{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-article-tsx","path":"/primeretrospectiveolympics","webpackCompilationHash":"3768132d12cb2a4b1bfd","result":{"data":{"primeArticle":{"headline":"The Games Generation","author":"Annika Anbiai-Fard","authorbio":"","authoremail":"","authortwitter":"","coverimg":"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/prime.retrospectiveolympics/prime.resizedcoverillo-dd9187e30ad6620bb3865bc60a43fc5a.png","covercred":"KAYLEN HO. PHOTOS BY LEYDI CRIS COBO CORDON AND DAILY BRUIN ARCHIVES. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY VIENNA VIPOND.","coveralt":"An illustration of silhouettes of athletes running over reflective glass panes with a sun setting behind Royce Hall.","articleType":"article","updated":"","content":[{"type":"text","value":"July 28, 1984, Robin Leamy walked into the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and created a memory that would last a lifetime."},{"type":"text","value":"The day marked the start of the XXIII Olympiad. Alongside the Olympic swimmer stood other athletes from Team USA awaiting the Parade of Nations during the Opening Ceremony, the dazzling presentation that begins the games and introduces participants to global audiences. As tradition, the host country entered last. To Leamy, the long wait was laborious. But then, as the athletes turned the corner of the iconic stadium, the energy transformed. The crowd erupted in excitement."},{"type":"text","value":"Leading up to that moment, volunteers filled the Coliseum floor with more than 1,000 balloons spelling \"Welcome\" before releasing them into the sky in a burst of color and celebration. The LA Olympic Organizing Committee had commissioned Academy Award-winner John Williams to compose the Olympic fanfare played at the event. It surged through the air with triumphant crescendos, carrying the weight of human achievement, cooperation and preparation for the 16-day athletic festival."},{"type":"text","value":"In the arena, trombone player Tamara Hew-Butler performed the opening theme alongside the Olympic Band, a memory that still gives her chills. Surrounding her were bandmates from universities across the country – including UCLA and the University of Southern California  – united for one purpose. As the ensemble played music, she could feel the crowd’s vigor. After the athletes and musicians had taken their places, Bruin track and field champion Rafer Johnson received the final flame of the Olympic torch relay and ascended the Coliseum stairs to light the Olympic cauldron – the same one used when the Summer Games were first held in LA in 1932. In doing so, he became the first African American to light the cauldron."},{"type":"text","value":"More than 40 years later, Leamy and Hew-Butler’s recollections carry on a new meaning as LA arranges for the games’ return in 2028. UCLA is set to play a central role by hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Village – the residential complex that will accommodate thousands of athletes. Beyond the bustle of the dorms, the Rose Bowl will host soccer events and become the second venue in history – after the Coliseum – to be used in the Olympic Games three times. As preparations ensue and the games become an ever-closer reality, UCLA alumni reflect on their experiences as part of the Bruin community in 1984."},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"A collage of story sources and archive Daily Bruin articles from the 1984 Olympics coverage.\",\"url\":\"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/prime.retrospectiveolympics/regissue.prime.retrospectiveolympics1resized-4a7ef4b07205bdad433f0c27dc35765d.png\",\"credit\":\"Photos by Leydi Cris Cobo Cordon/Daily Bruin senior staff and Daily Bruin archives. Photo illustration by Vienna Vipond/Daily Bruin senior staff\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Raffi Simonian said the games produced an incredible atmosphere on campus. Displays painted in vivid hues of aqua, magenta and tangerine were placed around UCLA’s campus to capture Southern California’s essence. The Drake Stadium concourse featured shops and concession stands that overlooked the field, which was adorned with the Flags of Nations and held daily ceremonies. In Simonian’s eyes, the disruption of the games on student life was not negative because it was too valuable of an opportunity to miss."},{"type":"text","value":"Vito Costanzo worked as a messenger for UCLA at the James West Alumni Center, which served as the base for the Olympic Organizing Committee and the gateway to the Olympic Village. Crowds formed outside the alumni center to receive autographs from athletes and trade pins – a longstanding Olympic tradition that encourages connection among competitors, spectators and staff."},{"type":"text","value":"\"An operation of that size and nature requires a lot of coordination – a lot of people working well together to make it function,\" Costanzo said. \"In a small way, all of us who worked to watch the building somehow contributed to the success of the event.\""},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"We go from our house to the venue and watch an Olympic event. Doesn't get any better than that.\\\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"During the games, Costanzo met two Olympians – including a shooting athlete from San Marino – and socialized with them at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center. He said they seemed to enjoy their time in LA and wanted to make the most of it rather than stressing over their events. Ihab Shahawi, who participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials for wrestling but ultimately did not qualify for the games, said the LA location was beneficial for locals. They could surpass the inconveniences of air travel and hotels to attend activities with ease."},{"type":"text","value":"\"It was a dream come true,\" Shahawi said. \"We were right here – we were at home. We go from our house to the venue and watch an Olympic event. Doesn't get any better than that.\""},{"type":"text","value":"The Olympics embraced infrastructure across LA, with UCLA acting as a focal point. Pauley Pavilion held popular gymnastics events – attracting more than 160,000 spectators – and the then-newly constructed LA Tennis Center held the games’ tennis events. The Rose Bowl hosted the gold medal men’s soccer match between France and Brazil with more than 101,000 people in attendance, breaking the record for the largest crowd to watch a soccer game in the U.S. or Canada at the time. The 1984 Games also featured a variety of other venues in Southern California, including Dodger Stadium, the Forum and the Anaheim Convention Center. Hew-Butler said the decision to use existing facilities helped the games showcase LA while remaining true to the city."},{"type":"text","value":"Athletes were accommodated in one of three Olympic Villages located on university campuses – UCLA, USC and UC Santa Barbara – with access to training facilities. At UCLA, they used the John Wooden Center, the Sunset Recreation Center and Drake Stadium. UCLA will host the primary Olympic Village in 2028, but some participants may reside in satellite villages closer to more distant competition venues, which are scattered throughout the city. Costanzo said this difference highlights UCLA’s capacity to host many athletes and reinforces its role as a true Olympic Village."},{"type":"text","value":"For Leamy, the fact that the Olympics were held in LA created athletic advantages and made the overall experience more positive than it may have been elsewhere. He did not need to adjust to changes in time zone, diet or other environmental factors, which can affect a competitor’s performance."},{"type":"text","value":"Before participating in the games, Leamy competed on the swimming and water polo teams during his undergraduate years at UCLA. In 1981, he broke the world record for the 50-meter freestyle in the U.S. Nationals and helped the Bruins win their first NCAA title in men’s swimming and diving a year later. Leamy also participated in the World Championships in 1982 prior to taking part in the Pan American Games in 1983. However, he said competing in the 1984 Olympics was the pinnacle of his athletic career."},{"type":"text","value":"\"Honestly, it's less about the medals than participating,\" said Leamy, who won the gold medal in the men’s 4x100-meter freestyle relay. \"When you go to the Olympics and you walk around the Olympic Village and you feel and see and hear the other athletes – that's probably the biggest reward.\""},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"A collage of story sources and archive Daily Bruin articles from the 1984 Olympics coverage.\",\"url\":\"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/prime.retrospectiveolympics/regissue.prime.retrospectiveolympicscollage2-0578b88faf166013c5bd2641ad6a4170.png\",\"credit\":\"Photos by Leydi Cris Cobo Cordon/Daily Bruin senior staff and Daily Bruin archives. Photo illustration by Vienna Vipond/Daily Bruin senior staff\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"As an Olympic athlete, Leamy had access to many sporting events at the games. When he was not swimming, he watched track and field, boxing and rhythmic gymnastics. Bruins Tim Daggett, Mitch Gaylord and Peter Vidmar won the gold medal in the team all-around for men’s gymnastics, which Leamy found moving because of their shared time at UCLA. In terms of the broader collegiate landscape, he added that representing the U.S. took precedence over school rivalries."},{"type":"text","value":"\"It wasn't just the Bruins,\" he said. \"You are cheering for every American. They can be from anywhere, and all of a sudden you're on the same team – even Trojans.\""},{"type":"text","value":"Simonian attended a soccer match and said what stood out was the sense of unity the games fostered, as people from across the globe became one. The energy reached an emotional intensity that made the outcome of the game feel secondary. To him, participating in the Olympic experience held greater importance."},{"type":"text","value":"\"The world becomes a community during the Olympics, and that's what I love about it. You forget everything else that's going on in the world,\" Simonian said. \"We all are human beings. That's what's so amazing about this.\""},{"type":"text","value":"Simonian added that being at UCLA during the games deepened his connection with the university and reinforced its role in building communities. He said the Olympics made 1984 a year that would encapsulate an astounding chapter in UCLA’s legacy."},{"type":"text","value":"From the 1928 Summer Games in Amsterdam to Paris 2024, 436 current or former UCLA students have collectively made 661 Olympic teams, winning a total of 284 Olympic medals – 141 gold, 74 silver and 69 bronze. Competitors practiced on campus during the 1932 Games, which occurred during the peak of the Great Depression and only a few years after the school relocated to Westwood."},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"You forget everything else that's going on in the world.\\\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Shahawi said UCLA’s history of Olympic athleticism strengthened his pride. For him, the university’s production of remarkable individuals in non-athletic fields – such as science, music and the arts – elevates its standing as a tremendous institution. He added that the Olympics increased exposure for UCLA and brought international awareness to its athletes."},{"type":"text","value":"One of Hew-Butler’s biggest takeaways from the 1984 Games is how the event connected people from different backgrounds. For her, witnessing the Olympics firsthand established a deep sense of Bruin pride. She added that the experience of the Olympics becomes part of one’s identity, shaping how one thinks and perceives the world."},{"type":"text","value":"\"It was the best of humanity, it was the best of sportsmanship,\" Hew-Butler said. \"It brought people from so many walks of life and cultures around the world together, and it embraced that spirit – spirit of competition, but otherwise, spirit of community.\""},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"A collage of story sources and archive Daily Bruin articles from the 1984 Olympics coverage.\",\"url\":\"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/prime.retrospectiveolympics/regissue.prime.resized3olympicsretrospective-608ede073c3c50f52883979fb7e0741e.png\",\"credit\":\"Photos by Leydi Cris Cobo Cordon/Daily Bruin senior staff and Daily Bruin archives. Photo illustration by Vienna Vipond/Daily Bruin senior staff\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"However, not all countries were in attendance in 1984. While Iran and Libya abstained from the games because of separate critiques of the U.S. government, many non-participating nations engaged in what seemed to be a retaliatory boycott led by the Soviet Union. In 1980, then-President Jimmy Carter advocated for the U.S. to boycott the Summer Games in Moscow after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December 1979. During the year of the games, the Soviet Union announced it would not compete in LA because of threats to its athletes’ safety."},{"type":"text","value":"Shahawi said the boycott by the Soviet Union in 1984 created short-term tensions but was ultimately overshadowed by Team USA’s excellent performance in the games. To him, the absence of the boycotting athletes expanded the team’s opportunities to win. The U.S. led the medal count for the first time since 1968 with a total of 174 medals, with 83 of them being gold. However, in 1980, it was the U.S. athletes who were unable to compete."},{"type":"text","value":"While some leaders such as Carter approached the Olympics as a political tool, several athletes contemplated whether the games should instead set politics aside to foster unity through the display of global athletic achievements. This is an ongoing debate as politics continue to intertwine with Olympic history."},{"type":"text","value":"In August 2025, President Trump signed an executive order to establish a security task force for the 2028 Games. As chair of the task force, he said he would use the military or the National Guard to protect the event if necessary. This comes after the federal government <a href=\"https://dailybruin.com/2025/06/08/national-guard-troops-station-in-westwood-after-trump-administration-deployment\">deployed the National Guard and U.S. Marines to LA</a> in June in response to protests over its elevated immigration enforcement operations."},{"type":"text","value":"Citing national security concerns, the Trump administration also <a href=\"https://dailybruin.com/2025/07/27/students-impacted-by-trump-administration-travel-ban-fear-loss-of-connection\">banned travel to the U.S.</a> for citizens of 12 countries and imposed a partial ban for citizens of seven others in June. The proclamation contains exemptions for athletes, coaches and immediate relatives entering the U.S. for the Olympics and the World Cup. Nevertheless, visas have since been denied for athletes, including a baseball team from Venezuela that qualified for the Senior League Baseball World Series, causing some to worry that similar actions may extend to the Olympics."},{"type":"text","value":"Hew-Butler said she hopes political decisions outside of athletes’ control do not prevent them from being able to participate in the 2028 Games. She hopes that athletes who have trained hard and earned a spot to compete at the highest level are given the chance to do so."},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"It was the best of humanity, it was the best of sportsmanship.\\\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Looking ahead to 2028, Hew-Butler said she is excited to witness the competition and the community that forms through friendly competition. She appreciates the dedication that athletes have, finding it meaningful to hear their stories as they fulfill childhood dreams of reaching the Olympics. Leamy said he is interested in uncovering who may emerge as the heroes of the next competition. He also believes every Olympic host city has its own character and looks forward to seeing what personality LA will showcase in the upcoming Summer Games."},{"type":"text","value":"Leamy said current students who will be at UCLA for the 2028 Olympics should attend an event if they can. People travel from around the world to witness the games, he added, so being near the action is a huge benefit. Furthermore, Hew-Butler urges students to participate as much as possible since this opportunity may only happen once in a lifetime."},{"type":"text","value":"\"It's just such a wonderful, rare event that occurs in the world,\" Hew-Butler said. \"Participate before it passes you by.\""}]}},"pageContext":{"isCreatedByStatefulCreatePages":false,"term":"summer25","slug":"prime.retrospectiveolympics"}}}