The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad and dubbed Seoul 1988, was an international multi-sport event held in Seoul, South Korea from September 17 to October 2, 1988. A total of 8,391 athletes from 159 countries competed in the games (6,197 men and 2,194 women). There were 237 events held, and 27,221 people assisted in the preparation of the Olympics.
The 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul were the second in Asia, the first in South Korea, and the first in a developing country. South Korea finished fourth overall, with 12 gold medals and 33 medals in the competition as the host country. The Games were televised by 11,331 media outlets (4,978 written press and 6,353 broadcasters) all around the world.
The Soviet Union and East Germany both ceased to exist before the next Olympic Games in 1992, making these the last Olympic Games of the Cold War. With 55 gold medals and 132 total medals, the Soviet Union topped the medal count. China’s 48 gold medals in 2008 and the United States’ 121 total medals in 2016 were the outcomes that came closest to that medal haul.
The 1988 Olympics were a landmark event for South Korea, enhancing its international image while also contributing to national pride. The Olympics were successfully conducted only 35 years after the devastating Korean War, and during a decade of societal turmoil in South Korea, and became the conclusion of what was dubbed the ‘Miracle on the Han River.”
According to The Oxford Olympics Study, data on the cost of the Seoul 1988 Summer Olympics is not accessible. Summer Games have cost an average of US$5.2 billion since 1960, according to available data.
Seoul was chosen ahead of Nagoya, Japan, to host the Summer Games in a vote held on September 30, 1981. Seoul’s selection was viewed as unexpected on a global scale. The vote count from the 84th IOC Session and 11th Olympic Congress in Baden-Baden, West Germany, is shown below.
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