1980-1984
Olympic boycotts (1980 and 1984)
The United States led dozens of countries in boycotting the 1980 Moscow Olympics after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Four years later, the Soviet Union and its allies boycotted the Los Angeles Games in return.
Then
Two consecutive Olympiads were depleted of major competitors and medals were redistributed.
Now
Established that host and bloc politics can override the ideal of universal participation, and that boycotts cut both ways.
Why this matters now
Shows how geopolitical conflict reshapes who is allowed to compete, and how exclusion can be answered with counter-exclusion.