1980 Olympics

The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport festival contested from 13-24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, U.S. The village in Upstate New York hosted the Olympics for the second time since 1932. Vancouver-Garibaldi, British Columbia, Canada, which withdrawn before the final vote, was the only other applicant city to qualify for the Olympics. The Games mascot was a raccoon, "Roni." On a raccoon's muzzle the mask-like rings are reminiscent of the gloves and goggles that many winter sports competitors wear. In the Olympic Arena, Whiteface Mountain, Olympic Bobsled Run Mt. Van Hoevenberg, Olympic Ski Jumps, Waterfall Cross Country Ski Club, and Lake Placid High School Speed Skating Oval, the events were carried out. The qualification process for Winter Olympic 1980 consisted of one bid, from Lake Placid, New York, USA. This was selected at the International Olympic Committee's 75th Meeting in Wien on 23 October 1974. The venue was considered suitable for the amenities accessible from the Winter Olympics of 1932, in particular the Bobsleigh event. Congressional appropriations law included a provision for extra facility use, and it was agreed that the Olympic Village would be built to serve the needs of the Federal Prison Department. After the Olympic Games, it was repurposed for Federal Correctional Facility, Ray Brook, prompting resistance from civic parties and international players. The U.S. men's ice hockey team, composed mostly of college players, won the gold medal and didn't expect advancements in previous group stage. The U.S. team's 4–3 triumph over the experienced Soviet side, which entered the 1980 Games after winning four consecutive Olympic gold medals, became known as the "Miracle on Ice" in U.S. culture The triumph won American hearts, but it was the victory over Finland that earned the gold medal. Eric Heiden of the United States won gold in the 500 m, 1000 m, 1500 m, 5000 m, and 10,000 m speed skating events, shattering four Olympic records and one world record in the process and providing 83 per cent of American gold medals. Heiden was the first person to win all five speed skating events, the first of only three to win five gold medals in individual competitions at a single event, and he is also the first competitor to win five gold medals at one Winter Games. 38 Sporting events were held in six disciplines. Thomas Wassberg of Sweden defeated Finland's Juha Mieto by 0.01 seconds in 15 km of cross-country skiing, the closest margin of victory ever in Olympic cross-country skiing, in possibly the most thrilling duel of the games. Although they received no awards, the People's Republic of China entered the Olympic Games for the first time since the IOC agreed to designate the Republic of China for "Chinese Taipei" 1980 Lake Placid was the first time artificial snow was seen in Olympic sports. 1980 Lake Placid was the final Games held by the Vice President of the United States, since 1980 was a year of presidential elections. Roni is the Olympic mascot of those Games, created by Don Moss. The mascot is a racoon, a popular character from the mountainous region of the Adirondacks where Lake Placid is situated. The name Roni derives from the Iroquoian term racoon, the language of the New York State and Lake Placid area native peoples, and was selected by Lake Placid school children. For the 1980 Winter Olympics, the official theme song for the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra was "Give It Everything You Can," by the American flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione, who performed the song live at the Closing Ceremony.