1984 - Detail

July 28, 1984 - The opening ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympic Games is held. The games run by Peter Ueberroth, prove a financial and U.S. success, despite a retaliatory boycott by most allies of the Soviet Union due to the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Moscow games.



Not to give away the story in the first sentence, but the Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games in 1984 were a rousing success. This had not always been the thought prior to the opening. The boycott by the United States of the Moscow Olympics in 1980 had been a thorny issue. It was likely a mistake, punishing the athletes and not pushing the Soviet Union to change their tactics, i.e. in Afghanistan and around the world. However, it would gain retaliation, as Moscow, and its satellite nations would play tit for tat at these Olympic Games. Fourteen nations boycotted in all, including East Germany, a dominant player in past games. Romania, a Soviet ally, was the only nation to defy the Soviet Union and come. How would this affect the competition? Would the lack of some of the best athletes hamper attendance and finance and international relations? That's where Peter Ueberroth comes in.

None of those fears were realized. Ueberroth, as head of the games, was a financial mastermind, utilizing the region's copious amount of facilities to keep building costs down, and the United States, which always supported games held in the nation, came out in droves. It also helped that President Reagan was a California resident and opened the games, the first time a President had done so in the United States. Adding to this was the achievements by U.S. athletes at the games, still unforgettable moments to this day. Gymnastics Coach Bella Karoli, formerly the Romanian coach, would lead his women's gymnastics team to the silver medal. Teammate Mary Lou Retton won the overall gymnastics gold and became the darling of the nation. Gregg Louganis wowed the world with his dives, winning both springboard and platform events. Track stars (think Carl Lewis), swimming stars (what about thirty-four medals for USA swimmers), stars all over the place made the Games a euphoric nation binding moment. There were one hundred and seventy-four medals won by USA athletes, eighty-three gold.

The history of the bid was a virtual non-starter. Due to financial problems at prior games, only Los Angeles, USA, and Tehran, Iran bid for the 1984 edition. Los Angeles was selected unanimously. Yes, they were critized for using existing venues, of the thirty-nine used, only two were new. Two, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Bowl, had been venues during the last Olympics held in Los Angeles in 1932. They were critized for using corporate sponsors. They paid for the new two. However, in the end the criticized elements assisted in leading to a $223 million dollar profit. Many of these elements then became a template for future events.

Some of the existing venues used were the Allen Gersten Pavilion, Eagle's Nest Arena, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Olympic Swim Stadium, Pauley Pavilion, the Rose Bowl, the Forum, the Anaheim Convention Center, Long Beach Arena, the Long Beach Convention Center, and Santa Monica College.

From July 28 to August 12, 1984, six thousand eighty hundred and twenty-nine athletes competed from one hundred and forty nations. Two hundred and twenty-one events were held, including many first time female events, including the Marathon and the women's cycling road race. If it weren't for the American athletes dominating the headlines, other athletes were huge stars, even surpassing their American rivals. Ecaterina Szabó from Romania could not beat Mary Lou Retton for the overall all-around gymnastics championship, but she got the silver and four other medals, all gold. Ning Li, the Chinese men's gymnast, won three golds, two silvers, and one bronze.

The Summer Games News Reports and Quotes

Carl Lewis News Report - "He arrived fashionably late, as has become his custom at these affairs. Carl Lewis and his party are on the complex property, the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee press officer said, reassuring the assembled reporters. Minutes later, a half-hour after advertised, the guest of honor, his mother and Joe Douglas, manager of the Santa Monica Track Club, entered the interview room and Lewis stepped to the microphone, smiling and strking a superman pose. ... He is the biggest name among the more than seven thousand athletes participating in the Games, not only among the fans and reporters, but the athletes themselves. He is expected to win four gold medals and perhaps break a world record or two," New York Times.

Carl Lewis won those Four Gold Medals, matching the 1936 record of Jesse Owens. He would set one world record as a member of the 4x100 relay team.

Mary Lou Retton News Report - "She's four feet nine inches tall, and about three feet seven of it is eyes. They're big and dark and have these incredibly long lashes. When she has them wide open, you can't see the rest of her. She's ninety-four pounds. Her heart weighs about sixty-five of them. She's America's tomboy, everybody's kid sister," Los Angeles Times.

"The big news. Mary Lou Retton, 16, entered the final round of the women's gymnastics all-around competition. As she walked to the vault, Retton was .050 of a point behind Romania's Ecaterina Szabó, meaning she needed a 9.95 to tie or perfect score to win. After sticking her dismount, Retton smiled from ear to ear because she knew that she had done it. Receiving her score of 10, Retton won the all-around competition and became the first American female gymnast to win an individual Olympic medal, the first to win a gold medal and the first to win the all-around," Los Angeles Times.

Mary Lou Retton did win that all-around gymnastics medal, but she was far from done. Before these 1984 Summer Olympics were over, she had won two additional silvers (team competition and vault), and two additional bronze (floor exercise and uneven bars). Afterwards, you couldn't avoid her photo on the Wheaties box.

Greg Louganis News Report - "With a display of power and grace that astounded even those who are used to his dazzling performances, Greg Louganis won his second gold medal of these Olympic Games today, taking the men's 10-meter platform competition with a world record score of 710.91 points," New York Times.

Louganis, who had competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, but missed the 1980 Moscow Olympics due to the United States boycott, would go on to win both the platform and springboard events again in Seoul 1988. It seems likely that he would have won another two at Moscow if given the opportunity.

Ecaterina Szabó News Report - "Gymnasts Ecaterina Szabó of Romania and Mary Lou Retton of the United States were strangers before coming to Los Angeles, but the lines of their rivalry have been drawn here. Szabó, 17 (actually 16 at the time), lost the all-around title on Friday to Retton by .05. On Sunday she achieved a measure of revenge by toppin Retton and winning three gold medals in the individual competition. 'I'm sure it's not the first and last time I'll go against her,' said Szabó, after winning the vault, balance beam and floor exercise competitions. 'And I desire to meet her again to prove that I am a very great gymnast,'" UPI Reports.

Szabó had not been an overnight success coming into the Los Angeles games. She had won four medals at the Gymnastics World Championships in 1983; bronze in the all-around, gold on floor, and silver on vault and bars. After leaving the Olympics and returning to Romania, Ecaterina was constantly surrounded by security guards acting as assistant coaches. By 1985, Szabó was tiring of the constant competitions and her federation was tiring of her. She competed in the European Championship out of shape and only won a silver medal on vault. She recovered well during the next two competitions, winning six medals in each; however, at the 1985 World Championships, Ecaterina won only two silver medals. She would continue to compete during the 1986 and 1987 seasons and then retire. Retton and the Romanian Gymnast never faced each other after the Los Angeles Olympics, as far as we can tell.

Ning Li News Report - "The first Olympic star from China, Gymnast Li Ning won six Olympic medals at the 1984 Olympics, with gold medals in the rings, pommelled horse and floor. In addition, he won silver in the team all-around and the horse vault, and a bronze in the individual all-around," Olympedia.

The Chinese gymnast remained a mainstay in men's gymnastics for the next four years, although by the next Olympics in Seoul 1988, his star has faded, finishing 53rd in the individual all-around. He had throughout his career won eleven World Championship medals. After retiring from gymnastics, he founded a very successful sportswear company and had the honor of being the torch bearer who lit the flames at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics.

Upcoming Los Angeles Summer Olympics 2028

From July 14 to July 30, 2028, Los Angeles and the surrounding area will host their third Olympic Games. There will be forty-nine competition sites, featuring thirty-six sports. Venues, as with the last games in 1984, will predominantly be current facilities in the region, including the DTLA Arena, Los Angeles Convention Center, Dodger Stadium, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Peacock Theater, Exposition Park Stadium, Galen Center, Port of Los Angeles, Riviera Country Club, Carson Field, Carson Stadium, Carson Courts, Carson Velodrome, Intuit Dome, Long Beach Aquatics Center, Rose Bowl Aquatics Center, Honda Center, Santa Anita Park, and others. Some events, particularly the soccer (futbol) tournament will be held in other cities across the United States.

Registration for tickets at the official Los Angeles Olympics website may now be registered through March 18, 2026. That will get you in line for the lottery draw to gain tickets to individual events.

Photo above: United States Olympic Team walking into the Coliseum during the Opening Ceremony, 1984, Ken Hackman, U.S. Air Force. Courtesy U.S. Air Force and Wikipedia Commons. Below: Coliseum Entrance, Home of the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games, 2013, Carol M. Highsmith. Courtesy Library of Congress. Info source: Olympics.com; "All Eyes are on Carl Lewis," 1984, Peter Alfano, New York Times; "Mary Lou Retton Wins All-Around Competition," Lauren Goldman, Los Angeles Times; Retton Description, 1984 Jim Murray, Los Angeles Times; "Louganis Captures Second Gold Medal," 1984, Lawrie Mifflin, New York Times; "Gymnasts Ecaterina Szabó of Romania and Mary Lou Retton," 1984, Frederick Waterman, UPI; "Ecaterina Szabó Looks Back on Her Career," 1990, gymnasticshistory; "Ning Li Biography," Olympedia; la28.org; Wikipedia Commons.

History Photo Bomb

Sally Ride, America's first woman astronaut, communities with NASA from the flight deck of the Challenger Space Shuttle, June 18-24, 1983. Photo: U.S. Information Agency.

Timeline History

Now in easy to search digital format for your Kindle, Nook, or pdf format. Also comes in paperback, too.

President Reagan at the Berlin Wall. Courtesy National Archives.

ABH Travel Tip

Take a trip along the Appalachian Trail. There are a myriad of National Park and other historic sites either on the trail or just nearby. From Acadia National Park in Maine to Harper's Ferry National Park in West Virginia, plus other Civil War sites nearby, down to Georgia. So you can take a hike, visit some history, and see a whole lot a nature and beauty along the way.

Crowds of the Civil Rights March in Washington, D.C. surround the Washington Monument. August 28, 1963. Courtesy National Archives.