The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad and officially branded as Moscow 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russia. The games were the first to be staged in an Eastern Bloc country, as well as the first Olympic Games and only Summer Olympics to be held in a Slavic language-speaking country. They were also the only Summer Olympic Games to be held in a self-proclaimed communist country until the 2008 Summer Olympics held in China. These were the final Olympic Games under the IOC Presidency of Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin before he was succeeded by Juan Antonio Samaranch, a Spaniard, shortly afterward.
Robert Blyth Tait is a New Zealand equestrian. Tait has competed at four Olympics and has won four medals, one of only six New Zealanders to do so.
Leslie LawMBE is a British eventer, who won the individual gold medal in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. He started riding at age 10, competing with his brother, and participated in his first accredited event in 1982. He attended Lady Hawkins' School, where his passion for riding developed further. By 1989, he was a widely respected competitor, and that year placed 8th at the Badminton Horse Trials. After a period of consolidation, by the late 1990s he was counted amongst the sport's elite, placing in the top ten at Badminton, Burghley and the British Championship on a number of occasions.
Ian Gordon Ferguson is New Zealand's second most successful Olympian. He won four Olympic gold medals competing in K1, K2, and K4 kayak events, and attended five Summer Olympics between 1976 and 1992. He also won two canoe sprint world championship titles.
Gregory Alan Best is an equestrian competitor and coach in the sport of show jumping who won two silver medals for the United States in the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea riding the famous Gem Twist. In 1992, Best suffered a fall that shattered his shoulder. After this, he moved to New Zealand, where he rode for the New Zealand League, winning the World Cup Series. He has also served as a New Zealand National Show Jumping Selector, a National Show Jumping Coach and a member of the New Zealand Show Jumping High Performance Committee. Best coached New Zealand's jumpers for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens. Between 1987 and 2003, Best also garnered 6 FEI World Cup wins. He now conducts coaching clinics in the United States, Canada and New Zealand. Along with Gem Twist, horses named Santos and Entrepreneur have been among his champion mounts.
Claës Henrik Magnus König was a Swedish nobleman, officer, Crown Equerry (1935–1946) and horse rider, who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics and in the 1924 Summer Olympics.
Frank Sherman Henry was an American equestrian. He competed at the 1948 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal in team eventing and silver medals in individual eventing and team dressage, becoming the only American equestrian to win three medals at one Olympics.
Victoria Latta, known as Vicky or Vicki, is a New Zealand horsewoman who won two medals at the Olympic Games.
Ingrid Klimke is a German eventing rider. She appeared at five Olympics from 2000 to 2016. With her horse Abraxxas, she won two gold medals in team eventing at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she won a team silver with Hale-Bob.
Frank Ostholt is a German eventing rider. With his horse Mr. Medicott, he won a gold medal in team eventing at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He is married to Swedish equestrian Sara Algotsson Ostholt.
Ivan Kizimov was a Soviet and Russian equestrian and Olympic champion. He was born in Novocherkassk. He won an individual gold medal in dressage at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, and a gold medal in team dressage at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. He won a bronze medal in individual dressage at the 1970 Dressage World Championship, and team medals in 1966 (bronze), 1970 (gold) and 1974 (silver). He also won eight medals in total at the European Dressage Championships, five silver and three bronze medals.
Reuben "Ben" Jones was a British Olympic equestrian rider who competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.
Thomas Franklin Gayford is a Canadian retired equestrian. He was educated at the University of Toronto Schools. He competed at the 1952 and 1960 Olympics in the individual and team three-day events, but failed to finish. At the 1968 Olympics he won a gold medal in show jumping with the Canadian team.
Mauro Checcoli is an Italian equestrian and Olympic champion from Bologna. He won an individual gold medal in eventing at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He was also a member of the Italian team that received a gold medal in team eventing at the same Olympics.
John Michael Plumb is an American equestrian and Olympic champion who competes in the sport of three-day eventing. He holds the title of the US Olympic competitor who has competed in the greatest number of Olympics, winning two team gold medals, three team silvers and one individual silver.
Gustav Fischer was a Swiss equestrian athlete who competed at five Summer Olympic Games, winning a total of five medals. He won medals in the team dressage events in the 1952, 1956, 1964, and 1968 games; there was no team dressage event held in 1960, but he won an individual dressage medal in that year.
Michael Jung is a German equestrian who competes in eventing and show jumping. A four-time Olympic gold medallist, he won individual and team gold at the 2012 London Olympics, followed by individual gold and team silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and the individual gold for the third time at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He was inducted into the Eventing Rider Association Hall of Fame in 2013, and in 2016 he became only the second rider in history to win the Grand Slam of Eventing.
Otto Rothe was a German equestrian. He was born in Samonienen in East Prussia. He competed in equestrian at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, where he won a silver medal in the team eventing, and placed eleventh in the individual contest. He competed in equestrian at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, where he won a silver medal in the team competition in eventing. Rothe died in a car accident in 1970.
Klaus Wagner was a German equestrian. He competed in equestrian at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, where he won a silver medal in the team eventing, and placed fifth in the individual contest. He competed in equestrian at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, where he won a silver medal in the team competition in eventing.
Clarke Johnstone is a New Zealand equestrian, competing in eventing.
