Fourteen artistic gymnastics events were held at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, notable for a widespread boycott that excluded major gymnastics nations.
Key Facts
- Total events contested
- 14 (8 men, 6 women)
- Venue
- Sports Palace of the Central Lenin Stadium
- Competition dates
- July 20–25, 1980
- Notable absent nations
- USA, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, West Germany
- Vault scoring rule change
- Average of two vaults used for first time, not best of two
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott, led by the United States in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, prompted numerous nations with strong gymnastics programs—including the United States, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, and West Germany—to withdraw from competition, significantly thinning the field of competitors.
Fourteen artistic gymnastics events were contested at the Sports Palace of the Central Lenin Stadium in Moscow from July 20 through July 25, 1980. For the first time in Olympic history, vault finals used an average of two vaults as the final score rather than counting only the best of the two attempts.
The boycott meant that several traditionally dominant gymnastics nations were absent, altering the competitive landscape of the results. The new vault scoring rule, introduced here, marked a procedural shift in how the discipline was judged at the highest level of Olympic competition.
Result
at Sports Palace of the Central Lenin Stadium, Moscow