See also: 1976 Summer Paralympics


The Games of the XXI Olympiad were held in 1976 in Montreal, Canada. In the bid to organise the Olympics, Montreal defeated Moscow and Los Angeles, which would organise the 1980 and 1984 Olympics.

Games of the XXI Olympiad
Nations participating92
Athletes participating6,028 (4,781 men, 1,247 women)
Events198 in 21 sports
Opening ceremoniesJuly 17, 1976
Closing ceremoniesAugust 1, 1976
Officially opened byElizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Athlete's OathPierre St.-Jean
Judge's Oath:Maurice Fauget
Olympic TorchStéphane Préfontaine and Sandra Henderson

Table of contents
1 Highlights
2 Medals awarded
3 Medal count
4 References

Highlights

  • In a protest to a tour of South Africa by the New Zealand rugby team, Tanzania led a boycott of 22 African nations as the IOC refused to not admit the New Zealand team. Some of the nations had already participated however, as the teams only withdrew after the first day.
  • Following the Munich massacre, high security was part of the scene for these games.
  • The organisation of the Olympics turned out bad financially for Montreal, as the city remained faced with debts well after the Games had finished. The Olympic Stadium, a daring design of French architect Roger Taillibert, remains a lasting monument to the huge deficit, as it never had an effective retractable roof, and the tower was only completed after the Olympics.
  • 14-year-old Nadia Comaneci of Romania scored seven perfect 10s and won 3 gold medals in gymnastics.
  • Viktor Saneyev (Soviet Union) won his third consecutive triple jump gold medal, while Klaus Dibiasi of Italy did the same in the platform diving event.
  • Alberto Juantorena of Cuba became the first man to win both the 400 m and 800 m at the same Olympics. Finland's Lasse Virén also achieved a double in the 5000 and 10000 m and finished 5th in the marathon, thereby failing to equal Emil Zátopek 1952 achievements.
  • Women's events were introduced in basketball, handball and rowing.
  • Five American boxerss, including Sugar Ray Leonard, Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, Leo Randolph and Howard Davis Jr won gold medals in boxing. This has been often called the greatest Olympic boxing team the United States ever had, and, out of the five American gold medalists in boxing, all but Davis went on to become professional world champions.
  • The Canadian field hockey team wins gold on goals scored by Arlo Grayson, Philip Nowicki, Adam Kerr, and Simon Tipler.
 
Velodrome (foreground) and Olympic Stadium, Montreal

Medals awarded

See the medal winners, ordered by sport:

  • Archery
  • Athletics
  • Basketball
  • Boxing
  • Canoeing
  • Cycling
  • Diving
  • Equestrianism
  • Fencing
  • Football
  • Gymnastics
  • Handball
  • Hockey
  • Judo
  • Modern Pentathlon
  • Rowing
  • Shooting
  • Swimming
  • Volleyball
  • Water Polo
  • Weightlifting
  • Wrestling
  • Yachting

Medal count

PosCountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal

References

Internal links

External links

Bibliography


Summer Olympics

1896 | 1900 | 1904 | 1906 | 1908 | 1912 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012

Winter Olympics

1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1994 | 1998 | 2002 | 2006 | 2010