 Logo of the second Games inSeattle | |
| First event | Moscow,USSR, in 1986 |
|---|---|
| Occur every | 4 years |
| Last event | Brisbane, Australia, in 2001 |
| Purpose | Response to the political issues concerning theOlympic Games of the 1980s |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
TheGoodwill Games were an international sports competition created byTed Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding theOlympic Games of the 1980s.[1] In 1979, theSoviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the United States and otherWestern countries toboycott the1980 Summer Olympics inMoscow, an act reciprocated when theSoviet Union and otherEastern Bloc countries (with the exception ofRomania) boycotted the1984 Summer Olympics inLos Angeles.
The idea came to Turner in 1984 during his visit to Moscow. He was disappointed with the boycott, evaluating it as a negative outcome for both sides in the conflict. The magnate also believed that it was an opportune moment to create alternative high-level competitions that could “steal” some of the success from the Olympics. The organization of the competition, which started in 1986, cost him more than $11 million.[2]
Like the Olympics, the Goodwill Games were held every four years (with the exception of the final Games), and had a summer and winter component. However, unlike the Olympics, figure skating, ice hockey and short track speed skating were part of summer editions. The Summer Goodwill Games occurred five times, between 1986 and 2001, while the Winter Goodwill Games occurred only once, in 2000. They were cancelled byTime Warner, which had bought ownership of them in 1996, because of low television ratings after the 2001 Games inBrisbane.
Founded in 1985 by then-Turner Broadcasting System chairman Ted Turner, The Goodwill Games were created to foster athletic competition between the United States and the Soviet Union during theCold War.[3] The first Goodwill Games, held in Moscow in1986, featured 182 events and attracted over 3,000 athletes representing 79 countries. World records were set bySergey Bubka (pole vault),Jackie Joyner-Kersee (heptathlon), and both the men and women's 200 m cycle racing, by East Germany'sMichael Hübner and the Soviet Union'sErika Salumäe, respectively. World records also fell at the1990 Games inSeattle, toMike Barrowman in the 200 m breaststroke andNadezhda Ryashkina in the10 km walk.
The1994 Games inSaint Petersburg, Russia were the first competition held since thedissolution of the Soviet Union. Russians set five world records in theweightlifting section, and the games were the first major international event to featurebeach volleyball, which would appear at the Olympics for the first time at the1996 Summer Olympics.
In October 1996, Turner's company, the Turner Broadcasting System, merged withTime Warner, thus bringing the Goodwill Games under the control of the latter. Ted Turner's last Games were in1998 inNew York City, with memorable highlights including Joyner-Kersee winning her fourth straight heptathlon title, the U.S. 4 × 400 m relay team setting a world's best time, plusMichelle Kwan andTodd Eldredge winning the gold in figure skating, andDominique Moceanu capturing the women's gymnastics gold medal. Time Warner organized the2001 Games inBrisbane,Australia, before announcing that this would be the last edition of the games. With the cancellation of the Games,Phoenix andCalgary lost their respective Summer and Winter Games, scheduled for 2005. The 2001 edition witnessed Australia winning the most medals with 75, but it received very lowtelevision ratings in the United States. Nevertheless, critics praisedTurner Network Television for showing the games live, rather than ontape delay.
During a live interview at the 2009 DenverSportAccord conference, Turner blamed the demise of the Games on the short-sighted management of Time Warner, and stated, "If I'd have stayed there the Goodwill Games would not have been canceled."[4][5] Turner expressed hope that the games would return as a bridge to restore cultural contact between Russia and the U.S., stating that the relationship between the two had steadily disintegrated since the Cold War, which he called a dangerous situation because of both countries' massive nuclear arsenals. He also reiterated his belief in the power of international sporting competitions to prevent war, saying that "as long as the Olympics are taking place and not being boycotted, it's virtually impossible to have a world war", because the nations involved "wouldn't want a war to mess up their chances".[4]
| Edition | Year | Host city | County/Province/Region/State/Territory | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 1986 | Moscow |  Soviet Union | 3,000 athletes and 79 countries | |
| II | 1990 | Seattle | Washington |  United States | 2,300 athletes and 54 countries |
| III | 1994 | Saint Petersburg |  Russia | 2,000 athletes and 59 countries | |
| IV | 1998 | New York City | New York | United States | 1,300 athletes and 60 countries |
| V* | 2001 | Brisbane | Queensland |  Australia | 1,300 athletes and 58 countries |
| VI | 2005 | Phoenix | Arizona | United States | Games cancelled |
| Edition | Year | Host city | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 2000 | Lake Placid, New York | United States | Only Winter Goodwill Games ever held |
| II | 2005 | Calgary, Alberta |  Canada | Games cancelled |
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Africa and Middle East
Asia and Oceania | Europe
Eastern Bloc
| North America Caribbean and Central America South America
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Media related toGoodwill Games at Wikimedia Commons
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