United States Olympic Committee (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Julian Pecquet | The Hill | July 17, 2013
The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) said Wednesday it “strongly” opposes calls for a U.S. boycott of the Winter Games in Russia, saying it would only hurt American athletes.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told The Hill on Tuesday that the Obama administration should contemplate the drastic move if Russia grants asylum to National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden. The Carter administration led an international boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan the previous year, but the war ground on for another decade.
“If there are any lessons to be learned from the American boycott of 1980, it is that Olympic boycotts do not work,” U.S. Olympic Committee spokesperson Patrick Sandusky said in a statement. “Our boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games did not contribute to a successful resolution of the underlying conflict. It did, however, deprive hundreds of American athletes, all whom had completely dedicated themselves to representing our nation at the Olympic Games, of the opportunity of a lifetime.”
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