1980 Winter Olympics — 13th edition of Winter Olympics, in Lake Placid, USA
The 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics featured the Miracle on Ice and Eric Heiden's unprecedented sweep of all five speed skating gold medals.
Key Facts
- Athletes
- 1,072
- Participating nations
- 37
- Total events
- 38
- Soviet Union gold medals
- 10
- East Germany total medals
- 23
- Dates
- February 13–24, 1980
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Lake Placid was selected as host city at the 75th IOC Session in Vienna in 1974, the only candidate after Vancouver–Garibaldi withdrew. The village had previously hosted the 1932 Winter Games, and several venues from that edition were renovated for reuse, providing an existing but modest infrastructure for the event.
The XIII Olympic Winter Games ran from February 13 to 24, 1980, bringing 1,072 athletes from 37 countries to compete in 38 events across six sports. Highlights included the young U.S. ice hockey team's defeat of the heavily favored Soviet Union in the Miracle on Ice, Eric Heiden winning all five speed skating gold medals, and Hanni Wenzel claiming Liechtenstein's first two Olympic gold medals in alpine skiing.
The Soviet Union led the medal standings with ten gold medals, while East Germany won the most total medals with 23. The Games were praised for their sporting drama but criticized for significant transport and logistical problems. They were also the last Winter Olympics hosted by a city with fewer than 15,000 inhabitants, marking a shift toward larger host cities.
Result
at Lake Placid, New York, USA