July 19 — in Moscow, the XXII Olympic Games opened. The final decision on the host city was made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at its 75th Session on October 23, 1974, in Vienna. In the final round of voting, IOC members had to choose between Moscow and Los Angeles; Moscow won with a final tally of 39:20.
Olympics-80 became a kind of "peak of communism," after which there was only downward movement left. For the Games, Moscow was literally scrubbed spotless; the abundance of food in the capital's shops became one of the brightest memories for residents, who could freely buy imported sausages and cigarettes, chewing gum, juice boxes "with a straw," and beer in aluminum cans. Alcoholics, prostitutes, dissidents, aggressive psychiatric patients, and criminals were moved farther away from the capital. Parents were strongly encouraged to send their children to pioneer camps. In their place, the city was filled with police officers and KGB agents from across the Soviet Union.
The closing of the XXII Olympics took place on August 3. To the sounds of the Olympic Hymn, the white Olympic flag was lowered. On the background display—made of colored panels in the stands beneath the Olympic cauldron—an image of the Olympic bear mascot appeared along with the words: "Have a good journey!" At the same time, a tear rolled from the mascot's eye. And at the end, to the song "Goodbye, Moscow!" performed by Lev Leshchenko and Tatyana Antsiferova, the Olympic mascot flew up into the sky carried by balloons. Later, it was precisely the flight of the Olympic bear that would be reproduced again and again as the most memorable episode of the Olympics. And indeed, this moment ultimately became the symbol of the Moscow Games for those who did not live to see them.