{"id":1759,"date":"2020-07-23T19:22:36","date_gmt":"2020-07-23T19:22:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pju-upj.org\/?p=1759"},"modified":"2020-07-23T19:22:36","modified_gmt":"2020-07-23T19:22:36","slug":"the-1980-olympic-boycott-was-crushing-i-was-able-to-compete-in-1984-but-for-219-of-my-u-s-tea-laureus-el-boicot-olimpico-de-1980-fue-muy-impactante-pude-competir-en-1984-pero-para-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pju-upj.org\/?p=1759","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The 1980 Olympic boycott was crushing. I was able to compete in 1984, but for 219 of My U.S. tea | Laureus \/ El boicot ol\u00edmpico de 1980 fue muy impactante. Pude competir en 1984, pero para 219 de mis compa\u00f1eros de equipo de EE. UU. Fue el final del camino \u00ab, dice la leyenda de Laureus, Edwin Moises."},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u2018The 1980 Olympic boycott was crushing. I was able to compete in 1984, but for 219 of My U.S. team-mates it was the end of the road\u2019 Says Laureus Legend Edwin Moses<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
The Olympic Games should have begun this Friday with the lighting of the Olympic flame, but, as we all know, it has become one of the biggest sports events to fall victim to the coronavirus pandemic.<\/div>\n
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Laureus Academy Member Edwin Moses, one of the greatest giants of track and field, agrees that Tokyo 2020 had to be postponed. And, in interview with Laureus.com, he says he still cannot help drawing parallels between the current situation and the Moscow Olympics of 1980.<\/div>\n
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Today the world\u2019s athletes may be disappointed, but they are able to come back next year to compete for sporting glory, but 40 years ago for Moses and the entire US Olympic Team it was the end of their dreams due to an American boycott because of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.<\/div>\n
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Moses speaks passionately. \u201cOf course the 2020 Olympics should have been postponed. There was no way as an athlete or as the Olympic family you can accumulate hundreds of thousands of people any place on Earth right now.<\/div>\n
\u201cThe experience I had in 1980 was different. It was crushing not to be able to go, after building up to it for a year. I gave up my job as an engineer to train specifically for the 1980 Games so it was heart-breaking to have to sacrifice my career.<\/div>\n
\u201cBut I was one of the lucky ones who was able to hang around for another four years which made it eight years from my first Olympic gold medal in 1976 to 1984 in Los Angeles. But out of the 466 in the US Olympic team, there were 219 who never had the opportunity again, so for them that was the end of the road.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
It\u2019s history now, but Moses is adamant the 1980 boycott was wrong, though he says he doesn\u2019t think about it any more, even though, by universal agreement, Moscow would have brought him a third Olympic 400 metres hurdles gold medal to go along with 1976 and 1984.<\/div>\n
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He recalls: \u201cThe 1980 decision was definitely wrong. It\u2019s been written that Walter Mondale, the Vice President, expressed that he was sorry to the athletes, and I believe that President Jimmy Carter has to one or two athletes, but I\u2019ve never spoken to any of them about it.<\/div>\n
\u201cI probably would have had to fall down or get sick or break a leg in order to not win, I broke the world record in Milan July 3, 1980, about two weeks before the Games and ran 47.13 secs. The gold medal was won in 48.6, so no doubt the medal would have been mine if I\u2019d been able to get around the track.<\/div>\n
\u201cFor me I went back two more times [1984 and 1988] so it wasn\u2019t that big of a deal for me. I just feel a lot worse for the athletes that didn\u2019t have a chance to compete at all, the ones that never went back.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m sure that the people who voted for the boycott had their arm twisted by the Federal Government. I just say shame on those people, especially on those who were athletes, who just caved into the pressure. They didn\u2019t stand for the principle of the athletes having a right to compete.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Moses sympathises with the plight of athletes who have to revise their training schedule for 2021. Though he suggests a relaxed option.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIf I was an athlete and if I was able to travel with 15 months to go I would be somewhere with a cocktail or beer in my hand, soaking up the sun. The problem athletes have is that everyone is under shelter rules and can\u2019t go anywhere. I think that is probably the worst part of being an athlete and waiting for the Games.<\/div>\n
\u201cSome athletes will need the extra time, for others it will work against them, but in any case they\u2019ve got an extra 15 months to get ready for the Olympics and basically they have to start all over.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Who are going to be the winners and the losers in this delay? Moses identifies two athletes.<\/div>\n
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\u201cSimone Biles has been starring for the last year and this year she\u2019s absolutely at her peak. I\u2019m sure she would have liked the Olympic Games to go on because another year at her age for a gymnast could be very dicey, plus the injury factor.<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd then there\u2019s Kerri Walsh Jennings, the beach volleyball player from the United States. I\u2019ve actually spoken to her about it. She\u2019ll be 42 at that point. She\u2019s a five-time Olympian so time is not on her side, so she\u2019s got to really hang in there and figure out ways to continue to keep her drive. So those two Americans really epitomise the challenges of the Olympic Games.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\"\"Moses, as Chairman of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, is also concerned that, despite the coronavirus issues, Laureus is able to continue supporting the more than 200 community sports programmes which it helps to fund every year to help disadvantaged young people.<\/div>\n
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He says: \u201cBecause of travel and lockdown restrictions there\u2019s not a lot that we can do other than support our project leaders and the kids and encourage them to stay at home.<\/div>\n
\u201cFor 20 years, Laureus has been committed to helping young people around the world, often in difficult circumstances. Now, coronavirus has changed all our perceptions. Illness and fear of the unknown are casting a shadow over our lives.<\/div>\n
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\u201cLaureus Sport for Good believes in bringing people together and building bridges between communities and individuals. Today there is more need for this than ever as the nations of the world co-operate to share understanding and expertise to beat this menace.\u201d<\/div>\n
Laureus Sport for Good is a global charity that supports children and young people by using the power of sport to end violence, discrimination, and disadvantage. It operates under the fundamental belief that the achievement of this ambition is best delivered by ending the social issues that affect the younger generation and changing their lives for the better.<\/div>\n
Over the last 20 years, Laureus Sport for Good has raised more than \u20ac150m for the Sport for Development sector, reaching and helping change the lives of almost 6 million children and young people since 2000. Laureus Sport for Good currently supports more than 200 programmes in over 40 countries that use the power of sport to transform lives.<\/div>\n
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El boicot ol\u00edmpico de 1980 fue aplastante. Pude competir en 1984, pero para 219 de mis compa\u00f1eros de equipo de EE. UU. Fue el final del camino \u00ab, dice la leyenda de Laureus, Edwin Moses.<\/h2>\n

Los Juegos Ol\u00edmpicos deber\u00edan haber comenzado este viernes con la iluminaci\u00f3n de la llama ol\u00edmpica, pero, como todos sabemos, se ha convertido en uno de los mayores eventos deportivos en ser v\u00edctima de la pandemia de coronavirus.<\/p>\n

El miembro de la Academia Laureus, Edwin Moises, uno de los grandes gigantes del atletismo, est\u00e1 de acuerdo en que Tokio 2020 tuvo que posponerse. Y, en entrevista con Laureus.com, dice que todav\u00eda no puede evitar establecer paralelismos entre la situaci\u00f3n actual y los Juegos Ol\u00edmpicos de Mosc\u00fa de 1980.<\/p>\n

Hoy los atletas del mundo pueden estar decepcionados, pero pueden regresar el pr\u00f3ximo a\u00f1o para competir por la gloria deportiva, pero hace 40 a\u00f1os para Mois\u00e9s y todo el equipo ol\u00edmpico de los Estados Unidos, fue el final de sus sue\u00f1os debido a un boicot estadounidense debido al Invasi\u00f3n rusa de Afganist\u00e1n.<\/p>\n

Mois\u00e9s habla apasionadamente. \u201cPor supuesto, los Juegos Ol\u00edmpicos de 2020 deber\u00edan haberse pospuesto. No hab\u00eda forma de que, como atleta o como familia ol\u00edmpica, se pudieran acumular cientos de miles de personas en cualquier lugar de la Tierra en este momento.
\n\u201cLa experiencia que tuve en 1980 fue diferente. Fue aplastante no poder ir, despu\u00e9s de construirlo durante un a\u00f1o. Renunci\u00e9 a mi trabajo como ingeniero para entrenar espec\u00edficamente para los Juegos de 1980, as\u00ed que fue desgarrador tener que sacrificar mi carrera.
\n\u201cPero fui uno de los afortunados que pudo pasar el tiempo por otros cuatro a\u00f1os, lo que hizo ocho a\u00f1os desde mi primera medalla de oro ol\u00edmpica en 1976 hasta 1984 en Los \u00c1ngeles. Pero de los 466 en el equipo ol\u00edmpico de EE. UU., Hab\u00eda 219 que nunca tuvieron la oportunidad nuevamente, as\u00ed que para ellos ese fue el final del camino \u201d.Ahora es historia, pero Mois\u00e9s est\u00e1 convencido de que el boicot de 1980 estuvo equivocado, aunque dice que ya no piensa en eso, aunque, por acuerdo universal, Mosc\u00fa le habr\u00eda tra\u00eddo una tercera medalla de oro ol\u00edmpica de 400 metros. con 1976 y 1984.<\/p>\n

\u00c9l recuerda: \u201cLa decisi\u00f3n de 1980 fue definitivamente err\u00f3nea. Se ha escrito que Walter Mondale, el vicepresidente, expres\u00f3 que lamentaba a los atletas, y creo que el presidente Jimmy Carter tiene con uno o dos atletas, pero nunca he hablado con ninguno de ellos al respecto.
\n\u00abProbablemente habr\u00eda tenido que caerme o enfermarme o romperme una pierna para no ganar, romp\u00ed el r\u00e9cord mundial en Mil\u00e1n el 3 de julio de 1980, unas dos semanas antes de los Juegos y corr\u00ed 47.13 segundos. La medalla de oro se gan\u00f3 en 48.6, por lo que sin duda la medalla hubiera sido m\u00eda si hubiera podido sortear la pista.
\n\u201cPara m\u00ed volv\u00ed dos veces m\u00e1s [1984 y 1988], as\u00ed que no fue un gran problema para m\u00ed. Me siento mucho peor por los atletas que no tuvieron la oportunidad de competir, los que nunca volvieron.<\/p>\n

\u00abEstoy seguro de que el gobierno federal les ha torcido el brazo a las personas que votaron por el boicot\u00bb. Solo digo verg\u00fcenza a esas personas, especialmente a aquellos que eran atletas, que simplemente cedieron a la presi\u00f3n. No defendieron el principio de que los atletas tienen derecho a competir \u00ab.<\/p>\n

Moises simpatiza con la dif\u00edcil situaci\u00f3n de los atletas que tienen que revisar su horario de entrenamiento para 2021. Aunque sugiere una opci\u00f3n relajada.<\/p>\n

\u201cSi fuera un atleta y pudiera viajar con 15 meses para ir, estar\u00eda en alg\u00fan lugar con un c\u00f3ctel o una cerveza en la mano, tomando el sol. El problema que tienen los atletas es que todos est\u00e1n bajo las reglas del refugio y no pueden ir a ning\u00fan lado. Creo que esa es probablemente la peor parte de ser un atleta y esperar los Juegos.
\n\u00abAlgunos atletas necesitar\u00e1n tiempo extra, para otros funcionar\u00e1 en su contra, pero en cualquier caso tienen 15 meses adicionales para prepararse para los Juegos Ol\u00edmpicos y, b\u00e1sicamente, tienen que comenzar de nuevo\u00bb.<\/p>\n

\u00bfQui\u00e9nes ser\u00e1n los ganadores y los perdedores en este retraso? Mois\u00e9s identifica a dos atletas.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00abSimone Biles ha protagonizado el \u00faltimo a\u00f1o y este a\u00f1o est\u00e1 absolutamente en su apogeo. Estoy seguro de que le hubiera gustado que continuaran los Juegos Ol\u00edmpicos porque otro a\u00f1o a su edad para una gimnasta podr\u00eda ser muy incierto, m\u00e1s el factor de lesi\u00f3n.
\n\u00abY luego est\u00e1 Kerri Walsh Jennings, el jugador de voleibol de playa de los Estados Unidos. De hecho, le he hablado de eso. Ella tendr\u00e1 42 a\u00f1os en ese punto. Ella es una ol\u00edmpica en cinco ocasiones, por lo que el tiempo no est\u00e1 de su lado, por lo que realmente tiene que aguantar y descubrir formas de continuar manteniendo su impulso. As\u00ed que esos dos estadounidenses realmente personifican los desaf\u00edos de los Juegos Ol\u00edmpicos \u00ab.<\/p>\n

A Mois\u00e9s, como presidente de la Fundaci\u00f3n Laureus Sport for Good, tambi\u00e9n le preocupa que, a pesar de los problemas con el coronavirus, Laureus pueda continuar apoyando los m\u00e1s de 200 programas deportivos comunitarios que ayuda a financiar cada a\u00f1o para ayudar a los j\u00f3venes desfavorecidos.
\n\u00c9l dice: \u00abDebido a las restricciones de viaje y encierro, no hay mucho que podamos hacer aparte de apoyar a nuestros l\u00edderes de proyecto y a los ni\u00f1os y alentarlos a quedarse en casa.<\/p>\n

\u201cDurante 20 a\u00f1os, Laureus se ha comprometido a ayudar a los j\u00f3venes de todo el mundo, a menudo en circunstancias dif\u00edciles. Ahora, el coronavirus ha cambiado todas nuestras percepciones. La enfermedad y el miedo a lo desconocido est\u00e1n arrojando una sombra sobre nuestras vidas.<\/p>\n

\u201cLaureus Sport for Good cree en unir a las personas y construir puentes entre comunidades e individuos. Hoy hay m\u00e1s necesidad de esto que nunca, ya que las naciones del mundo cooperan para compartir comprensi\u00f3n y experiencia para vencer esta amenaza \u201d.<\/p>\n

Laureus Sport for Good es una organizaci\u00f3n ben\u00e9fica global que apoya a ni\u00f1os y j\u00f3venes mediante el uso del poder del deporte para poner fin a la violencia, la discriminaci\u00f3n y las desventajas. Opera bajo la creencia fundamental de que el logro de esta ambici\u00f3n se logra mejor poniendo fin a los problemas sociales que afectan a la generaci\u00f3n m\u00e1s joven y cambiando sus vidas para mejor.<\/p>\n

En los \u00faltimos 20 a\u00f1os, Laureus Sport for Good ha recaudado m\u00e1s de 150 millones de euros para el sector Sport for Development, alcanzando y ayudando a cambiar las vidas de casi 6 millones de ni\u00f1os y j\u00f3venes desde 2000. Laureus Sport for Good actualmente apoya m\u00e1s de 200 programas en m\u00e1s de 40 pa\u00edses que usan el poder del deporte para transformar vidas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2018The 1980 Olympic boycott was crushing. I was able to compete in 1984, but for 219 of My U.S. team-mates it was the end of the road\u2019 Says Laureus Legend Edwin Moses The Olympic Games should have begun this Friday with the lighting of the Olympic flame, but, as we all know, it has become […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1760,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pju-upj.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1759"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pju-upj.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pju-upj.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pju-upj.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pju-upj.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1759"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pju-upj.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1759\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1762,"href":"https:\/\/pju-upj.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1759\/revisions\/1762"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pju-upj.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pju-upj.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pju-upj.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pju-upj.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}