Olympic Games
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The Soviet Union (USSR) at the Olympics
Russia sent a few athletes to compete in the 1900, 1908 and 1912 Olympic Games, but did not compete again until the 1952 Games, as part of the Soviet Union or USSR.
In Helsinki in 1952 a cold-war atmosphere dominated these games, as the Soviets set up a rival Olympic village for Eastern Bloc countries.
In 1984, the USSR, boycotted the Games in what was widely seen as revenge for the Moscow Games four years earlier, though the official line was that they had security concerns.
After the break up of the Soviet Union, the independent states competed under the banner of The Unified Team at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. The official French name used was Equipe Unifiée, therefore the abbreviation EUN which appeared in the result listings.
The Soviet Republics that now compete under their own name are: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Athlete Trivia
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in 1952, Soviet Maria Gorokhovskaya, unhindered by the limits set on female competitors at earlier Games, set a record for most medals won by a woman in one Olympics, with two golds and five silvers.
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Many know of the bloody grudge polo match between Hungary and the Soviet Union played at the 1956 Games, played soon after the Soviets invaded Hungary. But do you know the result? Hungary won 4-0, then went on to win gold.
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In 1964, Soviet gymnast Larissa Latynina won six medals for the third time in a row; she remains the Olympic athlete with the most medals (18) and the most medals in individual events (14).
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Aleksandr Ditiatin of the Soviet Union earned a record 8 Gold medals in gymnastics at the 1980 games.
- Gymnast Vitaly Scherbo of the Unified Team won six gold medals in gymnastics in Barcelona 1992.
Related Pages
- more trivia from each Country at the Olympic Games
