Sporting Witness - The pole-vaulter who insulted the Soviet Union

The pole-vaulter who insulted the Soviet Union

Download The pole-vaulter who insulted the Soviet Union

At the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, the Polish pole-vaulter Władysław Kozakiewicz caused uproar by beating his Soviet rival to win the gold medal with a world-record jump. After being booed by the crowd throughout the event, Kozakiewicz sparked a diplomatic incident by making an obscene gesture to the stadium. An unrepentant Kozakiewicz talks to Robert Nicholson.

(Photo: Władysław Kozakiewicz. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)


Published on Thursday, 5th September 2019.

Available Podcasts from Sporting Witness

Subscribe to Sporting Witness

We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the Sporting Witness webpage.