Reinventing the Olympics: Lessons from 1984 for Paris

In the early 1980s, the Olympic Games were on the verge of dying out. After a string of disasters, the Games had become unaffordable, politically fraught, and faced serious security concerns. Then came the spectacular 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles that reinvented the way the Olympics were run.

Guest host Ted Muldoon sits down with Les Carpenter, who covers the Olympics for The Post. They break down what changed in the 1984 Games and explore if 2024 could be another turning point.

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski. Thanks to Matt Rennie. 

Audio of the 1984 Olympic events courtesy of the ABC Sports Collection, managed by ESPN. Additional audio courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, RunnerSpace.com and Rocky Mountain PBS.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.