1984 Olympics Events

The events that were contested during the 1984 Olympics were a classic cross-section of sports featuring world class athletes. As ever, the “turf and surf” combos were a fitting bridge between the all-terrestrial athletics, and the swimming and boating events.

A classic event is the men’s Decathlon, where a staggering 10 track and field events are combined. The winner of this magnificent contest is known as the “World’s Greatest Athlete”, and this really does take us back to the herculean days of Ancient Greece. It is understandable that Decathlon and Pentathlon tickets are always among the best sellers of the Games. Daniele Masala of Italy won the Modern Pentathlon event in the 1984 Olympics with a total 5469 points. Svante Rasmuson of Sweden came in second place, and Bronze was won by Carlo Massullo, also of Italy. Richard Phelps of Great Britain came in fourth.

Another one of the huge 1984 Los Angeles Olympics events was the cycling, which the USA won, with a grand tally of 9 medals – 4 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze. In second place was West Germany, followed by Australia. 1984 Olympics cycling saw women’s cycling events included in the Olympic program for the first time, so it was a milestone in that regard. It was also the first time the Olympics featured the men’s point race.

1984 Olympics swimming was a great event, with the USA once again dominating. America won 21 gold medals, and 34 medals overall while swimming their way to glory at the various aquatic 1984 Olympics venues. Several of the 1984 Olympics’ swimmers had been involved in the US-led boycott of the 1980 games in Moscow, and it is believed they missed the Games while at their prime as a result of this. Rowdy Gaines, Michael Gross, and Tracy Caulkins, among others, were some of the best swimmers the Olympics ever saw, but we can only guess how great they really could have been if allowed to participate in Moscow.

Alphabetically, the events were as follows:

Archery
Athletics
Basketball
Boxing
Canoeing
Cycling
Diving
Equestrian

Fencing
Football
Gymnastics
Handball
Hockey
Judo
Modern pentathlon
Rowing

Sailing
Shooting
Swimming
Synchronized swimming
Volleyball
Water polo
Weightlifting
Wrestling

All the 1984 Olympics medals won were won with grit and pride, and their bearers are still proud to this day. This year’s 2008 Beijing Olympics promises to be another thrilling games, with many closely matched competitors. Everyone loved LA ‘84 – it was a special time in Olympics history – but now we must look forward to Beijing and all that awesome action that lies ahead of us!