What Were the Goodwill Games?

The 1990 Goodwill Games were an international sporting competition and cultural showcase that brought 2,500 athletes to Seattle and the surrounding area. The effort to bring the games to Seattle was led by Ted Turner and Bob Walsh. Athletes competed in a variety of winter and summer sports, and were the first Goodwill Games to be held in the United States (with the previous installment happening in Moscow in 1986).¹ Future installments of the game were held in Saint Petersburg (1994), New York City (1998), Lake Placid (2000), and Brisbane (2001) before being permanently canceled.