Sportveranstalter und Sportpublikum in Moskau
Sport Officials and Sport Fans in Moscow

Summary/Abstract: The author, a West German sports journalist, describes the impressions which he gathered in August 1973, in Moscow's Lenin Stadium and other sport arenas, when 2700 athletes from 67 nations competed for the highest honors of the universada (university championships). This universada was an important event in as much as Moscow is one of the most serious contenders for the Olympic Games of 1980. The Moscow fans showed, the author finds, extreme partiality. Soviet athletes were, when victorious, the object of greatest enthusiasm; they were boed violently when they lost. In the absence of printed programs, the public was in the dark concerning what was going on and who else was competing. The constant demand to win affected the Soviet athletes, they were not too particular in the choice of their methods. If Moscow wishes to use the Olympics of 1980 for the improvement of its image, it should develop among its fans a more sportmanlike spirit. A special question concerned the appearance of the 39 Israeli athletes. When Russian Jews attended their contests with cheering and songs, incidents occurred, and in the end they were unable to get through the checkpoints, even if many seats remained vacant.

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