80 NOCs (Nations)
5,179 athletes (1,115 women, 4,064 men)
203 events
5,615 media (2,685 written press, 2,930 broadcasters)

Moscow 19 July 1980, human's pyramids and mosaic.

Official opening of the Games by: President Leonid Brezhnev

Lighting the Olympic Flame by: Sergei Belov (basketball)

Olympic Oath by: Nikolay Andrianov (gymnastics)

Official Oath by: Aleksandr Medved (wrestling)

Alexsandr Dityatin (URS-gymnastics) won eight medals and took part in all the Olympic finals. He won the team events, the individual event and the rings event. He then won silver medals in the vault, parallel bars, fixed bar and pommel horse, and the bronze medal in the floor exercises. [Full story]

Following the call by USA President Jimmy Carter for a boycott protesting against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, 65 countries did not participate in the Moscow Olympics. Notable among these were the USA, Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, Japan, China, Kenya and Norway. [Full story]

In a socialist country: The Olympic Games are held in a socialist country for the first time ever. [Full story]