he 1980 Moscow Olympics are perhaps most famous for the US-led boycott that saw only 80 out of 147 nations compete, the lowest number since the 1956 Melbourne Games. The boycott was made in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan the year before, one of the many conflicts that took place as the Americans and Russians battled by proxy during the Cold War years. Allies such as Britain and France also condemned the invasion but allowed their athletes to compete nonetheless [more].