Top 10 Sporting Boycotts Of All Time

Sporting boycotts have been motivated by political agendas, techinal issues or internal protests.

PUBLISHED OCT 13, 2023

Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes F1 team, FIFA Headquarters, The Olympic Flame At The 2022 Beijing Olympics | Getty Images

Sports Boycotts That Grabbed The Headlines

The World Cup Trophy during the 2006 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Group Draw | Getty Images | Photo by Stuart Franklin

Protests and boycotts are neither new nor uncommon in the world of sports. The city of Athens threatened to withdraw from the ancient Olympics in 332 BC over match-fixing allegations. Last month, Ukraine declared that it would boycott all sporting events involving Russian teams as the war between the two neighbors rages on. It urged the European soccer governing body, UEFA to not allow Russian teams as the UEFA readmitted the Russian U-17 team in European competitions saying that children should not be punished for the actions of adults. Most recently, in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup, being hosted by India, a section of the fans called to boycott of the upcoming India vs Pakistan match, after visuals of the Pakistani team getting a grand welcome in the city of Hyderabad went viral. The relations between India and Pakistan continue to be tense over Pakistan's alleged acts of terror. Here’s a look at 10 sporting boycotts that left a mark in the history of sport.

1. 1980 Moscow Olympics

A protester against the Moscow summer Olympics boycott during the Opening Ceremony for the XIII Olympic Winter Games | Getty Images | Photo by Steve Powell — A protester during the Moscow Summer Olympics | Getty Images | Photo by Steve Powell

The 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia, witnessed protests against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The United States-led protest, supported by Great Britain, eventually leading to only 80 out of the 147 nations competing at the 1980 Olympics. While the United States and West Germany remained absent, some of Britain’s athletes competed under the Olympic flag winning five gold medals. Several of the other boycotting nations participated in the counter event called the Olympic Boycott Games organized in Philadelphia.

2. 1996 Indy 500

Represeantional image of a race during the Las Vegas 500K | Getty Images

The walkout at the 1996 Indy 500 race was motivated by an internal issue rather than a political agenda. The 1996 Indy 500 race saw the top teams and drivers walk out of the race to protest a perceived lockout of CART teams by the governing body Indy Racing League. The walkout was organized on the race day of the US 500 at Michigan. However, some new teams that moved up from Indy Lights, AIS, or sports cars participated in the event with inexperienced rookie drivers.

3. 1984 Los Angeles Olympics

Opening ceremony for the XXIII Olympic Games 1984 | Getty Images | Photo by Tony Duffy

After the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the Soviet Union and its allies retaliated with their boycott of the 1984 Olympics held in Los Angeles. Citing security concerns, barring Romania, the entire Eastern Bloc including Bulgaria, East Germany, Mongolia, Vietnam Laos, and Czechoslovakia along with Cuba joined the boycott. The US was reportedly caught off-guard by the announcement, but the event continued to proceed. As several world-class athletes were absent, the USA won a record 83 gold medals.

4. 1930 FIFA World Cup

Uruguayan keeper Enrique Ballestrero fails to save a shot from Argentina's Carlos Peucelle during the final of the first world Cup competition | Getty Images | Photo by Keystone

Arguably one of the first sporting boycotts of modern times, the boycott of the first FIFA World Cup was rather bizarre. The nation of Uruguay, who were the Olympic champions, were chosen as the host nation after they offered to pay for the travel bills for the competing nations. The four other contenders in the race, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden refused to travel to South America following the announcement. Further, Austria, Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Switzerland withdrew, citing the bizarre reason of a three-week boat trip. England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland were also absent due to a rift with FIFA, as per ESPN.

5. 1976 Montreal Olympics

Two Athletes at Opening Ceremonies for the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal | Getty Images | Photo by nik wheeler — The opening ceremony of the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal | Getty Images | Photo by nik wheeler

The 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal was boycotted by 29 countries (mostly African) that were part of the African-led anti-Apartheid movement. The boycott was triggered by the refusal of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban New Zealand after its national rugby union team toured South Africa in 1976 in defiance of the United Nations' calls for a sporting embargo. As per ESPN, 20 of the 26 countries had already flown to Montreal, but returned home without competing.

6. 1973 Wimbledon

Swedish tennis player Bjorn Borg at Wimbledon, during the 1973 Wimbledon Championships | Getty Images | Photo by Harry Dempster — Swedish tennis player Bjorn Borg at Wimbledon during the 1973 Wimbledon Championships | Getty Images | Photo by Harry Dempster

Some of the biggest names in men's tennis at the time boycotted the Wimbledon. Players who were members of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) chose to support Yugoslavia's Nikki Pilic who was suspended by the International Lawn Tennis Federation over his non-appearance at a Davis Cup tie against New Zealand. While 79 players from the ATP refused to play, Britain's Roger Taylor played, and 1972 finalist Ilie Nastase refused to withdraw as well along with just 16 original seeds.

7. 1982 South African Formula One Grand Prix

Niki Lauda at the Grand Prix of the United States West | Getty Images | Photo by Bernard Cahier

Former Formula One Drivers Champion Niki Lauda led a drivers' strike at the first race of the 1982 season in Kyalami, South Africa to protest a clause that required new "super licenses" for drivers to participate in the championship. Lauda believed the new licenses would unfairly tie drivers to their teams and as a show of protest, the drivers locked themselves in a conference room overnight. Eventually, an agreement was reached for the relevant clauses to be re-visited and the race was reinstated.

8. 1970 South Africa Cricket Tour of England

England batsman Phil Sal hits out during the 2nd ODI between England on July 22, 2022 | Getty Images | Photo by Stu Forster — Representational Image of England batsman Phil Sal during the 2nd ODI between England on July 22, 2022 | Getty Images | Photo by Stu Forster

South Africa's cricket team was due to visit England in 1970 but after strong protests against South Africa's Apartheid regime built up, the series was canceled at short notice by the English Cricket Council in what seemed to be a unilateral decision or boycott. The decision was reportedly taken upon request from the then Home Secretary James Callaghan. To replace the event, arrangements were made for England to play five 'Tests' against the Rest of the World team of top international cricket stars, led by West Indies' Garry Sobers, as per ESPN.

9. 1964 AFL All-Star Game

Representational Image of Len Dawson #16 of the Kansas City Chiefs passing against the Buffalo Bills in the 1966 season AFL Championship Game | Getty Images | Photo by Herb Scharfman

The boycott of the 1964 All-Star Game came just six months after US President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As the American Football League was set to play its All-Star Game at the Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, several black players were refused service by several New Orleans hotels and businesses. This led to the black and white players lobbying for a boycott which led to the abandoning of the games.

10. 2005 Formula One US Grand Prix

Six cars line up for the start of the United States F1 Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Getty Images | Photo by Vladimir Rys

The Formula One Grand Prix at Indianapolis in 2005 was abandoned by several teams due to a technical issue. Toyota’s driver Ralf Schumacher suffered a massive injury during Friday’s practice session which was reportedly caused by a rear-left tire failure. At the time, the company Michelin, which provided tires for seven of the 10 teams on the grid, stated that their tires were not safe to use for the race. Following this, 14 cars drove back to the pits after the formation lap on race day abandoning the race. Only the remaining six cars serviced by Bridgestone continued to race.