Summer Olympiad (1988)

The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, celebrated in Seoul, South Korea. It was the second Asian nation to host an Olympic Games. North Korea, still officially at war with South Korea, boycotted the event. Cuba, Ethiopia and Nicaragua joined the boycott. Although the drug disqualification of sprinter Ben Johnson was the biggest story of the 1988 Olympics, the Seoul Games were highlighted by numerous exceptional performances. Christa Luding-Rothenburger, who was also a speed skater, earned a silver medal in cycling to become the only person in history to win Winter and Summer medals in the same year. Steffi Graf concluded her Grand Slam tennis season by winning Olympic gold. Greg Louganis repeated victories in both diving events. Florence Griffith-Joyner dominated the sprints. For the first time, all the medalists in dressage were women.

Opening date: 17 September 1988

Closing date: 02 October 1988

Ceremonies

Official opening of the Games by: President Roh Tae-woo

Lighting the Olympic Flame by: Chong Son-man, Kim Won-tak, Son Mi-jong (athletics)

Olympic Oath by: Hur Jae (basketball), Son Mi-na (handball)

Official Oath by: Lee Hak-rae (judo)

Participations

159 NOCs (Nations)
8,391 athletes (2,194 women, 6,197 men)
237 events
27,221 volunteers
11,331 media (4,978 written press, 6,353 broadcasters)

Country of the host city: Korea (KOR)

Candidate cities: Nagoya (JPN)

Sports

• Aquatics
• Archery
• Athletics
• Basketball
• Boxing
• Canoe / Kayak
• Cycling
• Equestrian
• Fencing
• Football
• Gymnastics
• Handball
• Hockey
• Judo
• Modern Pentathlon
• Rowing
• Sailing
• Shooting
• Table Tennis
• Tennis
• Volleyball
• Weightlifting
• Wrestling

Demonstration sports

• Badminton
• Baseball
• Bowling
• Judo (women)
• Taekwondo
• Wheelchair racing

Venues

• Seoul Sports Park venues
• Seoul Olympic Stadium² - opening/closing ceremonies, athletics, equestrian events, football/soccer finals
• Jamsil Indoor Swimming Pool - swimming, diving
• Jamsil Gymnasium - basketball
• Jamsil Students Gymnasium - boxing
• Jamsil Baseball Stadium - baseball
• Olympic Park venues
• Olympic Velodrome - cycling
• Olympic Weightlifting Gymnasium - weightlifting
• Olympic Fencing Gymnasium - fencing
• Olympic Gymnastics Hall - gymnastics
• Olympic Tennis Courts - tennis
• Mongchon Tosong - modern pentathlon
• Other venues in metropolitan Seoul
• Seoul Equestrian Park - equestrian events
• Han River Regatta Course - rowing, canoeing
• Saemaul Sports Hall - volleyball preliminaries
• Hanyang University Gymnasium - volleyball
• Changchung Gymnasium - judo, taekwondo
• Seoul National University Gymnasium - table tennis, badminton
• Royal Bowling Center - bowling
• Dongdaemun Stadium - football/soccer preliminaries
• Hwarang Archery Field, Nowon-gu - archery
• Taenung International Shooting Range, Taenung - shooting
• Venues outside metropolitan Seoul
• Sangmu Gymnasium, Seongnam - wrestling
• Daejeon Stadium, Daejeon - football/soccer preliminaries
• Daegu Stadium, Daegu - football/soccer preliminaries
• Busan Stadium, Busan - football/soccer preliminaries
• Gwangju Stadium, Gwangju - football/soccer preliminaries
• Suwon Gymnasium, Suwon - handball
• Seongnam Stadium, Seongnam - hockey
• Busan Yachting Center, Busan – yachting

Highlights

• Record holder and world champion Serguei Bubka (URS-athletics) dreamed of an Olympic title. He won the gold medal, but only just, vaulting 5.90m at the third attempt. This was his last time on an Olympic podium.

• Christa Luding-Rothenburger (GER-cycling and speed skating) made Olympic history by winning a silver medal in cycling. A few months before, she had already won two medals in speed skating during the Winter Games. She became one of few champions to win medals in both the summer and winter Olympics.

• Greg Louganis (USA-diving) qualified for the springboard final despite striking the board with his head on the penultimate qualifying dive. In the final, after this frightening event, he achieved his second consecutive Olympic victory in the springboard.
  

• Swedish fencer Kerstin Palm becomes the first woman to take part in seven Olympics.

• Mark Todd of New Zealand wins his second consecutive individual gold medal in the three-day event in equestrian on Charisma, only the second time in event history that a gold medal has been won consecutively.

Facts

• In a coup for the Olympic Movement, Korea (South Korea) turned democratic in order to welcome the world to the Summer Games. Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) boycotted, and joined by Cuba, Ethiopia and Nicaragua. Still, records were set with 159 nations participating, 52 winning medals and 31 taking home gold medals.

• The Games got off to a dramatic start at the Opening Ceremony when 76-year-old Sohn Kee-chung, the winner of the 1936 marathon, ran the torch into the stadium. In 1936, Sohn had been forced to enter using a Japanese name because Korea was occupied by Japan.

• Ben Johnson (CAN) set a world record in the 100m dash, but tested positive for steroids. Johnson was the first well-known athlete to be disqualified for using drugs.

• For the first time in history, women win all the dressage events.

• Tennis returns as a medal sport after a hiatus of 64 years.