How the Soviet Union Celebrated Its First Olympics Jul 19, 2017 - 05:00 pm Performers make a human tower during the Opening Ceremony of the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow, Soviet Union. Olympic.org The final torchbearer, basketballer Sergei Belov, in the Moscow Olympic Stadium during the Opening Ceremony. Olympic.org The parade of delegations: the Czechoslovakian delegation. Olympic.org Gymnasts and dancers make a human tower during the Opening Ceremony of the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow, Soviet Union. Olympic.org A view of the delegations standing in front of the Games' symbol, Misha, made of colored boards held up by the audience. Olympic.org Dancing Mishas. Olympic.org On this day in 1980, all eyes were on Moscow for the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympics. More image galleries In Photos: The New Year’s Traditions of Russia’s Indigenous Peoples Indigenous and minority communities have made an effort to revive their ancestral traditions of greeting the new year since the Soviet collapse. 1 Min read In Photos: The Images That Defined Russia in 2025 Russia in 2025 was shaped by extremes of weather, war and political control and the moments of uneasy normality that persisted alongside them. 1 Min read In Photos: The Works of Conceptual Artist Erik Bulatov Bulatov was a leading figure of the Soviet pop art scene, bending figurative imagery with slogans and text to challenge state propaganda. 1 Min read In Photos: Muscovites Celebrate Halloween in Defiance of Officials Although officials and the Russian Orthodox Church discourage it, many Muscovites celebrated the holiday anyway. 1 Min read
How the Soviet Union Celebrated Its First Olympics Jul 19, 2017 - 05:00 pm Performers make a human tower during the Opening Ceremony of the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow, Soviet Union. Olympic.org The final torchbearer, basketballer Sergei Belov, in the Moscow Olympic Stadium during the Opening Ceremony. Olympic.org The parade of delegations: the Czechoslovakian delegation. Olympic.org Gymnasts and dancers make a human tower during the Opening Ceremony of the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow, Soviet Union. Olympic.org A view of the delegations standing in front of the Games' symbol, Misha, made of colored boards held up by the audience. Olympic.org Dancing Mishas. Olympic.org On this day in 1980, all eyes were on Moscow for the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympics.
