After the global confrontation after the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union set off one contest after another, including political, economic, military and other aspects. Especially in the early 70s, the United States and the Soviet Union launched a series of confrontations in the military field. However, both the United States and the Soviet Union understood that if a full-scale war broke out, the consequences would be unimaginable. That is why both countries are aware of the need to avoid direct conflict.
In this context, the Olympics became an important stage for the Soviet government to fight for influence and show strength. In the 70s of last century, the US economy suffered a serious crisis and social turmoil. At the same time, the United States was mired in the quagmire of the Vietnam War. In contrast, the Soviet Union survived a difficult period of reform and its economy improved. The Soviet government thus believed that its economic power had far surpassed that of the United States.
In order to prove itself to the world as an "economic power", the Soviet Union decided to host a grand Olympic Games. The huge investment of 9 billion US dollars has made the Moscow Olympics stand out. However, the Games were boycotted by 40% of countries and regions, including China, the United States, France, West Germany and other countries. In the end, only Eastern European countries and Cuba sent athletes, less than the number of journalists sent by the Soviet Union.
The reason for this goes back to half a year before the Olympics, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, which was condemned by the United Nations and most countries. It is precisely because of this war of aggression that this Olympic Games has become a "humiliating" Olympic Games. From this case, it is not difficult to see that the politicization of sports can have a negative impact on the Olympic Games themselves. The political behavior of one country can easily influence the attitude of other countries towards the Olympic Games it hosts and eventually lead to boycotts.
This also serves as a warning for other countries to host the Olympic Games, carefully considering the domestic and international political environment to avoid politicizing the Olympics, which should be a sport. The ultimate goal of the Olympic Games should be to enhance friendship among peoples, not to become an instrument of political struggle.