Sarajevo 1984

Trouble-free Games

The Games ran smoothly, giving no indication of the tragic war that would engulf the city eight years later. Skier Jure Franko claimed silver in the giant slalom to win Yugoslavia’s first Olympic Winter Games medal.

Memorable champions

In speed skating, Canada’s Gaétan Boucher and East Germany’s Karin Enke each won two gold medals. Norwegian biathlete Eirik Kvalfoss earned a complete set of medals, and twin brothers Phil and Steve Mahre of the US took first and second place in the slalom.

Historic performer

Marja-Liisa Kirvesmiemi-Hämäläinen from Finland became the only woman to have competed in six editions of the Olympic Winter Games. She dominated all three women’s cross country skiing events, winning by at least 10 seconds each time. She also won a bronze medal in the 4 x 7.5km relay.

A perfect bolero

British figure skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean mesmerised the judges and the world with their interpretation of Maurice Ravel's Bolero. The judges awarded them perfect scores across-the-board for artistic impression.

NOCs: 49
Athletes: 1,272 (274 women, 998 men)
Events: 39
Volunteers: 10,450
Media: 7,393 (2,363 written press, 5,030 broadcasters)

President Samaranch

These were the first Games under the presidency of Juan Antonio Samaranch.

Role of television

Revenues gained from broadcast fees took a big leap upward, rising from the US$ 20,726,000 received for Lake Placid in 1980 to a figure of US$ 102,682,000 for Sarajevo.

20km for the women

One event was added to women's Nordic skiing - the 20km race, which gave women a total of four races.

Ceremonies

Sarajevo, 8 February 1984. Arrival of the Olympic Flag.

Official opening of the Games by:
President Mika Spiljak.

Lighting of the Olympic Flame by:
Sandra Dubravcic (figure skating)

Olympic Oath by:
Bojan Krizaj (Alpine skiing)

Officials' Oath by:
Dragan Perovic (Alpine skiing)

It symbolizes a stylized snowflake with the Olympic rings above. It also features the traditional design of the embroidery produced in the Sarajevo region.

On the obverse, the official emblem, a stylized snowflake with the Olympic rings above, and the words "XIV Zimske Olimpijske Igre - Sarajevo 1984".

On the reverse, the stylized head of an athlete crowned with a laurel wreath.

In all, 285 medals were struck at the Majdanpek mint in Belgrade, and 222 were awarded.

Vučko

The 1984 Winter Games mascot came in the guise of a wolf, an animal typically found in the forests of the Dinaric Alps region. Through his smiling, frightened or serious facial expressions, Vučko gave the wolf a rather friendly appearance and even helped to change the usually ferocious image of this animal.

Number of torchbearers: around 1 600 in Yugoslavia
Total distance: 5 289 km in Yugoslavia. A second flame was created from the original sacred one and the relay was divided and conducted in two separate routes from Dubrovnik to Sarajevo.
Countries crossed: Greece, Yugoslavia

It features the official emblem, a stylised snowflake with the Olympic rings above.

The “Final report Sarajevo'84” is a fairly modest official report which does, however, contain the main pieces of useful information, available as a trilingual French, English and Serbo-Croat edition.