Thurs. Sept 12, 12 noon, N007

With Kim Klein

In December 1979, the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan threatened to turn the Cold War hot. Just two months later, athletes from across the world gathered in the village of Lake Placid, NY for the 1980 Winter Olympics. As the summer games were disrupted by politically-motivated boycotts, this was one of the few occasions in the early ‘80s when Soviet and American competitors faced off under the Olympic rings – most famously, when a team of US college hockey players took on the might of the Soviet “Red Machine.”

Delta College political science professor Kim Klein competed in the trials for the US Olympic speed skating team that went to Lake Placid. She will talk about the 1980 games in their political and historical context.