Olympic history of the Soviet Union
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| Official name | Olympic team of athletes from the Soviet Union;
in Russian Олимпийская команда спортсменок и спортсменов из Советского Союза |
| Participation in Summer Olympic Games | 9 (from 1952 to 1988) |
| Participation in Winter Olympics | 8 (from 1956 to 1988) |
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Medal table (total) |
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| Olympic games | G | S. | B. | total | |
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| Medals won | 473 | 376 | 355 | 1204 | |
| including summer games | 395 | 319 | 296 | 1010 | |
| including winter games | 78 | 57 | 59 | 194 | |
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Medal table (total) |
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| Paralympics | G | S. | B. | total | |
| Medals won | 21st | 19th | 17th | 57 | |
| including summer games | 21st | 19th | 15th | 55 | |
| including winter games | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
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Medal table |
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| Olympic games | G | S. | B. | total | |
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| 1952 | 22nd | 30th | 19th | 71 | |
| 1956 | 37 | 39 | 32 | 108 | |
The Soviet Olympic team ( Russian Советская олимпийская команда ; pronunciation : [ sovjɛtskaja oɫɨmpiːskaja komanda ] / transcription Sovetskaya olimpiskaja komanda; Olympic Lander abbreviation URS ) was until the dissolution of the Soviet Union , in 1991, the most successful nations team ever to the Olympics took part.
history
The Olympic Games of the 20th century were largely shaped by the performances of athletes from the Soviet Union, although the USSR did not join the International Olympic Committee (IOC) until 1951. Until 1937 the USSR was a member of the Red Sport International, a mass organization of the Comintern that agitated against bourgeois sport and the Olympic Games. In addition, the Soviet Union was only founded in 1922 and many Union or partial republics were later incorporated into the Soviet Union. A view of the Olympic Games after the Second World War cannot be explained without knowledge of the political events. All Olympic Games from 1952 to 1988 are characterized by the division of the world into two different ideologies, which was shown in many duels between the teams from the Soviet Union and the USA.
After the end of the Second World War, the competition between the two victorious powers that emerged from the World War, the Soviet Union and the USA, became more and more visible. This period of armed and arms races between the two powers, the so-called Cold War , not only played a role in the military field, but was also transferred to the field of sport . Therefore, both sides invested a lot of money and effort to see their own athletes on the podium and to show the loser that their own system is superior to the other.
Until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Olympic team of the Soviet Union was the most successful team ever. With the collapse of the Soviet Union , the Soviet Olympic team was also dissolved.
At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona , Spain and at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville , France , there was a kind of Soviet Olympic team called the United Team . This consisted of athletes from all successor states of the Soviet Union with the exception of the Baltic states. The athletes won 45 gold, 38 silver and 29 bronze medals in front of the USA and the reunified Germany . At the Olympic Winter Games in France, things went less well for the athletes. Although they won many medals with 9 gold, 6 silver and 8 bronze medals, they only managed to place second behind Germany. These were the United Team's only appearances at the Olympics.
Sports funding
With the support of the Soviet government , whose plan was to defeat the "class enemy USA " in sporting competitions, the promotion of sport was very important in the Soviet Union.
The athletes from the Soviet Union set a disproportionate number of European and world records in many sports compared to the country's population .
The great success of the Soviet athletes is strongly linked to the systematic promotion of sports in the USSR. This was mainly due to the long and intensive training that started in childhood due to the early support. B. began with the gymnasts at the age of six.
Reasons why the Soviet government promoted elite sport include international prestige and the desire to demonstrate the superiority of socialism and to show its power to the enemy in the Cold War, the USA.
Through this way of promoting sport, which had the aim of defeating the western capitalist countries in sport, sacrifices and permanent health damage were also accepted .
doping
As we now know for sure, doping was a tried and tested means of achieving the desired performance and goals of the Soviet leadership. Many did not realize how much doping can affect an athlete's body, so many athletes have taken doping substances. In some cases, Soviet competitive athletes were doped by trainers and sports doctors without their knowledge, which often led to serious permanent damage after retirement. In international controls, however, the Soviet Union was not noticed more often than other countries. But since the topic of doping and controls has played an increasingly important role worldwide in the 1990s, many Soviet athletes have also been accused of doping.
Success in the Summer Olympics
1952 in Helsinki
Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki , Finland : The Soviet Union participated in the Olympic Games for the first time. Although the state was founded in 1922, all games had previously been canceled. The Soviet athletes won 22 gold, 30 silver and 19 bronze medals and took second place behind the USA with 40 gold, 19 silver and 17 bronze medals.
- Nina Romaschkowa won the first gold medal in the discus throw and at the same time became the first ever Olympic champion in the Soviet Union.
1956 in Melbourne
Summer Olympics in Melbourne , Australia : The Soviet team won the team championship with 37 gold, 39 silver and 32 bronze medals, ahead of the USA and Australia. The Soviet athletes had to go through boos because just a few weeks before the games the Red Army had bloodily crushed the Hungarian uprising . Then teams like Switzerland, the Netherlands and Spain canceled the games in Melbourne.
- Wladimir Kuz won the final of the Olympic 10,000 meter race and left the competition no chance. The 5000 meter race five days later was only a formality and Kuz won his second gold medal.
1960 in Rome
Summer Olympic Games in Rome , Italy : The Soviet Union won 43 gold, 29 silver and 31 bronze medals ahead of the USA with a medal table of 34 gold, 21 silver and 16 bronze medals.
- The Soviet gymnast Boris Schachlin won four gold, two silver and one bronze medals, his compatriot Larissa Latynina three gold, two silver and one bronze medals.
1964 in Tokyo
Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo , Japan : The Soviet Union won 30 gold, 31 silver and 28 bronze medals, but lost the team standings in the medal table comparison with the USA, which won 36, 26 and 28 medals.
- The gymnast Larissa Latynina won six medals and still tops the all-time list of the best as the most successful female athlete.
1968 in Mexico City
Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City , Mexico : The Soviet athletes won the overall medal table of the nations with 45 gold, 32 silver and 30 bronze medals, ahead of the USA, which took second place with 29 gold, 28 silver and 34 bronze medals .
- The Soviet gymnast Vladimir Artyomov won four gold and one silver in five participations in gymnastics disciplines. Attention should be paid to the extreme conditions at these games, because the games took place at an altitude of over 2200 meters above sea level and took their toll on many athletes.
1972 in Munich
Olympic Summer Games in Munich , Germany : With 50 gold, 27 silver and 22 bronze medals, the Soviet athletes are once again the strongest nation ahead of the USA, which was beaten with 33 gold, 31 silver and 30 bronze medals.
- The Soviet track and field athlete Valery Borsov won gold medals in the men's 100 and 200-meter races and a silver medal with his team in the relay race.
1976 in Montréal
Olympic Summer Games in Montréal , Canada : The athletes from the Soviet Union won the overall medal table of the nations with a total of 49 gold, 41 silver and 35 bronze medals in front of the team from the GDR , which won 40 gold, 25 silver and 25 bronze medals and the American athlete who won 34 gold, 35 silver, and 25 bronze medals.
- The gymnast Nikolai Andrianow won four gold, two silver and one bronze medal.
- The Soviet women's basketball team won its first gold medal.
- The Soviet pentathlete Borys Onyshchenko , a member of the Olympic pentathlon team at the Games, was disqualified for using a manipulated rapier. As a result, the entire Pentathlon team of the Soviet Union was disqualified.
1980 in Moscow
Summer Olympic Games in Moscow , Soviet Union, today Russia : The Soviet team wins outstandingly with 81 gold, 69 silver and 46 bronze medals, ahead of the GDR with 47, 37 and 42 medals.
The boycott of the US team and many other western countries - including the Federal Republic of Germany - due to the invasion of the Soviet Army in Afghanistan overshadowed the games.
- The Soviet gymnast Alexander Ditjatin was the most successful athlete in the Games, he won a medal in all men's gymnastics competitions, making him the first athlete to win eight Olympic medals in one year.
1988 in Seoul
Olympic Summer Games in Seoul , South Korea : The Soviet team wins the medal table comparison with 55 gold, 30 silver and 45 bronze medals ahead of the athletes from the GDR, the medals won with 37, 35 and 30, the second best team ahead of the USA with only 36, 31 and 27 medals will be. That was the last appearance of Soviet athletes at the Summer Olympics, apart from the united team from Barcelona in 1992.
- The gymnast Vladimir Artyomov wins four gold medals.
History and politics about the Summer Olympics
From 1924 to 1936
At the IOC session in Rome in 1923, the question was raised of whether Soviet sports or sports representation for exiled Russians should be integrated. The IOC avoided taking a clear position on this and agreed that no Russian sports organization should be invited to the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. In fact, the USSR or the highest sports authority, the Supreme Council for Physical Culture (ORfK), had no intention of joining the IOC. In order to dispel any doubts about the position of Soviet sport, the Executive Committee of the Red Sports International (the most important part of which was the ORfK) drafted a press release at its meeting on January 30, 1924, stating
“That the sports organizations of the Federation of Socialist Soviet Republics are in no way related to the civil sports organizations and have no representatives whatsoever in the International Olympic Committee. The fact that Prince Urusow calls himself a representative of Russia in the above-mentioned body is a usurpation that is characteristic of the Russian White Guard. ”Indeed, Urusow remained a member of the IOC, in accordance with the IOC statutes; although he had no contact with Soviet sports institutions.
The USSR consequently stayed away from all Olympic Games in the interwar period, including the 1936 Games in Berlin. This did not take place as a sign of protest against the Nazi regime, but was due to the fact that the USSR was still not a member of the IOC and thus could not take part in the Olympic Games anyway.
1948 in London
Summer Olympics in London and Winter Olympics in St. Moritz : The Soviet Union decided not to participate because the government saw no prospect of first place in the medal table.
1980 in Moscow
Summer Olympic Games in Moscow , Soviet Union: The boycott of the USA and the Federal Republic of Germany as well as other western countries has significantly reduced the sporting value of competitions such as horse riding , swimming and athletics . The games are characterized by victories from the Soviet Union and the GDR . At these games, the Soviet athletes set the previous record for winning medals at the Olympic Games, which has not yet been surpassed.
Despite the boycott of many countries, 80 teams started the boycott by African countries, only twelve fewer than at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.
1984 in Los Angeles
Summer Olympics in Los Angeles , USA : In May 1984, the Soviet Union announced that it would decline the invitation to Los Angeles "for fear for the safety of its athletes in the face of anti-Soviet and anti-communist activities in the USA". The exact background is unknown, but a revenge for the boycott of the Moscow Games by the USA is assumed. Furthermore, the athletes from Cuba , Afghanistan , Bulgaria , Czechoslovakia , Ethiopia , the GDR , Hungary , Laos , Mongolia , North Korea , Poland , South Yemen and Vietnam did not play in the USA. Romania was the only Eastern Bloc country to start .
winter Olympics
1956 in Cortina d'Ampezzo
Olympic Winter Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo , Italy : The Soviet Union took part in the Olympic Games for the first time, although the country was founded in 1922, all previous summer and winter games have been canceled. At the first Winter Olympics, the Soviet athletes win the most medals straight away. With 7 gold, 3 silver and 6 bronze medals, the team wins ahead of Austria with 4, 3 and 4 and Sweden with 2, 4 and 4 medals. With 2, 1 and 1 medals, the team from Norway not only loses the team standings, but also their previous supremacy at the Olympic Winter Games.
- The men's Soviet ice hockey team won the gold medal on their first Olympic appearance.
- The speed skater Yevgeny Grischin won the gold medal in the 500 and 1500 meter races. He should follow more medals at other Olympic appearances, he also set records.
1960 in Squaw Valley
Olympic Winter Games in Squaw Valley , USA : Just like four years ago in Cortina d'Ampezzo , the Soviet Union team won the most medals ahead of the regained team from Norway with 7 gold, 5 silver and 9 bronze medals.
- The Soviet speed skater Lidija Skoblikowa won two of the four new speed skating competitions, this was the beginning of an exemplary Olympic career.
1964 in Innsbruck
Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck , Austria : The team from the Soviet Union wins the most medals with 11 gold, 8 silver and 6 bronze medals, ahead of the team from Norway with 3 gold, 6 silver and 6 bronze medals and the host team from Austria with 4 Gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze medals.
- Lidija Skoblikova won all four women's speed skating competitions. She became the first female athlete to win four medals in a Winter Olympics.
1968 in Grenoble
Olympic Winter Games in Grenoble , France : The Soviet winter athletes win 5 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze medals, but in the overall nation ranking they are won by the athletes from Norway, who won a total of 6 gold, 6 silver and 2 bronze medals from the second Refused place.
- The Soviet ice hockey team, Sbornaja for short, won the Olympic ice hockey tournament like in 1964.
1972 in Sapporo
Olympic Winter Games in Sapporo , Japan : The athletes from the Soviet Union dominate this year's games with a medal table of 8 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze medals in front of the team from the GDR, which took second place with 4 gold, 3 silver and 7 bronze medals occupy.
- The Soviet cross-country skier Galina Kulakowa won a gold medal in all three women's cross-country skiing competitions: over 5 and 10 kilometers and with the Soviet team in the relay competition.
1976 in Innsbruck
Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck , Austria : The two strongest teams at these Olympic Winter Games are the Soviet with a medal table of 13 gold, 6 silver and 8 bronze medals and the GDR team with 7 gold, 5 silver and 7 bronze medals.
- The USSR ice hockey team, Sbornaya for short , won the gold medal for the fourth time in a row.
1980 in Lake Placid
Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid , USA : For the first time, the GDR team was able to win more medals with 9 gold, 7 silver and 7 bronze medals than the team from the Soviet Union, which, however, has 10 gold, 6 silver and 6 bronze medals and thus, thanks to one gold medal, more than the GDR took first place in the medal table.
- Cross-country skier Nikolai Simjatow won the races over 50 and 30 kilometers as well as the relay over 4 × 10 kilometers with the Soviet team.
1984 in Sarajevo
Olympic Winter Games in Sarajevo , Yugoslavia (today Bosnia and Herzegovina ): With 6 gold, 10 silver and 9 bronze medals, the athletes of the Soviet Union win the most medals in the entire competition, but because of the higher value of the gold medal at the Olympic Games, they win Athletes from the GDR won the nation ranking with a medal table of 9 gold, 9 silver and 6 bronze medals won.
- The Soviet ice hockey team won their sixth gold medal in the history of the Winter Olympics.
- The speed skater Igor Malkow won the gold medal over 10,000 meters as well as the silver medal in the 5000 meter race.
1988 in Calgary
Olympic Winter Games in Calgary , Canada : The teams of the Soviet Union and the GDR are again in a head-to-head race, which the Soviet team won with 10 gold, 9 silver and 7 bronze medals ahead of the GDR with 9 gold, 10 Silver and 6 bronze medals. This was the last appearance of Soviet athletes at the Summer Olympics, apart from the united team from Barcelona in 1992.
- The Soviet ice hockey team wins its seventh gold medal, which will be its last.
- The biathlete Tamara Tichonowa won two gold medals in the team's 20-kilometer and 4-by-5-kilometer races, as well as the silver medal in the 5-kilometer individual.
Summer Paralympics
1988 in Seoul
Summer Paralympics in Seoul , South Korea : The Soviet athletes won 21 gold, 19 silver and 15 bronze medals in their first and last appearance at the Summer Paralympics and achieved a twelfth place in the medal table.
Winter Paralympics
1988 in Innsbruck
Winter Paralympics in Innsbruck , Austria : The Soviet athletes won two bronze medals in their first and last appearance at the Winter Paralympics and came in 15th.
review
The Soviet athletes have broken many records during the period of its existence at the Olympic Games and won medals. Much of these accomplishments are due to the tremendous dedication of the Soviet party, which invested a lot of money to dominate sports competitions. This objective was already evident in the first participations in 1952 and 1956. The four-year rhythm of the games was also reflected in the youth promotion, which specifically selected certain age groups. These were then trained in the respective sports boarding schools in the country.
Bearer of the flag at the opening ceremony
Olympic Summer Games
winter Olympics
literature
- The Black Book of the KGB 2: Moscow's Secret Operations in the Cold War , Ullstein Buchverlage GmbH ISBN 3-549-07291-0 .
- Historical dictionary of the Olympic movement . Lanham: Scarecrow Press (English). ISBN 0-8108-4054-5 .
Web links
- Internet presence of the IOC (English)
- Statistics of the IOC
- Internet presence that has listed the games chronologically
- Not that fame, not those idols Internet presence about Soviet athletes (Russian)
- Internet presence about the Olympic history
Individual evidence
- ↑ André Gounot : The Red Sports International, 1921-1937. Communist mass politics in European workers' sport. LIT, Münster 2002, in particular pp. 96–124.
- ^ Horst Ueberhorst: From Athens to Munich. The modern Olympic Games, the Olympic idea, the German contribution. 2nd edition, Bartels & Wernitz, Munich / Berlin / Frankfurt a. M. 1971, p. 26
- ↑ Minutes of the meeting of the EK of the Red Sports International on January 30, 1924. In: RZAEDNG (Moscow), inventory "Sportintern", 537 I 79.
- ↑ For details on the process of integrating the Soviet Union into the Olympic movement: Kristina Exner-Karl: Sport and Politics in Finland's Relations with the Soviet Union 1940-1952 , Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1997.