves rolled and receded, giving birth to the outlines of Athens, the Kremlin, the coat of arms of the USSR, the mascots of the ongoing miracle. Moscow-1980 has noticeably changed. The opening was an exciting moment, to which the country went for six long years. The fact that the USSR would become the host of a grandiose sporting event became known in 1974. It is noteworthy that due to the price of the issue, only two cities fought for the right to receive: Moscow and Los Angeles (USA). They say that the city of Montreal (Canada), where the XXI Summer Games were held, got out of debt for thirty years!
Shortly about symbolism
The final vote showed: “my dear capital, my golden Moscow…” won. The head of the country, Leonid Brezhnev, doubted: is the Moscow Olympics necessary, is it worth it to go to such expenses, it’s not easier to paya small pen alty fee and step aside? We decided not to refuse: sport is a symbol of peace. And the USSR always advocated that the guns be silent, and the ice of the "cold" war between the two leading powers - the Soviet Union and the United States - melted. The construction of special facilities began in 1976.
At the same time, we had to make sure that worthy Olympic mascots appeared. In 1977, the host of the program "In the World of Animals", Vasily Peskov, invited the audience to choose an animal whose image will form the basis of a magical object that can attract the attention of everyone and everyone, and become a favorite of the public. Eighty percent of those polled voted for the teddy bear. He was given laurels by such candidates as a horse, a dog, a bison, an elk, a bee, an eagle, a rooster.
The All-Union competition for the best image of a clubfoot was announced. A funny teddy bear with a belt of Olympic rings, created by artist Viktor Chizhikov, burst forward. Later, the charming Misha really fell in love and remembered the whole world. The author of another major symbol that enriched the Olympics-80 (the silhouette of the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin, consisting of treadmills, crowned with a five-pointed star) was a student of the Stroganov School Vladimir Arsentiev. All this and many other information can be classified as pleasant moments of preparation. There were plenty of others, including those of a political nature.
Sixty-five boycott
Shortly before the summer, when the Moscow Olympics were expected in the USSR, at the request of the leadership of Afghanistan, Soviet troopsentered the country of sands and wild rocks (1979). The following actions immediately followed (it is believed that they are somewhat similar to the current protests and sanctions): American President Jimmy Carter strongly advocated the imposition of economic sanctions and the boycott of the Olympic Games. The call to disrupt the event was supported by 65 states, including Monaco, Liechtenstein, Somalia and others.
Twenty-four African countries arrived at the opening of the Olympics and accepted the invitation with apprehension. The International Organizing Committee did not invite Iran, where a revolution had died down quite recently. UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim (Austria) publicly uttered words that meant approximately the following: "I will not have my foot in the socialist den." That's not all. There were also problems with the pace of infrastructure construction. In March 1980, "they counted - shed tears": 56 of the 97 planned objects were ready for reception.
The main Luzhniki Stadium, the Rowing Canal in Krylatskoye, the Ostankino TV and Radio Complex were handed over only a month before the opening! Today it seems to many that the Sheremetyevo Airport, the World Trade Center on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment, the Cosmos Hotel have always existed. But they were built only 37 years ago, thanks to the fact that the Olympics-80 hurried to us through the storms and obstacles of ill-wishers.
The way to Moscow of the famous Greek fire is interesting. The relay race of runners, called upon to deliver it to its destination, began a month before the opening, on June 19, 1980. The torch was lit on Olympus. Perennial "priestess",receiving and transmitting the Olympic flame (1980 was no exception - the main character of the action was the famous actress Maria Moscoliu), mined the shrine with the help of a concave mirror (lens). She handed the heat of the Sun, transformed into an open flame, in the form of a torch to a student of the University of Athens, Athanasis Kosmopolous.
Thousands of people of different countries and nationalities watched the relay race of runners, called to convey the burning greetings of Hellas. Hot and tame at the same time, he successfully covered 5 thousand kilometers.
Action taken
How much of the usual stirred up to the very bottom these Olympic Games! In Moscow, the largest city in Europe, empty arena benches are irrelevant. However, not everything is so simple: everyone was not invited, and who was invited - not everyone responded! Let's delve into this and other situations.
Viewers. As you know, the stands of the large sports arena "Luzhniki" on the opening day of the games were filled to capacity (capacity 103 thousand people). There is an opinion that it was not easy to do this: many foreigners handed over (or did not buy) a document for a pass to the stadium. The organizers made up their minds and sold tickets for 30 kopecks to willing citizens of their native country (of course, bypassing the IOC). Everything turned out perfectly: the crowded stadium thundered, “as if an earthquake wave had approached!”
"Sponsors". Sometimes it seems that it was the Olympics in Moscow that brought this concept into our lexicon. The year 1980 promised a rich harvest for "import" investors. They promised mountains of gold in the form of compensation for part of the costs of organizing the games. Because of the boycott alone"gone into the fog", others have reduced investments. According to the memoirs of the head of the Organizing Committee Ignatius Novikov, only the Adidas company (Germany) fully kept its word. Rumor has it that the “firms” were horrified when they saw how the eminent basketball player Sergei Belov, who was entrusted with lighting the flame of the XXII Olympiad, runs to the bowl along the painted shields in the sneakers of competitors. The athlete himself explained this by the slippery surface of the path, which forced the use of studded shoes.
Shops. How many rumors have the Summer Olympics generated! In Moscow (and practically throughout the USSR) in the 1970s, people did not go hungry: the products were not distinguished by “capitalist diversity”, but were natural, simple, and he althy. Some lamented that there was not even chewing gum (it was considered harmful). The shortcomings were filled. Citizens parasites, alcoholics, other unreliable persons went for one hundred and first kilometer of Moscow, so as not to spoil the overall picture of the reception.
Weather. Why did the Olympics 80 open in July? The USSR is a huge country through which many climatic zones stretch. In the capital, where rainfall is frequent, the most sunny days are in the middle of summer. The calculation was justified.
Hello from outer space
Forty minutes before Brezhnev's arrival, ignoring President Carter's prohibition to raise the American flag, American Dan Patterson (21) unfurled the US banner. They say he and his 88-year-old countryman Nick Paul regretted that there would be no athletes from their country at the games. The holiday did not fade from this. The passage was started by athletes from the delegation of Greece, completed - from the SovietUnion.
And between them passed the envoys of 16 national teams: Australia, Andorra, Belgium, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, San Marino, France, Switzerland. The Summer Olympic Games can be called the anthem of the international.
In Moscow, at the Luzhniki Arena, during the ceremony, participants simultaneously released 5,000 carrier pigeons into the sky. The use of birds in such discoveries was banned after a monstrous incident. In 1988, in Seoul, the birds flew and landed on the edge of the bowl. The poor fellows were burned when the flames of the Olympics broke out. Who would have thought that living Olympic mascots would die so ridiculously?
But back to the topic. In the July days, the spacecraft Soyuz-35 with cosmonauts Valery Ryumin and Leonid Popov on board plied the expanses of the Universe. Their congratulations to the participants and spectators were reflected on the huge screen. Lord Michael Killanin, President of the IOC (International Olympic Committee), spoke. No one knew that shortly before the Olympics, the veteran resigned. He gave the floor for greetings to Leonid Brezhnev. The General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union declared the Olympic Games in Moscow open.
It was after his words that a group of flag-bearers took out the Olympic flag and twenty-two athletes walked side by side, holding white doves in their hands. The birds of the world were supposed to fly into the Moscow sky after the flag was raised, on the eve of the arrival of the Olympic flame in the arena. It was brought by the athlete Viktor Saneev. Ran with a torch on a treadmillhaving made a kind of lap of honor, and handed over the precious burden to the champion of the 1972 Olympic Games, Sergei Belov. A tall athlete (190 cm) seemed to “fly” along the deck over the turbulent human sea straight to the bowl to solemnly light the fire of the Olympics.
To all records your proud names
Dances of the peoples of the Soviet Union, acrobatic numbers - it was a triumph of goodness and peace, a triumph of the beauty and power of the USSR, followed by intense days of competition. The results of the Olympics are as follows. The USSR national team won 80 gold, 69 silver and 46 bronze medals, winning the unofficial team tally. Here are some names of the heroes: Viktor Krovopuskov (fencing), Yuri Sedykh (hammer throw), Alexander Starostin (modern pentathlon), Tatyana Kazankina (runner), Alexander Melentiev (shooter), Nelly Kim (gymnast).
Swimmer Vladimir Salnikov became a three-time Olympic champion for the first time in the history of Soviet sports. Alexander Dityatin is recognized as the only gymnast in the world who has medals in all the exercises that were evaluated by the judges. And this is only a fraction of the achievements of Soviet athletes. They took "gold" in almost all types of competitions, including volleyball, water polo, basketball. (Football, boxing and rowing left a lot to be desired.)
By the way, Rika Reinisch, Barbara Krause, Karen Mechuk (swimmers, GDR), Vladimir Parfenovich (kayaker, USSR) were named three-time Olympic champions. Veteran gymnastics (at the age of 28!) Nikolai Andrianov proved: “whoever wants, hewill achieve” - and won two gold, two silver and one bronze medals. Inessa Diers (swimming) brought home the same dignity of the award, to the German Democratic Republic.
Everyone heard the name of the gymnast Nadia Comaneci (Comaneci) from Romania (2 gold, 2 silver medals). She performed after a severe back injury, showing an example of perseverance and fortitude. Gymnasts Elena Davydova, Alexander Tkachev, swimmer Sergey Koplyakov had two "gold" and one "silver". Natalya Shaposhnikova distinguished herself (two gold and two bronze medals).
Detractors tried to "boo" the results, arguing that the Olympiad was held in the absence of powerful rivals from the countries boycotting the event. But no: all the victories were well-deserved and significant. The intensity of the fight went through the roof. 74 Olympic records included 36 exceeding world records. The country and the whole world will forever remember 1980. The Olympic Games in Moscow, Soviet, saturated with the spirit of equality and fraternity, will never happen again.
The hour of farewell has come
Meanwhile, the closing of the Olympics was approaching. The ceremony took place on August 3, 1980. During the games, athletes from different countries, fans have become one big family. It was obvious: human possibilities are great. Aiming at peaceful sporting victories, they broke down language and political barriers. At half past six in the evening, a message sounded that the competitive program of the Games had been successfully completed.
The last set of awards was played by masters of equestrian sports. The overall result of the XXII Summer Olympiad was as follows: the firstplace - the USSR (195 awards, including the RSFSR - 56, the Ukrainian SSR -48, the Byelorussian SSR -19, the Moldavian USSR -1). The second - the German Democratic Republic (126 awards), the third - Bulgaria (41 medals). At 7:30 p.m., a celebration of joy and sadness began: in front of thousands of spectators, the Olympics-80 became history.
And again crowded stands. The illuminated arena shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow. Fanfare boomed. Everyone thought: what last hello will the Olympics in Moscow give? 1980 seemed to be ending with her. The central box was allocated for the top leadership of the country - Yu. Andropov, V. Grishin, A. Kirilenko, A. Kosygin, M. Gorbachev (L. Brezhnev was on vacation at that time), and other honored guests. Killanin was about to hand over leadership to Juan Antonio Samaranch.
No pyrotechnics
The spectacle began with a parade of athletes. The standard-bearers came out, then the athletes. The column was not divided into countries and peoples. The Greek and Soviet flags flew up on the flagpoles. The anthems of these countries were sung. According to the rules of the closing ceremony, they had to raise the flag of the United States, where the 1984 summer games were to be held. But at the height of the Cold War, they compromised and raised the flag of the city of Los Angeles. Lord Killanin declared the Olympics closed.
The outgoing head of the IOC urged not to use such events as a means of political protest. At 20:10, the athletes (8 people) carried away the lowered Olympic flag. The fire in the bowl, born in Olympia, began to slowly die out. Five timesfireworks sounded. Many spectators in the stands were crying. For the first time, the stadium scoreboard did not reflect the minutes, seconds, meters that had been overcome, but became the screen of an unusual cinema. People saw a short film where the highlights were repeated again. And where was the Olympic Bear? The song about him spread all over the world!
And here it is, the last moment. Wrestlers, gymnasts, swimmers, all-around athletes, runners and other heroes of the Moscow Summer Olympics left the arena. Spectators remained in the stands. It seemed that the coming riddle - the show of Joseph Tumanov sparkling with colors - was intended only for them - the most faithful, loud, sincere. At that moment, sport and art merged into one. Evening time was not chosen by chance: when the day goes out, the spaces turn into a mysterious backdrop for a grandiose light show. Pyrotechnics were not planned.
Acrobatics
The light dimmed, then flashed again, the action continued! It soon became clear: the athletes left to return! The spectators, who had just watched the performances of dance groups, saw how the strongest acrobats of the world, Europe, the USSR joined the athletes who were performing exercises with a ribbon-scarf in unison. Those who were present at the closing testify: it is impossible to forget how a wonderful flower of flexible, well-shaped bodies grew and blossomed in the arena!
At this time, Mishka was languishing in the space under the stands. A huge, ready to "take off" doll had to be blown off and inflated again: it could not fit the dimensions of the chute that directed it to the stadium. While the technicalquestion, the show went on. The field has turned into a huge area for Russian folk festivals. A round dance was spinning, dashing harmonicas, balalaikas sounded. There were no huge nesting dolls. They were taken out on trucks.
As if in a fairy tale, birch trees grew, white swans swam out - the artistic background was created in the stands by five thousand people armed with color tablets. There were more than one hundred and fifty changing pictures! Enviable coordination of actions! No crashes were observed. Finally, Mishka appeared. For some time he floated around the stadium, held by an escort group.
Fairytale forest on Sparrow Hills
Coming up with the flaming bowl, the talisman began waving his paws farewell to the stands, which were getting quieter: it was time for the fabulous Misha to go to his fairy forest. These are the words from the song to which the favorite left Luzhniki. He flew away, according to the plan, rising up three and a half meters, and began to move away from the stadium past the bowl, under the eyes of the spectators blurred with tears.
Closing happened. Leaving the stands, some fans must have wondered where the clumsy buddy would land. There were those who did not want to lose faith in a romantic outcome. For them, the talisman lives to this day in a magical spruce forest far (or near?) from Moscow. The night of farewells, hopes for new meetings, promises not to forget each other was seething in the Olympic village. And the glorious rubber beast landed on Sparrow Hills, was picked up by a search team and sent to a warehouse.
So the "mystery of the century" with the difficult fate of the Olympic Bear remained. The song of this character ended on Sparrow Hills. There he was picked up and hidden in a warehouse. They say that buyers from West Germany have long persuaded the authorities to sell them yesterday's talisman for good money. But the sale did not take place.
Misha had another moment of glory. He exhibited in the pavilion at VDNKh. According to some reports, soon the legend came to an end. At the place of storage in the basement of the Olympic Committee, it was destroyed by mice and rats. But the talisman remained in the memory of the people. Like the Olympics itself-80.
