 | California Goodwill Games |
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After the Russian invasian of Afghanistan in 1979, President Jimmy Carter ordered a U.S. boycott of the Summer Olympic Games of 1980 held in Moscow. In response to Western actions, Russia and other Eastern Bloc countries countered with a boycot of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games of 1984 in Los Angeles. Ted Turner, founder of Turner Broadcasting Network, created the Goodwill Games as a counterpoint to these cold war tensions, with WTBS - his Atlanta-based TV network - sponsoring a non-partisan sports program to foster international goodwill. The first Goodwill Games were held in Moscow in 1986. | |||