Shattered Hopes

On December 27, 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, a distant land unknown to most Canadians. Knowledge would come quickly over the coming months, particularly to the dozens of Canadian athletes who were entering the final stages of training for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.

The invasion set off a chain of events that dominated the headlines of the day. A crucial fall-out was the American-led boycott of the Games, which Canada eventually joined, forcing 212 Canadian athletes to she…