Moscow Summer Games The first Games to be held in a communist country. Due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, President Carter calls upon the U.S. Olympic Committee to boycott the Games. The Olympic Charter requires such committees to "resist all pressures of any kind whatsoever, whether of a political, religious or economic nature," but theory and practice diverge; the Americans stay home, and many other countries follow suit. 80 nations participate in the Games, down from 122 at Munich. Soviet athlete Aleksandr Dityatin wins a record eight medals in gymnastics. Super-heavyweight Teófilo Stevenson of Cuba becomes the first boxer to win in the same weight division three times in a row. Nadia Comaneci wins two more gold medals.
