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1980 Moscow Summer Games
5512 Athletes, 81 Countries, 203 Events

The 1980 Summer Olympics were the first to be held in a Socialist country an issue to the thirtyninth President of the United States, Jimmy Carter. President Carter was wary of the Soviets, who had invaded Afghanistan in December 1979 to the dismay of the United States and its allies. First, the administration sought that the Games be moved to another country but when that was no longer a choice, the possibility of a boycott grew imminent.

On April 13, some three months before Opening Ceremonies in Moscow, the USOC House of Delegates showed its support of President Carter's wishes and voted not to send a team. This decision was backed up with warnings from the administration that any athletes who defied the ruling would be stripped of their US passports. In total, 65 nations declined their Olympic invitations by the May 24 deadline the majority was part of the American boycott. Some nations, like Great Britain and Australia, allowed athletes to make their own decision as to whether or not to attend. Only 80 nations did make the journey to Moscow making the number of nations at the Summer Olympics the lowest since the 1956 Melbourne Games.

Many American athletes took issue with the decision, and tried their best to reverse it. Anita DeFrantz was in the process of receiving a law degree from Penn while training for the 1980 Olympics. She was part of the bronzemedal women's eightoared shell at the 1976 Montreal Games and wanted to duplicate or better that experience. When the boycott decision was levied, she became one of the most outspoken athletes seeking a reversal, leading an ultimately lawsuit against the USOC.

Thirtyone Ivy Leaguers had qualified to attend the Games.