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For two weeks in February 1984, Sarajevo became the center of the winter sports world, hosting the first Winter Olympics in a socialist, non-aligned state. Despite heavy snowstorms and initial international skepticism, the city delivered a festival of sport and hospitality that Juan Antonio Samaranch later declared the "best Games" to date.

Timeline at a glance

• 6 February: The Olympic flame arrives in Sarajevo after touring Yugoslavia.
• 8 February: The Opening Ceremony takes place at Koševo Stadium.
• 9 February: Heavy snowstorms begin, forcing the postponement of the men's downhill.
• 14 February: Torvill and Dean score twelve perfect 6.0s for their "Bolero" ice dance.
• 16 February: Bill Johnson wins the men's downhill; Jure Franko wins Yugoslavia's first Winter Olympic medal (silver).
• 19 February: The Closing Ceremony is held at Zetra Hall.

The Final Countdown: Arrival of the Flame and the World

By the first week of February, the "Olympic smile" had taken over Sarajevo. The city, previously known to many outsiders only for the 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, transformed into a global stage. The Olympic flame arrived on 6 February, carried by runners who had traversed Yugoslavia in two separate routes, East and West. These branches merged at the Vraca Memorial Park before the torch was carried to the Skenderija plateau, where former Olympian Ajdin Pašović lit a ceremonial cauldron on the eve of the Games.

As the flame traveled through the city, delegations from 49 National Olympic Committees descended on the capital. By noon on 5 February, over 1,800 athletes and 3,500 journalists had registered. The atmosphere was electric and intensely hospitable. Taxi drivers reportedly offered cigarettes to passengers, and one driver refused payment from the American columnist Joe Falls, shaking his hand instead. Local shops extended their hours, and the symbol of the Games, a stylized snowflake designed by Miroslav Antonić, appeared on flags and storefronts across the city.

High-profile guests added to the glamour. The Hollywood actor Kirk Douglas arrived to stay at a private residence in Ilidža, while the American socialite Marylou Whitney hosted a lavish reception at the Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Behind the scenes, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) held its 87th session at the Holiday Inn. Unlike the chaotic preparations for Lake Placid in 1980, Sarajevo was ready. IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch expressed full confidence in the organizers, noting that all venues were complete. The only initial concern was the weather; early February brought unseasonably warm "pre-spring" temperatures, but on the opening night, the snow finally began to fall.

February 8: The Opening Ceremony at Koševo

On Wednesday, 8 February, the eyes of the world turned to Koševo Stadium. In front of approximately 50,000 spectators and an estimated global television audience of two billion, the 14th Winter Olympic Games began with a celebration of youth and diversity. The ceremony marked the first time the Winter Games were held in a socialist country, a significance underscored by the presence of 49 National Olympic Committees, a record at the time.

The Parade of Nations proceeded according to the Serbo-Croatian alphabet. This created a unique diplomatic moment where the United States marched into the stadium before the Soviet Union, placing the two Cold War superpowers in close proximity during the procession. The host nation, Yugoslavia, entered last to thunderous applause.

Key moments of the ceremony included:

• Official Opening: Mika Špiljak, President of the Presidency of the SFRY, declared the Games open after speeches by Organizing Committee President Branko Mikulić and IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch.
• The Oath: Yugoslav skier Bojan Križaj took the Olympic oath on behalf of all athletes, while Dr. Miodrag Perović took the oath for the judges.
• The Flame: The climax of the event saw figure skater Sanda Dubravčić run up the steps of a specially constructed 18-meter pyramid to light the Olympic cauldron. Oslobođenje reported that the flame, "ignited by the sun's rays on Greek soil," had finally found its home.
• Artistic Program: Hundreds of youths performed a stylized "March of the Continents" and formed the shape of the Olympic snowflake in the center of the pitch.

The ceremony concluded with the raising of the Olympic flag and the transfer of the ceremonial flag from the mayor of Lake Placid to Uglješa Uzelac, the mayor of Sarajevo. As colorful smoke filled the sky, the "Olympic smile" (the local term for the city's welcoming atmosphere) was beamed across the world.

Life in the Olympic City: Atmosphere and Logistics

Throughout February, Sarajevo functioned as a "world in miniature." The spirit of the Games extended far beyond the sports venues, permeating the city's streets, restaurants, and homes. Locals embraced the "Olympic smile," a term that came to symbolize the genuine warmth and hospitality offered to visitors. The newspaper Oslobođenje reported numerous instances of kindness, such as taxi drivers refusing payment from guests or citizens offering their seats on buses to foreigners.

The Olympic Village in the Mojmilo district housed nearly 2,000 athletes and officials in a relaxed, open atmosphere. Unlike the prison-like dormitories of Lake Placid four years earlier, Mojmilo was praised for its comfort and social vibrancy. The main restaurant was a logistical marvel, serving up to three tons of food for breakfast alone. The kitchen staff, supported by advisors from the American company ARA, prepared diverse menus to suit international tastes, though the Italian team famously brought their own chefs and pasta to ensure their meals were just right.

Celebrity sightings added to the city's festive mood. Hollywood star Kirk Douglas was a regular presence, dining at local restaurants (and famously being overcharged once, an incident quickly rectified by embarrassed officials). Royalty also attended, including King Olav V of Norway, King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden, and Princess Anne of Great Britain, who cheered from the stands.

Culturally, the city was alive. Museums and galleries hosted special exhibitions, such as "Art and Sport" and a showcase of Yugoslav visual arts. The National Theatre performed opera and ballet, including Ero the Joker, while the "Zagreb for the Olympics" program brought performers from the Croatian capital to entertain guests. Even the logistics were a point of pride; the new "yellow" Holiday Inn served as the headquarters for the IOC, and a fleet of Mitsubishi vehicles ensured officials could navigate the snowy terrain.

Battling the Elements: The Snowstorm and Schedule Changes

Just hours after the opening ceremony, the weather (which had been unseasonably warm) turned drastic. A massive low-pressure system moved in, dumping nearly a meter of snow on the mountains and bringing hurricane-force winds. The men's downhill on Mount Bjelašnica, the Games’ premier alpine event scheduled for 9 February, was postponed.

The winds on the peaks reached speeds of up to 160 km/h (100 mph), ripping up ski lifts and burying course markers. On Mount Jahorina, the site of the women's events, the situation was equally dire, with reports of minor avalanches near the course. The international press, initially charmed by the city, began to grow restless. One Norwegian newspaper ran the headline "Sorry-evo," predicting a logistical collapse.

The organizers responded with manpower. The Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) mobilized hundreds of soldiers to boot-pack the slopes, physically stomping the snow to create a firm surface for racing. They worked alongside thousands of volunteers, often through the night, to clear the tracks. By the second week, the weather cleared, and the schedule was compressed successfully. What threatened to be a disaster turned into a triumph of organization, allowing the competitions to proceed on pristine, albeit delayed, courses.

Triumphs on the Snow: Alpine and Nordic Highlights

Once the storms cleared, the mountains became the stage for historic breakthroughs. On 16 February, after days of delays and trash-talking, the brash American Bill Johnson made good on his promise to win the men's downhill. Dismissed by Austrian favorite Franz Klammer as a nasenbohrer (nose-picker/rookie), Johnson dominated the course on Mount Bjelašnica. He finished with a time of 1:45.59, becoming the first American man to win Olympic gold in alpine skiing's premier event.

Two days earlier, on 14 February, the host nation erupted in celebration. In the men's giant slalom, 21-year-old Slovene skier Jure Franko skied the race of his life. Sitting in fourth place after the first run, Franko attacked the second run to clinch the silver medal, Yugoslavia's first-ever Winter Olympic medal. The city exploded with joy, and handmade signs appeared across Sarajevo reading, "Volimo Jureka više od bureka" (We love Jurek more than burek), a playful nod to the region’s beloved meat pie.

The alpine competitions concluded on 19 February with a unique family drama. In the men's slalom, American twins Phil and Steve Mahre defied critics who claimed they were out of shape. Phil Mahre produced a blistering second run to take the gold, while his brother Steve took the silver, marking the first time brothers had finished first and second in an individual Olympic event. Moments after his victory, Phil learned his wife had given birth to a son back in the United States.

On the Nordic tracks of Mount Igman, a quiet Finn named Marja-Liisa Hämäläinen achieved perfection. She won all three individual cross-country distances (5km, 10km, and 20km) becoming the most successful athlete of the Games. Meanwhile, the ski jumps at Malo Polje witnessed a fierce duel between Finland’s Matti Nykänen and East Germany’s Jens Weissflog, who traded gold and silver medals on the 70-meter and 90-meter hills.

Artistry and Power on the Ice

While skiers battled the elements on the mountains, Zetra Hall witnessed performances that redefined winter sports history. On Valentine’s Day, 14 February, the British ice dancing duo Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean delivered the artistic masterpiece of the Games. Skating to Ravel’s Bolero, they circumvented the time-limit rules by starting their routine on their knees. Their hypnotic performance earned a standing ovation and an unprecedented row of perfect scores: twelve 6.0s in total, including straight 6.0s for artistic impression from all nine judges.

In the women's figure skating, a dramatic rivalry unfolded between the East German star Katarina Witt and the American world champion Rosalynn Sumners. Witt, skating to a gypsy theme, captivated the judges with her charisma and technical precision. Sumners, skiing conservatively in her long program to avoid mistakes, turned a planned triple jump into a double. That split-second hesitation likely cost her the title; she lost the gold to Witt by just one-tenth of a point. In the men’s competition, American Scott Hamilton relied on his compulsory figures lead and technical consistency to secure gold, despite placing second in the long program to Canada’s Brian Orser.

The ice hockey tournament saw the return of the Soviet "Red Machine." Stung by their "Miracle on Ice" loss to the United States in 1980, the Soviet team arrived in Sarajevo determined to reclaim dominance. Led by the legendary goaltender Vladislav Tretiak, they crushed their opposition, winning every game and outscoring opponents 48 to 5. They defeated Czechoslovakia 2-0 in the final game to take the gold. For the Americans, there was no miracle; the young team finished a disappointing seventh, failing to make the medal round.

Closing the Games: "Doviđenja, Drago Sarajevo"

On the evening of 19 February, the Olympic flame was extinguished inside Zetra Hall. The Closing Ceremony was an emotional farewell to an event that had defied expectations. Juan Antonio Samaranch, presiding over his first Olympics as IOC President, delivered the ultimate compliment to the organizers. He declared Sarajevo the "best organized Games in the history of the Winter Olympics," a phrase that would become a standard for future hosts but was born here in earnest.

In a poignant moment, Samaranch presented the golden Olympic Order to Branko Mikulić, the president of the Organizing Committee, recognizing his leadership in delivering the Games. The ceremony featured the traditional handover to the next host city, Calgary, with Frank King, head of the Canadian committee, looking on in what the press described as "wide-eyed" admiration of the Yugoslav effort.

As the flag was lowered, Samaranch spoke the words that would resonate for decades: "Doviđenja, drago Sarajevo" (Goodbye, dear Sarajevo). For twelve days, the city had been the center of the world, replacing its association with the assassination of 1914 with images of sport, peace, and the "Olympic smile." The Games were over, but the memories of a city united in celebration would linger long after the snow melted.