Recognition 45 years on

Australia’s cold war Olympic heroes receive official recognition 45 years later

Australia’s Moscow Olympic athletes assembled in Canberra on Wednesday. Photo: Andrew McLaughlin. More than 120 Australian athletes who competed in the Moscow Olympic Games have been formally recognised and welcomed home by the Australian Parliament, some 45 years after the event. In 1980, at the height of the Cold War, the Moscow Olympic Games were boycotted by many countries, including the United States and Australia, because of the Soviet Uni…

Recognition 45 years on

The federal government officially welcomed home the athletics from the 1980 Olympics Games in Russia on July 30, 45 years after the Games. Tara Murray chats with David Smith, who was among those to compete at the Games despite Australia’s boycott. There was no way that David Smith was going to miss out on representing Australia at the 1980 Olympics. The race walker from the then Williamstown Athletics Club had five qualifying times to compete on…