Australian Olympians who were called traitors and are confronted with death threats will be recognized by the prime minister, 45 years after they tarted the government and participated in the controversial competitions of 1980 Moscow.
The team of 96 men and 25 women went to the competitions held by Soviet Union in the light of the support of the Australian government for a Boycot led by the US on the invasion of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
Australia won two gold medals, two silver and five bronze during the competitions, but the athletes did not receive the hospitable reception that was usually granted to Olympians on their return.
Lobbying team members and the Australian Olympic Committee now has Anthony Albanese agreement to recognize the participation of the athlete and subsequent treatment in a parliamentary speech.
Peter Hadfield, a decathlete at the Moscow competitions, said that the team felt abandoned by the Australian public after the government, led by Malcolm Fraser, set up athletes to attend.
“Young athletes, people in their teenage years and early 20s, were immediately given death threats or were labeled as traitors,” he said.
“There is a bit of emotional pain every time the games come – it is a reminder every four years of that lack of recognition.”
The experience of the athletes was far removed from that of the 2024 Olympians who returned from Paris, who received a heroes from the crowd fans when they landed in Sydney.
The 1980 team receives the first formal recognition of their participation and pain when Prime Minister, Anthony Albanian, and opposition leader, Sussan Ley, address the parliament on July 30.
Almost 40 of the Olympians are expected to be present with their families, although some have died and others refused invitations because of the constant fear, Hadfield said.
“We hoped that recognition would help to cure some of those mental scars, and I am sure it will happen, but there are still those who could not bring themselves,” he said.
“There was a young swimmer in the team who just said:” I’m just not all over the whole situation, so sorry, I will not be able to be present “. This is 45 years later. That’s how it has been felt strong.”
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Australia was one of the 80 countries that participated in the Moscow competitions, alongside Great Britain, Ireland, France and New Zealand, while the call by US President Jimmy Carter saw a boycott 59 countries withdrawn.
Public edition saw the Australia hockey and equestrian sports team withdrawing and other athletes step off, while the last team hardly had the support of the Olympic administrative body, after five of the 11 board members had voted against attendance.
The Olympians felt betrayed by the Fraser government that took them out as a diplomatic weapon despite the continuous trade and cultural ties of Australia with the Soviet government, Hadfield said.
“We were the only people who were asked to make a sacrifice to show Australia’s aversion about the invasion of the Soviet Union … Their hypocrisy hurt a lot.”
“We actually had to sneak out of the country, like thieves at night: we were told that we were not wearing uniform, we went out in small groups, there was no media event, there was no applause.”
The recognition of the federal government, announced on the 45th anniversary of the opening ceremony of the 1980 Olympic Games, is the result of a year of lobbying athletes and the AOC.
Hadfield said he and fellow athletes Michelle Ford and Max Metzker worked to get the support of the AOC for recognition, after the reunion of the 1980 team for the Olympic Games in Paris.
Mark Arbib, a former Minister of Laboursport who was appointed CEO of the AOC in April, contributed to the support of the government for recognition.
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