The Liberty Bell Classic was a track and field athletics event organized by the Athletics Congress as part of the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott and held at Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on July 16 and 17, 1980. It was named after Philadelphia's Liberty Bell.
The U.S. Congress voted to approve $10 million in funding to alternative tournaments in several Olympic sports, to which athletes from boycotting countries would be invited. In addition to the Liberty Bell Classic, the U.S. Gymnastics Federation held an International Invitational tournament in Hartford, Connecticut. Earlier in the year, the United States had considered holding other games in Côte d'Ivoire, Italy, Japan, West Germany, ChinaSecret US plot to steal Moscow's Olympic flame, Daily Telegraph or in Canada (in Montréal, where the previous Olympic games took place).
The IAAF prohibited any official track and field meets that would clash with the Olympic meet, so the Liberty Bell began three days before the Moscow Games opened (and ten days before the Olympic athletics events began). The Liberty Bell came the day after the prestigious Bislett Games in Oslo, and many eligible athletes declined to compete, including 17 of the 34 champions at the US Olympic Trials. The winning performances in the men's 110 m hurdles and 400 m hurdles were better than those in Moscow.
Participants Athletes from 29 countries participated in the event, many of which had taken part in the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics, including:
Countries marked with an asterisk (*) went on to be represented in the 1980 Summer Olympics under the Olympic flag.
Medal summary
Men's events 100 meters 10.31 10.31 10.33200 meters 20.65 20.66 20.92400 meters 45.59 45.60 45.79800 meters 1:47.19 1:47.27 1:48.031500 meters 3:40.19 3:40.34 3:41.405000 meters 13:37.52 13:39.72 13:45.77110 meter hurdles 13.31 13.68 13.94400 meter hurdles 48.6 49.1 50.04 × 100 meter relay Mel LattanyHarvey GlanceJames ButlerCarl Lewis38.61 Tony SharpeDesai WilliamsMarvin NashBen Johnson39.54 41.294 × 400 meter relay Walter McCoyFred TaylorDavid LeeHerman Frazier3:03.20 James AtutiBilly KonchellahJames Maina BoiDaniel Kimaiyo3:05.72 3:09.06High jump 2.26 m 2.26 m 2.22 mPole vault 5.50 m 5.33 m 5.18 mLong jump 8.20 m 7.95 m 7.77 mTriple jump 16.90 m 16.75 m 16.42 mShot put 19.69 m 19.58 m 16.17 mDiscus throw 61.46 m 60.76 m 59.48 mHammer throw 72.62 m 71.34 m 69.08 mJavelin throw 89.12 m 84.56 m 79.24 mDecathlon 8058 8009 7015
Women's events 100 meters 11.27 11.41 11.43200 meters 22.77 22.84 23.41400 meters 52.04 52.33 52.34800 meters 2:02.34 2:02.53 2:02.631500 meters 4:00.87 4:10.37 4:10.39100 meter hurdles 13.08 13.17 13.204 × 100 meter relay Chandra CheeseboroughKaren HawkinsKathy McMillanJeanette Bolden44.57 45.26 46.904 × 400 meter relay Kim ThomasDelisa WaltonRobin CampbellRoberta Belle3:32.69 3:33.50High jump 1.92 m 1.84 m 1.80 mLong jump 6.65 m 6.60 m 6.48 mShot put 17.09 m 16.24 m 15.98 mDiscus throw 56.56 m 55.20 m 53.52 mJavelin throw 57.42 m 55.30 m 54.94 mPentathlon 4640 4346 4314
See also 1980 Summer Olympics boycott 1980 in athletics (track and field) 1980 World Championships in Athletics Athletics at the Friendship Games, 1984 events in Moscow and Prague as part of the 1984 Summer Olympics boycott Politics and sports Goodwill Games
References Sources Olympic Boycott Games The Olympic Games and Modern history
Citations