thank you sarajevo

🎧Audio version

After twelve unforgettable days of sport and friendship, the XIV Winter Olympic Games concluded not with a sad goodbye, but with a joyful celebration of peace and unity. The world left Sarajevo enchanted, not just by the thrilling competitions, but by the incredible warmth of its people. The closing ceremony was a final, heartfelt thank you, and the world's response was clear: "Thank you, dear Sarajevo."

A Farewell in Zetra

On the evening of February 19, 1984, the Zetra Olympic Hall filled with 8,500 people for the Closing Ceremony. It was an intimate, spontaneous affair. Following a parade of athletes from a record 49 nations, the anthems of Greece, Yugoslavia, and Canada—the next host—were played. IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch officially closed the Games. As eight cadets carried the Olympic flag from the hall, the flame that had burned brightly over the city was extinguished. The ceremony ended not with solemnity, but with a joyful vision of the future. A children's skating ensemble danced to the song "It was beautiful in Sarajevo - see you in Calgary," as Sarajevo’s mascot Vučko shared the ice with Calgary's polar bear mascot.

“The Best Organized Games in History”

The praise for Sarajevo was immediate and overwhelming. In his closing speech, IOC President Samaranch famously declared, “The Fourteenth Olympic Winter Games in Sarajevo have been the best Olympic Games in history!” He awarded the gold Olympic Order to Organizing Committee President Branko Mikulić. The international press was unanimous. The American news agency UPI called the Games "beyond question... the best organized and most smoothly run," while France's L'Equipe labeled them "an organizational feat." Journalists praised everything from flawless transport to the state-of-the-art results system. To a global audience of over two billion, Sarajevo proved it could host a world-class event with grace and precision.

The Golden Medal for Hospitality

Beyond flawless logistics, what truly defined the Sarajevo Games was the unparalleled warmth of its people. Visitors were delighted by a hospitality that felt genuine and boundless. They shared stories of waiters refusing tips, shopkeepers in Baščaršija toasting customers with šljivovica (plum brandy), and taxi drivers offering friendly cigarettes. One West German journalist, Horst Feten, was so moved that he wrote if he were giving out medals, he would need 20,000 of them—for the everyday bus drivers, sanitation workers, and telephone operators for performing their duties with "maximum kindness and efficiency." It was this spirit that captured the world's heart, proving the people of Sarajevo had earned a gold medal of their own.

A Legacy in Numbers

The Sarajevo Games set new benchmarks for the Winter Olympics. A record 1,272 athletes from 49 nations competed. They were covered by nearly 7,000 media members, who sent the story to a global audience. In total, 222 medals were awarded. The Games also attracted an array of distinguished guests, including King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, King Olaf V of Norway, and Britain's Princess Anne. The Games were a resounding success, creating a legacy of friendship and a welcome the world would never forget.