With 62 countries boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, refusing to send athletes to compete on Communist soil, the Games featured the smallest group of countries in more than two decades. Among the 80 nations that did turn out for the 22nd Olympiad, however, a certain level of competition remained nonetheless.

In athletics, British runners Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe finished within tenths of seconds of each other in the 800m and 1,500m. The pair won gold and silver medals, respectively, in the 800m, and bronze and gold medals in the 1,500m. In gymnastics, Aleksandr Dityatin collected eight medals to become the most successful athlete at a single Olympics in the history of the Games. Aided in part by Dityatin's performance, the Soviet Union won the Games' medal count handily, 195-126, over the German Democratic Republic.