The author focuses on the events related to the Olympic Games in the beginning of 1980. The newspapers of
the time depict the ongoing two-way struggle between the two superpowers of the Cold War. The first "battle"
was waged by Carter through his appeal to boycott the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow due to the Soviet
armed intervention in Afghanistan - a boycott which was also carried out. The second major "sports battle" was
waged at the time of the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, where a hockey duel for the gold between the
Soviet Union and the USA attracted massive attention amongst the public. Yet despite the numerous attempts to
abuse the finals, the hockey game was nevertheless played in a sporting spirit. The article also reveals how the
politics implemented in the Cold War period attempted on several other occasions to take advantage of sports.