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NEW YORK, May 8
-- Stories of American athletes denied the opportunity to compete in the 1980
Olympic Games in Moscow – due to geopolitical circumstances surrounding the
Jimmy Carter-led United States boycott of the Games – are featured in the book
Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, launched today –
three months to the day until the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic
Summer Games in Beijing,
China.
Written by identical twins Tom Caraccioli
and Jerry Caraccioli, Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic
Games ($25.95, New Chapter Press) chronicles the stories of 18 elite
American athletes who trained thousands of hours for their once-in-a-lifetime
chance at Olympic glory in Moscow only to become pawns in a political Cold War
chess match between superpowers. The book also outlines the Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan that led to the boycott, efforts by a group of athletes to overturn
the boycott by legal means, and the entire 1980 team eventually receiving the
Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award which is bestowed by the
United States Congress. More information on the book can be found at
www.boycottbook.com <http://www.boycottbook.com/>
.
Vice President Walter F. Mondale, who spoke on behalf of
the boycott prior to the USOC’s April 12, 1980 vote to officially boycott the
Games, wrote the Foreword for the book. Mondale apologizes to all the athletes
who were denied the opportunity to compete calling them, “warriors in our
country’s defense of freedom.”
Wrote Mondale, “Of course, the Soviet Union system later
spectacularly collapsed, disappearing forever from the world scene. I believe
that our young athletes, who sacrificed so much, deserve great credit for their
part in denying respectability to such an odious regime.”
Boycott is published by New Chapter Press – also
the publisher of The Roger Federer Story, Quest for Perfection by Rene
Stauffer and The Bud Collins History of Tennis by Bud Collins.
Athletes featured in the book are:
Don Paige (Athletics) Philadelphia,
Pa.
Glenn Mills (Swimming) Ridgeville, Ohio
Gwen Gardner (Athletics) Los
Angeles, Calif
Gene Mills (Wrestling) Pompton Lakes, N.J.
Craig Beardsley
(Swimming) New York, N.Y.
Sue Walsh (Swimming) Hamburg, N.Y.
Bill Hanzlik
(Basketball) Beloit, Wisc.,
Amy Koopman (Gymnastics) Arlington Heights,
Ill.
Isiah Thomas (Basketball) Chicago, Ill.
Carol Blazejowski
(Basketball) Fairview, N.J.
Luci Collins (Gymnastics) Englewood,
Calif.
David Kimes (Shooting) Monterey Park, Calif.
Brian Gust (Wrestling)
Lakeville, Minn.
Lisa Buese (Swimming) Louisville, Ky.
Linda Cornelius
Waltman (Athletics) Ft. Worth, Tx
Thomas Schuler (Cycling) Birmingham,
Mich.
Ron Galimore (Gymnastics) Ames, Iowa
Debbie Landreth (Volleyball) El
Segundo, Calif.
Boycott is the second book written by the
Caraccioli brothers – identical twins raised in
Oswego, N.Y. In 2006, they wrote Striking Silver: The Untold Story of
America’s Forgotten Hockey Team about the 1972 U.S. Olympic hockey team. Tom
Caraccioli resides in Philadelphia, Pa., while Jerry Caraccioli lives in New
York City.
Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press
(www.newchapterpressmedia.com <http://www.newchapterpressmedia.com/>
) is an independent publisher of books and part of the Independent Publishers
Group.
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