Sailing in an Occupied Country: Protests by Estonian Emigrants Against the 1980 Tallinn Olympic Regatta

The sailing regatta for the Olympic games of 1980 was organized at the Pirita Sailing Centre in Tallinn. It is generally assumed that emigrant Estonians opposed the event. By December 1979, attempts to boycott the Moscow Olympics had faded. However, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan again opened the question. Eventually a large number of Western countries stayed home and many others did not participate in the sailing regatta. The situation was discussed again in the Estonian emigrant press but the focus of the general discussion was on Afghanistan and the Baltic question remained in its shadow. Besides writing memorandums to state officials and the International Olympic Committee, Estonian emigrants organized public demonstrations and sports festivals to support their cause. Although general interest in the Baltic question increased due to the Olympic sailing contests, the interest diminished soon after the games.