Goodwill Games

In 1990, the Goodwill Games coupled outstanding athletic performances with cultural and business initiatives that further established their reputation as a world-class event. More than 2,300 of the world's best athletes from 54 countries converged on Seattle to compete in 21 sports. To accommodate the breadth of the sports program, some sports were held in the neighboring cities of Tacoma, Spokane and the Tri-Cities area (Richland, Pasco and Kennewick).

The 1990 Games not only brought together the world's best athletes, but art festivals, conferences and friendship initiatives also brought people from more than 50 countries together. More than 1,400 Soviet citizens traveled to Seattle and stayed with local families.

Thousands shared perspectives and expectations at the Friendship Center. An audience of more than 482 million TV households brought people together from around the globe. In conjunction with the Games, 11 separate conferences were held in Seattle on topics ranging from business to energy conservation. The Goodwill Games Arts Festival featured more than 1,300 artists from 24 nations, with special emphasis on the Soviet Union. The Festival included the Bolshoi Ballet, the many-faceted Soviet museum exhibit Moscow: Treasures and Traditions and an all-new, multi-million dollar production of War and Peace, presented by the Seattle Opera.

Worldwide attention focused on the Games' competition as 81 countries televised the Games, and more than 1,100 journalists from nearly 30 countries covered the event. TBS' cable-exclusive telecast reached more than 45 million homes in the United States. A number of memorable athletic moments occurred during the 17 days:

Three men broke the world record in the same 200m breaststroke race-the USA's Mike Barrowman got the record and the gold medal with a time of 2:11.53 while the USA's Kirk Stackle and Spain's Sergio Lopez tied for second at 2:12.24, also under the old mark.
Three countries-Italy (men's volleyball), Yugoslavia (men's basketball) and Cuba (baseball)-won gold medals at the 1990 Goodwill Games and went on to win their respective world championships later that year.
Surinam's Anthony Nesty validated his 1988 Olympic gold medal by outswimming the USA's Matt Biondi in the 100m butterfly race.
In the 100m sprint, USA's Leroy Burrell edged past teammate Carl Lewis to win the gold medal before a crowd of 30,000.
China's 11-year-old Fu Mingxia showed the world a glimpse of diving's future when she claimed the 10m platform gold for her first major international title.
In the women's individual all-around, Soviet gymnast Natalya Kalinina scored a surprise upset over favored teammate Svetlana Boginskaya.
The USA's Kristi Yamaguchi won her first major international figure-skating title, defeating teammate and world champion Jill Trenary in the process.
Soviet Nadezhda Ryashkina established a world mark of 41:56.21 in the women's 10 km race walk.
The Soviet Union made its international debut in the sport of baseball.