Olympics: Colliding Myths After a Dozen Years

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In both nations, it is just as easy to find examples to debunk the stereotypes as to justify them. As for the fundamental question posed by U.S. fans -- Why do the Soviets generally perform better? -- there are some logical answers. For one thing, the Olympics are the centerpiece of Soviet athletic life and are regarded as a vital means of demonstrating Communism's moral superiority. After the triumph over the U.S. in Montreal, for example, some 347 athletes, coaches and officials were honored with such prestigious decorations as the Order of Lenin. By contrast, sporting life in the U.S. centers on professional teams, and the rewards are commensurate: Edwin Moses, the greatest hurdler who ever lived, earns through fees and endorsements about $500,000 a year, roughly the wage of a journeyman major-league baseball player. Football drains away sprinters to become pass catchers and weight throwers to play as linemen or on defense: six days after he won the 1984 Olympic silver medal in the shot put, Michael Carter was a nose tackle appearing in his first exhibition game for the San Francisco 49ers. For swimmers, divers, gymnasts and many others, there is effectively no professional life to follow except in coaching or, for an elite, in endorsements and sportscasting.

Two subtler factors also figure in. First, as a more centralized society, the Soviet Union seems to be better set up to disseminate the latest sports research and take advantage of the results nationwide. Second, Soviet schools place great emphasis on physical fitness, whereas U.S. physicians generally oppose intensive fitness programs for the very young.

Ultimately, however, the Soviets win more Olympic medals because they want them more -- or rather, their nation does. American athletes do not lack heart or soul. Too often, they lack training time and money. The Soviet system is more extensive, more orderly and more pragmatic: if an event, however obscure, is in the Olympics, the Soviets want to compete at the highest level.

Shot-Putter Lisovskaya, a prime example of the Soviet approach, began her programmed life at a "sports-oriented" school in her native Tashkent at age seven. She was spotted as a potential champion at 14. Coach Faina Melnik saw her during a scouting trip and persuaded her to move to Moscow as soon as she finished high school. A discus thrower at the time, she tried the shot at Melnik's suggestion and soon switched, a daring decision for an athlete already in her late teens. Within four years, helped by careful coaching and a training regimen of up to six hours a day for six days a week, she became the world's best. Officials made sure she and other superstars would get to Seoul. Although Soviet track trials allow hopefuls to prove themselves during five meets (vs. just one for aspirants in the U.S.), places were guaranteed in advance to some 20 top performers, including Lisovskaya. Nominally a fourth- year student in the school program that she entered eight years ago, Lisovskaya, 26, receives $670 a month and has her own apartment in crowded Moscow, something most young married couples cannot expect. She says she attends class "when I'm free," meaning not often, and has few worries about completing courses or finding a job.