The XXIII Summer Olympics 1984 fell on that period in the modern Olympic movement, when every sports forum was boycotted by some IOC member countries. This happened at the previous games in Moscow, and the 1980 Olympics, which took place in Los Angeles, USA, also remained in memory mainly due to the boycott by 16 countries.
The first Olympic Games in Los Angeles were held in 1932. Thereafter, the US National Olympic Committee nominated one of the US cities for each subsequent IOC vote. However, for half a century, attempts to bring the summer games back to the country have been unsuccessful. Los Angeles was again included in the voting list for the 1976 Olympics, but the IOC chose Montreal, Canada. In the next ballot, Los Angeles lost the election to Moscow, and in 1978 in Athens, the Americans were finally lucky. At the 80th session of the IOC, Tehran withdrew its application, and before the decisive vote, the city in the United States remained the only candidate to host the XXIII Summer Olympic Games.
Los Angeles is the second most populous city in the United States, located in California near the border with Mexico. In the world, this city is most often associated with the entertainment industry, since it is in it that the famous "dream factory" - Hollywood is located. Los Angeles was built on the shores of the Pacific Bay of Santa Monica in 1781 and originally belonged to Mexico, but in 1848 passed to the United States after the end of the Mexican-American War. The city's rapid growth began in the late 19th century, when oil reserves were discovered in the area. By the time the Olympic Games were held, it was already a metropolis with more than three million inhabitants.
Los Angeles took a very rational approach to the expenses for the XXIII Olympics. Only two new sports facilities were built - a velodrome and a swimming pool. The opening and closing ceremonies of the games were held at the same stadium that hosted the Olympians in 1932. From July 28 to August 12, 1984, athletes from 140 countries competed for 221 sets of awards in 23 sports. In the absence of representatives of the Soviet Union and 13 other socialist countries, the dominance of the US Olympians at these games was absolute. They got 174 medals - about the same amount won together four countries from the next lines of the medal standings.
