Alternate Olympics - Gymnastics

In artistic gymnastics, Alternate Olympics refers to two separate competitions held in 1980 and 1984. Because of the American-led 1980 Summer Olympics boycott and the Soviet-led 1984 Summer Olympics boycott, the alliances of countries that participated in each boycott organized their own alternative competitions. In 1980, these competitions were divided by sport, and included such events as the Olympic Boycott Games in Philadelphia. In 1984, while competitions for different sports still occurred in different countries and cities, they were all tied together under the aegis of the Friendship Games.

USGF International Invitational 1980

In 1980, the gymnastics segment of the 'Alternate Olympics', entitled the 1980 USGF International Invitational, was held in Hartford, Connecticut. Nations who sent athletes to this competition included Japan, China, the USA, Switzerland, West Germany, Italy, Norway, Korea, Canada, New Zealand and Israel.

Results

Men

All-Around

Vault

High Bar

Uneven Bars

Friendship Games 1984

In 1984, the Soviet Bloc and most other Eastern European Communist nations held a Friendship Games, also called "Druzhba" , with separate host cities hosting separate sporting events. The gymnastics segment of the Friendship Games was held in the town of in Olomouc, Czechoslovakia (now in the Czech Republic). The competition was referred to as 'ČSSR Spartakiade' or, simply, 'Olomouc' after the host city.

Most Eastern Bloc and Communist countries, including the Soviet Union, East Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Cuba, North Korea and Poland, as well as Great Britain and Mongolia, sent athletes to these games instead of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Romania was the only country in the Eastern Bloc to defy the Olympic boycott and sent its athletes to Los Angeles, with some controversy. Great Britain sent gymnasts to "both" Olomouc and the Olympics.

Oloumouc was notable as the first, and to date, only, time that a gymnast had a 'perfect' competition, earning 10.00 scores on all events. Olga Mostepanova achieved this feat in the women's all-around, winning the gold medal with a 40.00. She also maintained a perfect score on balance beam throughout all of the rounds of competition at Olomouc, earning 10.00 marks every time she performed on the event in the team competition, all-around and event finals.

Results

Men

All-Around

Pommel Horse

Parallel Bars

Team Final

Beam

Floor

References

*http://www.gymn-forum.net/Results/altgames-results.html (results for the gymnastics competitions for both games)