Friendship Games

The 1984 Friendship Games, also called Friendship-84, was a big sports event that happened between July 2 and September 16 in 1984. It took place in the Soviet Union and eight other countries that decided not to join the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. These countries were part of a group known as the Eastern Bloc.

Even though leaders of the Friendship Games said it wasn’t meant to be a replacement for the Olympics, many people thought of it as the “alternative Olympics” for the Soviet Bloc countries. About fifty countries took part, with some sending their very best athletes and others sending teams that didn’t qualify for the Olympics in Los Angeles.

Background

See also: 1984 Summer Olympics boycott

In May 1984, the Soviet Union decided not to attend the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. They said they were worried about their athletes' safety. Other countries from the Eastern Bloc also decided to join the boycott.

Later, these countries planned their own sports events called the Friendship Games. These games would happen after the Olympics ended, so they would not clash with the official Olympic events. The Friendship Games aimed to let athletes show their skills even though they couldn't participate in the Olympics. Countries like Bulgaria, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia helped organize these events.

Participating nations

The Friendship Games in 1984 had athletes from many countries. At first, about 8,000 athletes were expected, but this number was later reduced to around 2,300 from 49 countries. Not all athletes who were planned to attend actually participated.

Countries that boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics sent their best athletes. Other countries sent teams that did not qualify for the Olympics. Some athletes competed in both the Los Angeles Olympics and the Friendship Games. For example, Claudia Losch from West Germany won a gold medal at the Olympics but did not win a medal at the Friendship Games. Alice Brown from the United States won a silver medal at the Olympics but also did not win a medal at the Friendship Games. Joyce Oladapo from Great Britain, who competed for her country at the Friendship Games, said she thought the event would be like a normal sports meeting but realized its importance when she arrived at the hotel in Prague where many athletes were staying.

Opening ceremony

The official opening ceremony for the Friendship Games took place on August 18 in Moscow, shortly after some events had already begun. The ceremony lasted two hours and featured many colorful performances. Young girls spun beachballs, children wore traditional costumes, and performers created patterns with colorful banners.

Like the Olympics, a torch bearer brought a flame into the stadium and lit a large bowl. The flame came from a special fire that honors people who died in World War II. Teams entered the stadium behind their flags, but instead of countries, they represented sports organizations.

Songs during the ceremony included a march from 1918 and a song written for the 1980 Olympics.

Summary

The Friendship Games, also called Friendship-84, were held between 2 July and 16 September 1984 in nine countries that chose not to join the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. These countries included Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, North Korea, Mongolia, Poland, and the Soviet Union. The Games were often called an "alternative Olympics" by many people, even though leaders said it was not meant to replace the Olympics.

The Games included many sports similar to the Olympics, such as swimming, gymnastics, and track and field. Some sports like table tennis and sambo wrestling were not part of the regular Olympics at that time. Countries competed in 22 Olympic sports, plus a few special ones like table tennis and sambo wrestling. Athletes from about fifty countries took part, and many set new world records in events like swimming and weightlifting.

Medal table

The following table shows results from the Friendship Games in 1984. It uses information from two books and does not include results from sambo.

Comparisons to the Olympic Games

Media from both sides of the Iron Curtain often compared the results of the 1984 Summer Olympics with those of the Friendship Games. Many athletes from the Friendship Games would have won medals if they had competed in the Olympics. In some sports like track-and-field and swimming, Eastern Bloc athletes performed better than Olympic winners. However, some journalists said these comparisons were not fair because the conditions and equipment were different. For example, one Olympic winner later ran faster than a Friendship Games winner when they competed against each other.

The comparisons also had political meaning. Even though Friendship Games organizers said their event was not an "alternative Olympics," Soviet media often hinted that it was. Some Soviet officials praised their games while criticizing the Los Angeles Olympics. When asked about the Friendship Games, a leader of the International Olympic Committee said she had no reaction.

Aftermath

In 2006, the Law and Justice party in Poland suggested giving Friendship Games winners special retirement benefits, like those given to Olympic winners. This idea became law in 2007.

In 2023, Russia decided to bring back the Friendship Games because of difficulties in international sports after its actions in Ukraine. Russia planned to hold a new version called the World Friendship Games after the 2024 Summer Olympics, but these plans were stopped in December 2024.

Venues