Olympics 2008

Recent talk of a boycott of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing sparked memories of the depleted Moscow and Los Angeles Games in the 1980s.

America led a 65-nation boycott of the 1980 Games in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, while the USSR and 14 of its Eastern Bloc afilliates stayed away from LA four years later saying: "chauvinistic sentiments and an anti-Soviet hysteria are being whipped up in the United States".

Weightlifting was the sport most heavily affected in 1984 with 94 of the world's top 100 ranked weightlifters, 10 of them current world champions, being robbed of a chance to compete for a medal.

Tuna fisherman Dean Lukin (pictured above left) benefitted, winning the super-heavyweight category to become an Australian legend as their only weightlifting gold medalist to date.

Romania did not join the Eastern Bloc pull-out, to the delight of Nicu Vlad (pictured above right) who won the 90kg division.

And David Mercer also took advantage, winning Britain's last medal in the competition, finishing third behind Vlad.

A number of articles I have read suggested the boycotts of Moscow and Los Angeles achieved little, but there are those who support them. What are your thoughts?