At the

1986 Goodwill Games The 1986 Goodwill Games was the inaugural edition of the international multi-sport event created by Ted Turner, which was held from 5 – 20 July 1986. The main stadium was the Central Lenin Stadium in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. The Ga ...

, the athletics competition was held in July 1986 at the

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. A total of 42 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 19 by female athletes. In contrast to other major athletics competitions, the Goodwill Games operated an invitational policy, which meant that there were no qualifying stage of the events and the contests operated on a single or double final format. The inaugural athletics competition brought two new

world records A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

: Sergey Bubka cleared 6.01 m for a new

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ...

record and Jackie Joyner improved the women's

heptathlon A heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek επτά (hepta, meaning "seven") and ἄθλος (áthlos, or ἄθλον, áthlon, meaning "competition"). A competitor in a hept ...

record to 7148 points.1986, The Inaugural Games
.

Goodwill Games The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s. In 1979, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the United States and other W ...

. Retrieved on 2010-06-28. In the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

races, Ben Johnson gained his first international victory over

Carl Lewis Frederick Carlton Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is an American former track and field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and 10 World Championships medals, including eight gold. His career spanned from 1979 to 199 ...

while Evelyn Ashford pipped Heike Drechsler to the gold in the women's race. The Soviet Union dominated the medal table, winning 50% more medals than the United States.

Records

Medal summary

Men

Women

Medal table

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1988-0625-021, Petra Felke

References

;Results
Goodwill Games
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-06-24.

. Retrieved on 2010-06-24.

External links

Official website
{{Goodwill Games Athletics 1986 Goodwill Games 1986

International athletics competitions hosted by the Soviet Union