# Canonical recap data for 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul (1988)
# Source: https://recap.at/1988/1988-olympics-seoul
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: 1988-olympics-seoul
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1988/1988-olympics-seoul"
title: 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul
aliases:
- Seoul 1988
- Games of the XXIV Olympiad
- 1988 Summer Games
subtitle: Seoul's first Asian Olympics outside Japan showcased South Korea's transformation while tensions between North Korea and its allies created Cold War friction at the Games.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1988-09-17
endDate: 1988-10-02
datePrecision: day
year: 1988
decade: 1980
country:
name: South Korea
slug: south-korea
summaryShort: The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad and officially branded as Seoul 1988, were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represented at the games by a total of 8,391 athletes. 237 events were held and 27,221 volunt
summaryLong: The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad and officially branded as Seoul 1988, were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represented at the games by a total of 8,391 athletes. 237 events were held and 27,221 volunteers helped to prepare the Olympics.
lede: Seoul hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics from September 17 to October 2, drawing 159 nations and 8,391 athletes to compete in 237 events. The Games marked a significant moment for South Korea—a chance to showcase its emergence as a modern industrial power to the world, and a symbolic step toward normalizing its place in global affairs after decades of division and conflict.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/1988_Summer_Olympics_%28Seoul%29_boycotting_countries_%28blue%29.png/1280px-1988_Summer_Olympics_%28Seoul%29_boycotting_countries_%28blue%29.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "1988 Summer Olympics boycott"
importance: 86
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Dates
  value: September 17 – October 2, 1988
- label: Nations represented
  value: "159"
- label: Athletes
  value: 8,391
- label: Events held
  value: "237"
- label: Volunteers
  value: 27,221
- label: Olympic Stadium capacity
  value: 100,000
- label: Host city
  value: Seoul, South Korea
- label: Olympiad number
  value: XXIV (24th)
timeline:
- date: 1981-09-30
  title: Seoul selected as host
  description: The International Olympic Committee awards the 1988 Summer Olympics to Seoul over competing bids.
- date: 1986-06-01
  title: Olympic Stadium opens
  description: The primary venue for opening and closing ceremonies, built to accommodate 100,000 spectators, completes construction.
- date: 1988-09-17
  title: Opening ceremony
  description: South Korean president Roh Tae-woo officially opens the Games before a global television audience.
- date: 1988-09-24
  title: Ben Johnson stripped of 100m gold
  description: Canadian sprinter tests positive for stanozolol, losing his world-record-setting 100-meter title—a doping scandal that reverberates through the Games.
- date: 1988-09-28
  title: Flo-Jo breaks 200m record
  description: American Florence Griffith-Joyner sets an Olympic and world record of 21.34 seconds in the women's 200-meter final.
- date: 1988-10-02
  title: Closing ceremony
  description: The Games conclude after 16 days of competition, marking the end of Cold War-era Olympic division.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Summer_Olympics"
  title: 1988 Summer Olympics
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Seoul 1988 served as a coming-out party for South Korea's economic and political transformation. The investment in Olympic infrastructure accelerated the country's development, while the international spotlight created diplomatic leverage during a period of Cold War thaw—the first Olympics where the Soviet Union and most Eastern Bloc nations competed alongside the United States since 1976.
categories:
- sports
- festival
metaDescription: "1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul: 8,391 athletes from 159 nations competed in 237 events, September–October 1988."
wikidataQid: Q8470
taxonomy:
domain: sports
eventTypes:
- tournament
canonicalClasses:
- competition
- celebration
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: single_domain
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: new-york-times
  headline: Seoul Olympics Open With Ceremony Celebrating Korean Pride
  publishedAt: 1988-09-18
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: The 1988 Summer Olympics officially opened in Seoul with a spectacular ceremony featuring 10,000 performers, marking South Korea's emergence as a modern industrial power and the first Olympics held in a non-communist Asian nation since 1964.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: BBC
  publisherSlug: bbc
  headline: "Seoul 1988: Cold War Athletes Compete as Global Tensions Ease"
  publishedAt: 1988-09-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - With the Soviet Union and East Germany both competing in Seoul after boycotting Los Angeles in 1984, these Games symbolize a thawing Cold War and renewed Olympic unity following years of geopolitical division.
  significance: 85
  type: tv
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Asahi Shimbun
  publisherSlug: asahi-shimbun
  headline: ソウルオリンピック開幕、アジアの栄光を世界に示す
  publishedAt: 1988-09-18
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: "JP: 'ソウルオリンピック開幕、アジアの栄光を世界に示す' / EN: 'Seoul Olympics Begin, Displaying Asian Glory to the World' - Japan's leading daily covered Seoul's ambitious hosting as a watershed moment for the region's athletic and technological prowess."
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: Japan
- publisher: Der Spiegel
  publisherSlug: der-spiegel
  headline: "Olympia in Seoul: Geteilte Nationen, vereinte Athleten"
  publishedAt: 1988-09-25
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: "DE: 'Olympia in Seoul: Geteilte Nationen, vereinte Athleten' / EN: 'Olympics in Seoul: Divided Nations, United Athletes' - The German newsmagazine examined how 159 nations converged in South Korea despite lingering Cold War divisions and the absence of several communist-aligned boycotts."
  significance: 82
  type: magazine
  region: West Germany
- publisher: The Sydney Morning Herald
  publisherSlug: sydney-morning-herald
  headline: Ben Johnson's World Record Stuns 400m Final as Seoul Delivers Sporting Drama
  publishedAt: 1988-09-25
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson set a new Olympic record with a stunning 9.79-second 100m victory, immediately becoming the defining narrative of Seoul 1988 and cementing the Games' place in Olympic legend.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: Australia
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260514085612/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Summer_Olympics"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-14
  label: 1988 Summer Olympics
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Summer_Olympics"
