Politics of the Goodwill Games

Soviet Union Consulate in Seattle

While the Goodwill Games tried to portray themselves as apolitical, politics could be found in many aspects of the games. In preparation for the games, the Soviet Union set-up a temporary consul in Seattle.This consul would allow diplomats and consular officers to help Soviet athletes and tourists that traveled to the games. This was a marked change in the political landscape, because previously the Soviet Union had not been allowed to have a consulate in Seattle because of the cities close proximity to military industries and defense systems.

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Sarunas Marciulionis (R) in 2014 

Lithuanian Athlete Boycott the Goodwill Games

The political landscape of the Eastern bloc also bled into the Goodwill Games. Several Lithuanian athletes refused to participate, including basketball player Sarunas Marciulionis, who stated “there is a blockade of my country. Under those circumstances, I will not play with the Soviets. No Lithuanians will play.”2 The Lithuanians that chose to participate were considered athletes from the Soviet Union, and were not recognized by Lithuanian sports federations. In this sense, Marciulionis was correct - no "Lithuanians" competed. 

Playing off of Soviet/USA Tensions

The organization of the games also played into the waning tensions between the Soviet Union and United States. “To ensure maximum competition between the United States and Soviet Union, those two countries have been placed in the same group in every team sport.”3 On the surface, this may be attempt to have more exciting competition, since the two countries led the medal leaderboard, the move also played into the Cold War relationship of the Soviet Union and United States. By pitting the two countries against each other in every possible competition, the Goodwill Games were reinforcing the Cold War perception of the Soviet Union and United States.

Politics of the Goodwill Games