China at the Olympics - 1984

Looking back at the debut of the People's Republic at the Olympics -- 1984, Los Angeles. My how times have changed! That was the year people discovered that it was actually possible for the Games to not lose money, let alone come out ahead. The IOC practically had to beg someone -- anyone! -- to host the Games after they nearly bankrupted Montreal and other previous hosts. As a result, the LAOOC didn't have to build a new Olympic Village to get the Games, and could make do with many existing facilities, including some that had been built for the 1932 Olympics. 1984 was eventful in so many other ways -- the Soviet boycott, and the arrival of the mainland Chinese. The latter came only after a bitter debate over both the status and the name, of the delegation from Taiwan. (They finally settled on the awkward "Chinese Taipei." To this day I wonder what would have happened if Taiwan had insisted that the PRC likewise accept the name "Chinese Beijing." Might the argument have been prolonged a bit?) China was new and fascinating in those days, and there was an element of gratitude that such a large team should participate for the first time especially just when the Soviets had withdrawn, so excitement was in the air.

I was one of two "envoys" of the LAOOC to the Chinese delegation -- a fancy word for someone who does whatever it takes to meet the needs of the team. One of my first tasks was to take a small advance team around the UCLA campus, where the Chinese would be housed. Not surprisingly, security was a major concern -- they were obviously worried that some pro-Taiwan elements might make trouble for them. Not coincidentally, the Taiwanese team was housed miles away on the USC campus, and security was tight enough that it would be hard for outsiders to gain access to the parts of the UCLA campus used for housing and competition. Instead, we discovered a wholly unexpected headache, namely that the Libyan team was to be housed on the top floor of the same dorm as the Chinese! Sino-Libyan relations were normal at the time, but there were tensions between Libya and most Western nations, which regarded Col. Gaddafi as a sponsor of terrorism. On paper at least, the Libyan Olympic delegation certainly seemed a bit strange. It was only entered in one event -- an equestrian competition -- but featured one horse and a profusion of "grooms." The Israeli team was living on the same campus but in a different building. There would have to be a ridiculous number of people keeping an eye on each and every member of the Libyan delegation (which fortunately was a small one!) and making sure they did not get close to the Israelis, but this meant that everyone assign to the same dorm as the Libyans, including the first-time Chinese, would essentially be living under intense surveillance. A fine way for the Chinese to be introduced to the Games!