1988 Summer Olympics - wikipedia 1988 Summer Olympics `` Seoul 1988 '' redirects here. For the Summer Paralympics, see 1988 Summer Paralympics. Games of the XXIV Olympiad Host city Seoul, South Korea Motto Harmony and Progress ( Korean : 화합 과 전진, Hwahab gwa Jeonjin ) Nations participating 159 Athletes participating 8,391 ( 6,197 men, 2,194 women ) Events 237 in 23 sports Opening ceremony September 17 Closing ceremony October 2 Officially opened by President Roh Tae - woo Athlete 's Oath Hur Jae and Son Mi - Na Judge 's Oath Lee Hak - Rae Olympic Torch Chung Sunman, Kim Won - tak and Sohn Kee - chung Stadium Olympic Stadium Summer < Los Angeles 1984 Barcelona 1992 > Winter < Calgary 1988 Albertville 1992 > Part of a series on 1988 Summer Olympics Bid process ( bid details ) Development ( venues, torch relay ) Marketing ( mascot ) Broadcasters Opening ceremony ( flag bearers ) Chronological summary Medal table ( medallists ) Olympic records World records Controversies Closing ceremony ( flag bearers ) Paralympics IOC KOC SLOOC The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad ( Korean : 서울 하계 올림픽 ; -- 夏季 -- - ; Seoul Hagye Ollimpik ; ( sʌ. ul ha. ɡje ol. lim. phik̚ ) ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. Seoul is the largest city to host the Summer Olympics, a title soon to be turned over to Tokyo in 2020. In the Seoul Games, 159 nations were represented by a total of 8,391 athletes : 6,197 men and 2,194 women. 263 events were held and 27,221 volunteers helped to prepare the Olympics. 11,331 media ( 4,978 written press and 6,353 broadcasters ) showed the Games all over the world. These were the last Olympic Games for two of the world 's `` dominating '' sport powers, the Soviet Union and East Germany, as both ceased to exist before the next Olympic Games. The games were boycotted by North Korea and its ally, Cuba. Ethiopia, Albania and the Seychelles did not respond to the invitations sent by the IOC. Nicaragua did not participate due to athletic and financial considerations. The participation of Madagascar had been expected, and their team was expected at the opening ceremony of 160 nations. However, the country withdrew because of financial reasons. Nonetheless, the much larger boycotts seen in the previous three Summer Olympics ( 1976, 1980 and 1984 ) were avoided, resulting in the largest ever number of participating nations during the Cold War era. Contents 1 Host city selection 2 Highlights 3 Significance of the 1988 Olympics in South Korea 4 1988 Summer Olympics boycott 5 Camps for homeless 6 Official theme song 7 Venues 8 Cost 9 Medals awarded 9.1 Demonstration sports 10 Calendar 11 Participating National Olympic Committees 12 Medal count 13 Mascot 14 Broadcast rights 15 See also 16 Notes 17 External links Host city selection Seoul was chosen to host the Summer Games through a vote held on 30 September 1981, finishing ahead of the Japanese city of Nagoya. Below was the vote count that occurred at the 84th IOC Session and 11th Olympic Congress in Baden - Baden, West Germany. 1988 Summer Olympics bidding result City Country Round 1 Seoul South Korea 52 Nagoya Japan 27 After the Olympics were awarded, Seoul also received the opportunity to stage the 10th Asian Games in 1986, using them to test its preparation for the Olympics. Highlights South Koreans stand by the cauldron of the 1988 Summer Olympics. Fireworks at the closing ceremonies of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul Soviet Vladimir Artemov won four gold medals in gymnastics. Daniela Silivaş of Romania won three and equalled compatriot Nadia Comăneci 's record of seven Perfect 10s in one Olympic Games. After having demolished the world record in the 100 m dash at the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, U.S. sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner set an Olympic record ( 10.62 ) in the 100 - metre dash and a still - standing world record ( 21.34 ) in the 200 - metre dash to capture gold medals in both events. To these medals, she added a gold in the 4 × 100 relay and a silver in the 4 × 400. Just after the Games, she announced her retirement. Canadian Ben Johnson won the 100 m final with a new world record, but was disqualified after he tested positive for stanozolol. Johnson has since claimed that his positive test was the result of sabotage. In the Women 's Artistic Gymnastics Team All - Around Competition, the U.S. women 's team was penalized with a deduction of five tenths of a point from their team score by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique ( FIG ) after the compulsory round due to their Olympic team alternate Rhonda Faehn appearing on the podium for the uneven bars during the duration of Kelly Garrison - Steve 's compulsory uneven bars routine, despite not competing, having been caught by the East German judge, Ellen Berger. The U.S. finishes in fourth place after the completion of the optional rounds with a combined score of 390.575, three tenths of a point behind the German Democratic Republic. This still remains controversial in the sport of gymnastics, as the U.S. performed better than the East German team and they would have taken the bronze medal in the team competition had they not been penalized or had an inquiry accepted to receive the points back. If they had medaled, it would have also been their first gymnastics medal in the team competition ( men or women ) and their first gymnastics medal overall on the women 's side in a fully attended Olympics ( disregarding the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics which were boycotted by the Soviet Union and East Germany ) had the controversy not been visited in the first place. Following the controversy involving the U.S. women 's team in artistic gymnastics, U.S. gymnast Phoebe Mills won an individual bronze medal on the balance beam, shared with Romania 's Gabriela Potorac, making history as the first medal ( team or individual ) ever won by an U.S. woman in artistic gymnastics at a fully attended games ( disregarding 1984 ). The USSR ( Soviet Union ) won their final team gold medals in artistic gymnastics on both the men 's and women 's sides with scores of 593.350 and 395.475 respectively. The men 's team was led by Vladimir Artemov, while Elena Shushunova lead the women 's team. Lawrence Lemieux, a Canadian sailor in the Finn class, was in second place and poised to win a silver medal when he abandoned the race to save an injured competitor. He arrived in 21st place, but was recognized by the IOC with the Pierre de Coubertin medal honoring his bravery and sacrifice. U.S. diver Greg Louganis won back - to - back titles on both diving events, but only after hitting the springboard with his head in the 3 m event final. This became a minor controversy years later when Louganis revealed he knew he was HIV - positive at the time, and did not tell anybody. Since HIV can not survive in open water, no other divers were ever in danger. Christa Luding - Rothenburger of East Germany became the first ( and only ) athlete to win Olympic medals at the Winter Olympics and Summer Olympics in the same year. She added a cycling silver to the speed skating gold she won earlier in the Winter Olympics of that year in Calgary. Anthony Nesty of Suriname won his country 's first Olympic medal by winning the 100 m butterfly, scoring an upset victory over Matt Biondi by. 01 of a second ( thwarting Biondi 's attempt of breaking Mark Spitz ' record seven golds in one Olympic event ) ; he was the first black person to win an individual swimming gold. Swimmer Kristin Otto of East Germany won six gold medals. Other multi-medalists in the pool were Matt Biondi ( five ) and Janet Evans ( three ). Swedish fencer Kerstin Palm became the first woman to take part in seven Olympics. Swimmer Mel Stewart of the U.S. was the most anticipated to win the men 's 200 m butterfly final but surprisingly, came in 5th. Mark Todd of New Zealand won his second consecutive individual gold medal in the three - day event in equestrian on Charisma, only the second time in eventing history that a gold medal has been won consecutively. Baseball and Taekwondo were demonstration sports. The opening ceremony featured a mass demonstration of taekwondo with hundreds of adults and children performing moves in unison. This was the last time the U.S. was represented by a basketball team that did not feature NBA players ; the team won the bronze medal after being defeated by the Soviet Union which went on to win the gold medal. For the first time in history, all the dressage events were won by women. Women 's judo was held for the first time, as a demonstration sport. Bowling was held as a demonstration sport, with Kwon Jong Yul of South Korea and Arianne Cerdeña from the Philippines winning the men 's and women 's gold medals, respectively. Table tennis was introduced at the Olympics, with China and South Korea both winning two titles. Tennis returned to the Olympics after a 64 - year absence, and Steffi Graf added to her four Grand Slam victories in the year by also winning the Olympic title, beating Sabatini in the final. Two Bulgarian weightlifters were stripped of their gold medals after failing doping tests, and the team withdrew after this event. Controversies occurred involving boxers including a gold medal being awarded to a Korean light - middleweight after having apparently been defeated by U.S. boxer Roy Jones, Jr and an assault on a New Zealander referee by South Korean officials after the referee cautioned a South Korean bantamweight. Soviet weightlifter Yury Zakharevich won the men 's heavyweight ( up to 110 kg class ) with a 210 kg snatch and 245 kg clean and jerk for a 455 kg total. Zakhareivich had dislocated his elbow in 1983 attempting a world record and had it rebuilt with synthetic tendons. Indonesia gained its first medal in Olympic history when the women 's team won a silver medal in archery. Live doves were released during the opening ceremony as a symbol of world peace, but a number of the doves were burned alive or suffered major trauma by the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. As a result of protests following the incident, the last time live doves were released at the opening ceremony was in 1992 in Barcelona, hours before the flame was lit. Balloon doves were released in 1994 at the Lillehammer Winter Games and paper doves were used at the Atlanta Ceremony in 1996. These were also the last Summer Olympic Games to hold the Opening Ceremony during the daytime. The opening ceremony featured a skydiving team descending over the stadium and forming the five - colored Olympic Rings, as well as a mass demonstration of taekwondo. Significance of the 1988 Olympics in South Korea This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( September 2013 ) The Seoul Olympic Stadium seen from Han River, Seoul. Hosting the 1988 Olympics presented an opportunity to bring international attention to South Korea. The idea for South Korea to place a bid for the 1988 Games emerged during the last days of the Park Chung - hee administration in the late 1970s. After President Park 's assassination in 1979, Chun Doo - hwan, his successor, submitted Korea 's bid to the IOC in September 1981, in hopes that the increased international exposure brought by the Olympics would legitimize his authoritarian regime amidst increasing political pressure for democratization, provide protection from increasing threats from North Korea, and showcase the Korean economic miracle to the world community. South Korea was awarded the bid on 30 September 1981, becoming the 20th nation ( 16th in the Summer Olympics ), the second Asian nation ( following Japan in the 1964 Summer Olympics ). In an attempt to follow the model of 1964 Tokyo Olympics as a rite of passage for the Japanese economy and re-integration of Japan in the family of nations in the post-war era, the South Korean government hoped to use the Olympics as a `` coming - out party '' for the newly industrialized Korean economy. The South Korean government hoped the Olympics would symbolize a new legitimacy of Korea in world affairs. The Olympics gave a powerful impetus to the development of South Korea 's relations with Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union and with China. In utilizing media events theory, Larson and Park investigated the 1988 Seoul Olympics as a form of political communication. They revealed the significance of South Korea 's military government throughout the period of the olympic bid and preparation, followed by the many advantages of the Seoul Olympics : rapid economic modernization, social mobilization, the legitimization of the military dictatorship, etc. 1988 Summer Olympics boycott This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( December 2010 ) Countries boycotting the 1988 Games are shaded blue In preparation for the 1988 Olympics, the International Olympic Committee worked to prevent another Olympic boycott by the Eastern Bloc as had happened at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. This was made more difficult by the lack of diplomatic relations between South Korea and socialist countries. This prompted action by the IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch, who was committed to the participation of these countries. Thus, at the Assembly of National Olympic Committees in Mexico City in November 1984, the `` Mexico Declaration '' ( 1 ) was adopted ; by it, the participants agreed to include the host of the Olympic Games in 1988. The agreement of the Soviet Union brought a pledge of equal participation. However, various socialist National Olympic Committees reacted with incomprehension. After the Los Angeles games, East Germany had already decided to participate again in Seoul. The IOC also decided that it would send invitations to the 1988 Games itself and did not leave this task to the organizing committee as had been done before. Despite these developments, behind the scenes, the IOC did consider relocating the Games and explored the suitability of Munich as an alternative. Another point of conflict was the involvement of North Korea in hosting the Games, something that had been encouraged by Cuban president Fidel Castro, who called for North Korea to be considered joint host of the Games. As a result, on 8 and 9 January 1986 in Lausanne, Switzerland, the IOC President chaired a meeting of the North and South Korean Olympic Committees. North Korea demanded that eleven of the 23 Olympic sports be carried out on its territory, and also demanded special opening and closing ceremonies. It wanted a joint organizing committee and a united team. The negotiations were continued into another meeting, but were not successful. The IOC did not meet the demands of North Korea and only about half of the desired sporting events were offered to the North. So the focus thereafter was solely on Seoul and South Korea. The games were boycotted by North Korea and its ally, Cuba. Ethiopia, Albania and the Seychelles did not respond to the invitations sent by the IOC. Nicaragua did not participate due to athletic and financial considerations. The participation of Madagascar had been expected, and their team was expected at the opening ceremony of 160 nations. However, the country withdrew because of financial reasons. Camps for homeless In the runup to the 1988 Olympics, the South Korean government ordered Seoul 's `` vagrants '' to be cleared from the street. Thousands of people, many of them small children, were sent to a `` welfare facility '' called the `` Brothers Home '', where they were subject to severe, often fatal beatings and routine rape. Official theme song The official Olympic Torch used during the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Main article : Hand in Hand ( Olympic theme song ) In 1988, the Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee ( SLOOC ) decided to produce and distribute an official song of the Seoul Games to publicize the Games to all the IOC member nations, encouraging their participation in the festival and consolidating the harmony and friendship of the entire world citizens through the song. The song `` Hand in Hand '' was written by Italian composer Giorgio Moroder and American songwriter Tom Whitlock, and performed by singing group Koreana. `` Hand in Hand '' topped popular songs in 17 countries including Sweden, West Germany, the Philippines, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Japan and Hong Kong and was listed among the top 10s of the popular songs in more than 30 countries. Venues Main article : Venues of the 1988 Summer Olympics The World Peace Gate in Seoul. Jamsil Indoor Swimming Pool. Seoul Olympic Park in autumn. Seoul Sports Complex venues Seoul Olympic Stadium 2 -- opening / closing ceremonies, athletics, equestrian ( jumping individual final ), football ( final ) Jamsil Indoor Swimming Pool 2 -- diving, modern pentathlon ( swimming ), synchronized swimming, swimming, water polo Jamsil Gymnasium 2 -- basketball, volleyball ( final ) Jamsil Students ' Gymnasium 2 -- boxing Jamsil Baseball Stadium 2 -- baseball ( demonstration ) Olympic Park venues Olympic Velodrome 1 -- cycling ( track ) Olympic Weightlifting Gymnasium 1 -- weightlifting Olympic Fencing Gymnasium 1 -- fencing, modern pentathlon ( fencing ) Olympic Gymnastics Hall 1 -- gymnastics Olympic Tennis Center 1 -- tennis Mongchon Tosong 1 -- modern pentathlon ( running ) Other venues in metropolitan Seoul Seoul Equestrian Park -- equestrian ( all but jumping individual final ), modern pentathlon ( riding ) Han River Regatta Course / Canoeing Site Course 1 -- canoeing, rowing Saemaul Sports Hall 1 -- volleyball preliminaries Hanyang University Gymnasium 1 -- volleyball preliminaries Changchung Gymnasium 2 -- judo, taekwondo ( demonstration ) Seoul National University Gymnasium -- badminton ( demonstration ), table tennis Royal Bowling Center 2 -- bowling ( demonstration ) Dongdaemun Stadium 2 -- football preliminaries Hwarang Archery Field 2, Nowon - gu -- archery Taereung International Shooting Range 2, Taenung -- modern pentathlon ( shooting ), shooting Streets of Seoul -- athletics ( 20 km / 50 km walk, marathon ) Jangchung Gymnasium -- taekwondo ( demonstration ), judo Venues outside Seoul Sangmu Gymnasium 1, Seongnam -- wrestling Daejeon Stadium 2, Daejeon -- football preliminaries Daegu Stadium 2, Daegu -- football preliminaries Busan Stadium 2, Busan -- football preliminaries Gwangju Stadium 2, Gwangju -- football preliminaries Suwon Gymnasium 1, Suwon -- handball Seongnam Stadium 2, Seongnam -- field hockey Busan Yachting Center 1, Busan -- sailing Tongillo Road Course -- cycling ( individual road race, road team time trial ) 1 New facilities constructed in preparation for the Olympic Games. 2 Existing facilities modified or refurbished in preparation for the Olympic Games. Cost According to The Oxford Olympics Study data is not available to establish the cost of the Seoul 1988 Summer Olympics. Average cost for Summer Games since 1960, for which data are available, is USD 5.2 billion. Medals awarded The 1988 Summer Olympic programme featured 237 events in the following 23 sports : Aquatics Diving ( 4 ) Swimming ( 31 ) Synchronized swimming ( 2 ) Water polo ( 1 ) Archery ( 4 ) Athletics ( 42 ) Basketball ( 2 ) Boxing ( 12 ) Canoeing ( 12 ) Cycling Road ( 3 ) Track ( 6 ) Equestrian Dressage ( 2 ) Eventing ( 2 ) Show jumping ( 2 ) Fencing ( 8 ) Field hockey ( 2 ) Football ( 1 ) Gymnastics Artistic ( 14 ) Rhythmic ( 1 ) Handball ( 2 ) Judo ( 7 ) Modern pentathlon ( 2 ) Rowing ( 14 ) Sailing ( 8 ) Shooting ( 13 ) Table tennis ( 4 ) Tennis ( 4 ) Volleyball ( 2 ) Weightlifting ( 10 ) Wrestling Freestyle ( 10 ) Greco - Roman ( 10 ) Erich Buljung shows a silver medal he won in the 10m air pistol competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Demonstration sports These were the demonstration sports in the games : Badminton ( details ) Baseball ( details ) Bowling ( details ) Judo ( details ) Taekwondo ( details ) Wheelchair racing ( details ) Calendar All times are local AEST ( UTC + 10 ) Opening ceremony Event competitions Event finals Closing ceremony Date September October 17th Sat 18th Sun 19th Mon 20th Tue 21st Wed 22nd Thu 23rd Fri 24th Sat 25th Sun 26th Mon 27th Tue 28th Wed 29th Thu 30th Fri 1st Sat 2nd Sun Archery Athletics Basketball Boxing Canoeing Cycling Diving Equestrian Fencing Field hockey Football ( soccer ) Gymnastics Handball Judo Modern pentathlon Rowing Sailing Shooting Swimming Synchronized swimming Table tennis Tennis Volleyball Water polo Weightlifting Wrestling Total gold medals 5 7 9 14 17 12 30 26 9 15 9 11 36 37 9 Ceremonies Date 17th Sat 18th Sun 19th Mon 20th Tue 21st Wed 22nd Thu 23rd Fri 24th Sat 25th Sun 26th Mon 27th Tue 28th Wed 29th Thu 30th Fri 1st Sat 2nd Sun September October Participating National Olympic Committees Participants ( blue nations had their first entrance ). Number of athletes sent by each nation. Athletes from 159 nations competed at the Seoul Games. Aruba, American Samoa, Brunei, Cook Islands, Maldives, Vanuatu, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and South Yemen made their first Olympic appearance at these Games. Guam made their first Summer Olympic appearance at these games having participated in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. In the following list, the number in parentheses indicates the number of athletes from each nation that competed in Seoul : Participating National Olympic Committees Afghanistan ( 5 ) Algeria ( 46 ) American Samoa ( 6 ) Andorra ( 3 ) Angola ( 29 ) Antigua and Barbuda ( 16 ) Argentina ( 125 ) Aruba ( 8 ) Australia ( 295 ) Austria ( 88 ) Bahamas ( 17 ) Bahrain ( 11 ) Bangladesh ( 6 ) Barbados ( 17 ) Belgium ( 65 ) Belize ( 10 ) Benin ( 7 ) Bermuda ( 13 ) Bhutan ( 3 ) Bolivia ( 7 ) Botswana ( 8 ) Brazil ( 171 ) British Virgin Islands ( 3 ) Bulgaria ( 186 ) Burkina Faso ( 6 ) Burma ( 2 ) Cameroon ( 15 ) Canada ( 379 ) Cayman Islands ( 8 ) Central African Republic ( 16 ) Chad ( 6 ) Chile ( 18 ) China ( 293 ) Colombia ( 43 ) Congo ( 9 ) Cook Islands ( 6 ) Costa Rica ( 16 ) Cyprus ( 9 ) Czechoslovakia ( 171 ) Denmark ( 92 ) Djibouti ( 7 ) Dominican Republic ( 16 ) Ecuador ( 26 ) Egypt ( 54 ) El Salvador ( 6 ) Equatorial Guinea ( 6 ) Fiji ( 24 ) Finland ( 79 ) France ( 309 ) Gabon ( 3 ) The Gambia ( 7 ) East Germany ( 291 ) West Germany ( 404 ) Ghana ( 18 ) Great Britain ( 369 ) Greece ( 58 ) Grenada ( 6 ) Guam ( 20 ) Guatemala ( 30 ) Guinea ( 8 ) Guyana ( 8 ) Haiti ( 4 ) Honduras ( 7 ) Hong Kong ( 49 ) Hungary ( 203 ) Iceland ( 32 ) India ( 46 ) Indonesia ( 31 ) Iran ( 27 ) Iraq ( 31 ) Ireland ( 65 ) Israel ( 19 ) Italy ( 286 ) Ivory Coast ( 32 ) Jamaica ( 35 ) Japan ( 289 ) Jordan ( 9 ) Kenya ( 76 ) South Korea ( 467 ) ( host ) Kuwait ( 31 ) Laos ( 3 ) Lebanon ( 8 ) Lesotho ( 6 ) Liberia ( 8 ) Libya ( 6 ) Liechtenstein ( 12 ) Luxembourg ( 8 ) Malawi ( 17 ) Malaysia ( 13 ) Maldives ( 7 ) Mali ( 6 ) Malta ( 9 ) Mauritania ( 6 ) Mauritius ( 8 ) Mexico ( 91 ) Monaco ( 9 ) Mongolia ( 28 ) Morocco ( 27 ) Mozambique ( 6 ) Nepal ( 18 ) Netherlands ( 192 ) Netherlands Antilles ( 3 ) New Zealand ( 93 ) Niger ( 8 ) Nigeria ( 76 ) Norway ( 79 ) Oman ( 13 ) Pakistan ( 31 ) Panama ( 6 ) Papua New Guinea ( 12 ) Paraguay ( 10 ) Peru ( 22 ) Philippines ( 33 ) Poland ( 152 ) Portugal ( 68 ) Puerto Rico ( 70 ) Qatar ( 12 ) Romania ( 64 ) Rwanda ( 6 ) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ( 6 ) San Marino ( 11 ) Saudi Arabia ( 14 ) Senegal ( 22 ) Sierra Leone ( 15 ) Singapore ( 8 ) Solomon Islands ( 7 ) Somalia ( 7 ) Soviet Union ( 514 ) Spain ( 269 ) Sri Lanka ( 6 ) Sudan ( 8 ) Suriname ( 6 ) Swaziland ( 11 ) Sweden ( 205 ) Switzerland ( 109 ) Syria ( 16 ) Chinese Taipei ( 90 ) Tanzania ( 10 ) Thailand ( 16 ) Togo ( 6 ) Tonga ( 6 ) Trinidad and Tobago ( 6 ) Tunisia ( 41 ) Turkey ( 50 ) Uganda ( 25 ) United Arab Emirates ( 12 ) United States ( 615 ) Uruguay ( 14 ) Vanuatu ( 6 ) Venezuela ( 18 ) Vietnam ( 10 ) Virgin Islands ( 26 ) Samoa ( 11 ) North Yemen ( 11 ) South Yemen ( 8 ) Yugoslavia ( 157 ) Zaire ( 15 ) Zambia ( 31 ) Zimbabwe ( 31 ) Brunei participated in the Opening Ceremonies and Closing Ceremonies, marking its first appearance at the Olympic Games, but its delegation consisted of only one swimming official. When the team from the Dominican Republic marched in during the Parade of Nations, the superimposed map erroneously showed the location of Cuba. Medal count Main article : 1988 Summer Olympics medal table These are the top ten nations that won medals at the 1988 Games. Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total Soviet Union ( URS ) 55 31 46 132 East Germany ( GDR ) 37 35 30 102 United States ( USA ) 36 31 27 94 South Korea ( KOR ) 12 10 11 33 5 West Germany ( FRG ) 11 14 15 40 6 Hungary ( HUN ) 11 6 6 23 7 Bulgaria ( BUL ) 10 12 13 35 8 Romania ( ROU ) 7 11 6 24 9 France ( FRA ) 6 6 16 10 Italy ( ITA ) 6 14 * Host nation ( South Korea ) Mascot The official mascot for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games was Hodori. It was a stylized tiger designed by Kim Hyun as an amicable Amur tiger, portraying the friendly and hospitable traditions of the Korean people. Hodori 's female version was called Hosuni. The name 호돌이 Hodori was chosen from 2,295 suggestions sent in by the public. It is a compound of 호 ho, the Sino - Korean bound morpheme for `` tiger '' ( appearing also in the usual word 호랑이 horangi for `` tiger '' ), and 돌이 dori, a diminutive for `` boys ''. Broadcast rights The games were covered by the following broadcasters : Argentina : Argentina Televisora Color, Canal 13, Canal 11 Australia : Network Ten Belgium : RTBF, BRT Brazil : Rede Globo, Rede Manchete, Rede Record and Rede Bandeirantes Brunei : RTB Channel 5 and RTB Channel 10 Canada : CBC Chile : TVN, UC - TV China : CCTV Colombia : OTI ( Inravisión Cadena Uno : RTI Producciones, RCN Televisión, Caracol Televisión, Producciones JES, Producciones PUNCH, Datos y Mensajes ) Czechoslovakia : ČST Denmark : DR East Germany : DFF Finland : YLE France : TF1 Hong Kong : ATV and TVB Hungary : Magyar Televízió India : Doordarshan Indonesia : TVRI Jakarta Ireland : RTÉ Israel : IBA Italy : RAI Japan : NHK Macau : TDM Malaysia : RTM TV1 and STMB TV3 Mexico : Televisa Netherlands : NPO New Zealand : TVNZ Paraguay : Paraguay Televisora Color, Canal 4, Canal 9 Norway : NRK Philippines : RPN and PTV Poland : TVP Portugal : RTP Puerto Rico : WAPA - TV Romania : TVR Singapore : SBC Channel 12 South Korea : KBS and MBC Soviet Union : CT - USSR Spain : TVE Sweden : SVT Taiwan : TTV, CTV and CTS Thailand : National Television Thailand Turkey : TRT United Kingdom : BBC, ITV and Channel 4 United States : WNBC - 4 ( NBC ) and West Coast Talk Radio Venezuela : Venevision West Germany : ARD and ZDF Yugoslavia : JRT See also 1980s portal South Korea portal Olympics portal 1988 Summer Olympics Album : One Moment in Time Notes ^ `` Seoul 1988 ''. olympic.org. 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Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ Pitel, Laura ( 23 September 2003 ). `` A Look at André Jackson, the Mystery Man ( and friend of Carl Lewis ) in the Drug testing area with Ben Johnson in Seoul ''. The Times Online ( UK ). London. Retrieved 23 September 2003. ^ `` Ben Johnson acusa a EEUU de proteger a sus atletas dopados ''. www.elmundo.es ( in Spanish ). Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ `` Christa Luding - Rothenburger Encyclopædia Britannica article ''. Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ `` Odds against Phelps eclipsing Spitz ''. Reuters. 29 May 2008. Retrieved 29 May 2008. ^ `` El deporte en el Sur ''. Alejandro Guevara Onofre, Liceus.com ( in Spanish ). Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ `` United States Olympic Committee -- Biondi, Matt ''. usoc.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ `` United States Olympic Committee -- Evans, Janet ''. usoc.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ SN, Chengalur ; PL, Brown ( 1992 - 06 - 01 ). `` An analysis of male and female Olympic swimmers in the 200 - meter events. ''. Canadian journal of sport sciences = Journal canadien des sciences du sport. 17 ( 2 ). ISSN 0833 - 1235. ^ `` Nuoto -- risultati 200m. farfalla uomini ''. coni.it ( in Italian ). Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ `` History of Awards : 1980 -- 1989 ''. Halberg Trust website. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ `` Demonstration Sports at the Olympic Games ''. topendsports.com. Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ `` About WTF -- History ''. www.wtf.org. Archived from the original on 5 October 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ `` The Original Dream Team ''. NBA.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ Alfano, Peter ( 28 September 1988 ). `` THE SEOUL OLYMPICS : Men 's Basketball ; After 16 - Year Wait, Soviets Stun U.S. Again, 82 -- 76 ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ `` Canada at the 1988 Summer Olympics ''. sportsofworld.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ `` Obukan Judo History ''. obukan.org. Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ `` Olympic Table Tennis Champions ''. usatt.org. Archived from the original on 20 October 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ Alfano, Peter ( 2 October 1988 ). `` The Seoul Olympics : Tennis ; Tennis Returns to Good Reviews ''. www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ `` Steffi graf, la mejor ''. elTenis.net ( in Spanish ). Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ `` Gabriela Sabatini -- Fotos, Vídeos, Biografía, Wallpapers y Ficha Técnica ''. idolosdeportivos.com ( in Spanish ). Archived from the original on 18 October 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ `` The Seoul Olympics : Weight Lifting ; Team Lifted After 2d Drug Test Is Failed ''. www.nytimes.com. 24 September 1988. Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^ `` Seoul Games scarred by riots ''. in.rediff.com. Retrieved 22 August 2008. ^ `` When messengers of peace were burned alive ''. Archived from the original on 29 August 2004. Retrieved 2009 - 01 - 10. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ), Deccan Herald, 12 August 2004. Retrieved 25 June 2008. ^ `` Demonstration Jumps ''. ^ Horton, Peter ; Saunders, John. `` The ' East Asian ' Olympic Games : what of sustainable legacies ? ''. Taylor and Francis. Retrieved 20 February 2015. ^ Manheim, Jarol. Rites of Passage : The 1988 Seoul Olympics as Public Diplomacy. Western Political Science Association. pp. 279 -- 295. JSTOR 448367. ^ Cho, Ji - Hyun ; Bairner, Alan. `` The sociocultural legacy of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games ''. Taylor and Francis. doi : 10.1080 / 02614367.2011. 636178. ^ Kang, Jaeho ; Traganou, Jilly ( 2011 ). `` The Beijing National Stadium as Media - space ''. Design and Culture. 3 ( 2 ). ^ `` Sport and Politics on the Korean Peninsula -- North Korea and the 1988 Seoul Olympics '' NKIDP e-Dossier No. 3. Retrieved 23 April 2012 ^ Janofsky, Michael ( 16 January 1988 ). `` CUBANS TURN THEIR BACK ON THE SEOUL OLYMPICS ''. New York Times. Retrieved 27 September 2017. ^ `` Seoul Olympics 1988 ''. Retrieved 2017 - 09 - 27. ^ Tong - Hyung, Kim ; Klug, Foster ( April 19, 2016 ). `` AP : S. Korea covered up mass abuse, killings of ' vagrants ' ''. Associated Press. Retrieved April 9, 2017. ^ Doctorow, Cory ( April 20, 2016 ). `` Before 1988 Olympics, South Korea sent ' vagrants ' to camps where rape and murder were routine ''. Boing Boing. Retrieved April 9, 2017. ^ Flyvbjerg, Bent ; Stewart, Allison ; Budzier, Alexander ( 2016 ). The Oxford Olympics Study 2016 : Cost and Cost Overrun at the Games. Oxford : Saïd Business School Working Papers ( Oxford : University of Oxford ). pp. 9 -- 13. SSRN 2804554. ^ `` Olympic Games Participating Countries -- 1988 Seoul ''. olympic-museum.de. Retrieved 7 October 2007. ^ Lee Junewoo ( 14 Jan 2014 ). ( 1 / 3 ) Opening Ceremony - 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. Event occurs at 38 : 15. Retrieved 25 October 2016. ^ `` Hodori -- mascot of the 1988 Olympic Summer Games ''. beijing2008.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2007. ^ `` Seoul 1988 -- Hodori and Hosuni ''. www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 8 October 2007. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1988 Summer Olympics. `` Seoul 1988 ''. Olympic.org. International Olympic Committee. `` Results and Medalists ''. Olympic.org. International Olympic Committee. 88 Seoul Olympics, Seoul Olympics memorial hall `` Olympic Review 1988 -- Official results '' ( PDF ). Archived ( PDF ) from the original on 26 March 2009. Retrieved 22 March 2009. Official Report Vol. 1 Official Report Vol. 2 17 September 1988 Newsdesk broadcasting 2 October 1988 Newsdesk broadcasting The program of the 1988 Seoul Olympics `` 1988 Seoul Olympic Archive ''. Seoul Olympic Sports Promotion Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 July 2009. Preceded by Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games Seoul XXIV Olympiad ( 1988 ) Succeeded by Barcelona Olympic Games Ceremonies Charter Participating nations Summer Olympics Winter Olympics Host cities Bids Venues IOC NOCs Country codes Medal Medal tables Medalists Diploma Scandals and controversies Colonialism Doping Sports Symbols Torch relays Pierre de Coubertin medal Women Deaths WWI Summer Games 1896 Athens 1900 Paris 1904 St. Louis 1908 London 1912 Stockholm 1916 Berlin 1920 Antwerp 1924 Paris 1928 Amsterdam 1932 Los Angeles 1936 Berlin 1940 Tokyo 1944 London 1948 London 1952 Helsinki 1956 Melbourne 1960 Rome 1964 Tokyo 1968 Mexico City 1972 Munich 1976 Montreal 1980 Moscow 1984 Los Angeles 1988 Seoul 1992 Barcelona 1996 Atlanta 2000 Sydney 2004 Athens 2008 Beijing 2012 London 2016 Rio de Janeiro 2020 Tokyo 2024 Paris 2028 Los Angeles 2032 TBD Winter Games 1924 Chamonix 1928 St. Moritz 1932 Lake Placid 1936 Garmisch - Partenkirchen 1940 Sapporo 1944 Cortina d'Ampezzo 1948 St. Moritz 1952 Oslo 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo 1960 Squaw Valley 1964 Innsbruck 1968 Grenoble 1972 Sapporo 1976 Innsbruck 1980 Lake Placid 1984 Sarajevo 1988 Calgary 1992 Albertville 1994 Lillehammer 1998 Nagano 2002 Salt Lake City 2006 Turin 2010 Vancouver 2014 Sochi 2018 Pyeongchang 2022 Beijing 2026 TBD 2030 TBD Ancient Olympic Games Intercalated Games 1906 Paralympic Games Youth Olympic Games Nations at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Niger Nigeria Rwanda Senegal Sierra Leone Somalia Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zaire Zambia Zimbabwe America Antigua - Barbuda Argentina Aruba Bahamas Barbados Belize Bermuda Bolivia Brazil British Virgin Islands Canada Cayman Islands Chile Colombia Costa Rica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Netherlands Antilles Panama Paraguay Peru Puerto Rico Saint Vincent - Grenadines Suriname Trinidad - Tobago United States Uruguay Venezuela Virgin Islands Asia Afghanistan Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Burma China Hong Kong India Indonesia Iran Iraq Japan Jordan South Korea Kuwait Laos Lebanon Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Nepal Oman Pakistan Philippines Qatar Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka Syria Chinese Taipei Thailand United Arab Emirates Vietnam North Yemen South Yemen Europe Andorra Austria Belgium Bulgaria Cyprus Czechoslovakia Denmark Finland France East Germany West Germany Great Britain Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Israel Italy Liechtenstein Luxembourg Malta Monaco Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania San Marino Soviet Union Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Yugoslavia Oceania American Samoa Australia Cook Islands Fiji Guam New Zealand Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands Tonga Vanuatu Western Samoa Events at the 1988 Summer Olympics ( Seoul ) Archery Athletics Badminton ( exhibition ) Baseball ( demonstration ) Basketball Bowling ( demonstration ) Boxing Canoeing Cycling Diving Equestrian Fencing Field hockey Football Gymnastics Handball Judo Modern pentathlon Rowing Sailing Shooting Swimming Synchronised swimming Table tennis Taekwondo ( demonstration ) Tennis Volleyball Water polo Weightlifting Wrestling Venues of the 1988 Summer Olympics Seoul Sports Complex Jamsil Baseball Stadium Jamsil Gymnasium Jamsil Indoor Swimming Pool Jamsil Students ' Gymnasium Olympic Stadium Olympic Park Mongchontoseong Olympic Fencing Gymnasium Olympic Gymnastics Arena Olympic Tennis Center Olympic Velodrome Olympic Weightlifting Gymnasium New venues Busan Yachting Center Han River Regatta Course / Canoeing Site Hanyang University Gymnasium Saemaul Sports Hall Sangmu Gymnasium Seoul Equestrian Park Seoul National University Gymnasium Suwon Gymnasium Football venues Busan Stadium Daegu Stadium Daejeon Stadium Dongdaemun Stadium Gwangju Stadium Existing venues Hwarang Archery Field Jangchung Arena Royal Bowling Center Seongnam Stadium Taenung International Shooting Range Tongillo Road Course Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Special 1975 -- 1990 1975 World Series ( 1975 -- 76 ) 1976 Summer Olympics ( 1976 -- 77 ) Heavyweight championship boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Leon Spinks ( 1977 -- 78 ) Super Bowl XIII ( 1978 -- 79 ) 1980 Winter Olympics ( 1979 -- 80 ) 1981 Kentucky Derby ( 1980 -- 81 ) 1982 Men 's NCAA Basketball National Championship ( 1981 -- 82 ) 1982 World Series ( 1982 -- 83 ) Not awarded ( 1983 -- 84 ) 1984 Summer Olympics ( 1984 -- 85 ) Not awarded ( 1985 -- 86 ) 1987 Daytona 500 ( 1986 -- 87 ) 1987 Kentucky Derby ( 1987 -- 88 ) 1988 Summer Olympics ( 1988 ) 1989 Indianapolis 500 ( 1989 ) 1990 Indianapolis 500 ( 1990 ) 1991 -- 2009 1991 NBA Finals ( 1991 ) 1992 Breeders Cup ( 1992 ) 1993 World Series ( 1993 ) 1994 Stanley Cup Finals ( 1994 ) Cal Ripken, Jr. 's 2,131 st consecutive game ( 1995 ) 1996 World Series ( 1996 ) 1997 NBA Finals ( 1997 ) Mark McGwire 's 62nd home run ( 1998 ) 1999 Major League Baseball All - Star Game ( 1999 ) 2000 World Series ( 2000 ) 2001 World Series ( 2001 ) 2002 Winter Olympics ( 2002 ) 2003 Major League Baseball postseason ( 2003 ) 2004 Masters Tournament ( 2004 ) 2005 Open Championship ( 2005 ) 2006 Major League Baseball postseason ( 2006 ) 2007 Fiesta Bowl ( 2007 ) 2008 U.S. Open Golf Championship ( 2008 ) Super Bowl XLIII ( 2009 ) 2010 -- present 2010 FIFA World Cup Final ( 2010 ) 2011 World Series ( 2011 ) Super Bowl XLVI ( 2012 ) 2013 World Series ( 2013 ) Super Bowl XLIX ( 2014 ) Super Bowl 50 ( 2015 ) 2016 World Series ( 2016 ) TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sports 1984 Summer Olympics ( 1985 ) No award given ( 1986 ) 1987 America 's Cup ( 1987 ) 1988 Winter Olympics ( 1988 ) 1988 Summer Olympics ( 1989 ) 1989 World Series ( 1990 ) 1991 NCAA Final Four ( 1991 ) When It Was a Game ( 1992 ) Bob Costas ( 1993 ) 1994 Winter Olympics ( 1994 ) Baseball ( 1995 ) SportsCenter ( 1996 ) SportsCenter ( 1997 ) VIAF : 12144647637806566094 LCCN : n85274920 GND : 2104662 - 1 Olympics portal 1980s portal South Korea portal Seoul portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1988_Summer_Olympics&oldid=803118909 '' Categories : 1988 Summer Olympics 1988 in multi-sport events Sports competitions in Seoul Olympic Games in South Korea 1988 in South Korean sport Summer Olympics by year 1980s in Seoul International sports boycotts September 1988 sports events October 1988 sports events Hidden categories : CS1 Spanish - language sources ( es ) CS1 Italian - language sources ( it ) CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown Use dmy dates from September 2012 Articles containing Korean - language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2007 Articles needing additional references from September 2013 All articles needing additional references Articles needing additional references from December 2010 Wikipedia articles needing clarification from February 2014 Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Аҧсшәа Aragonés Avañe'ẽ Azərbaycanca বাংলা Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Frysk Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Ido Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית ქართული Қазақша Кыргызча Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar Македонски मराठी مصرى Bahasa Melayu Монгол Nāhuatl Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan Олык марий Polski Português Română Русский Саха тыла Scots Sicilianu සිංහල Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் Татарча / tatarça ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt Yorùbá 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 30 September 2017, at 15 : 37. 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Question: in what city did the 1988 olympics take place
Answer: Seoul, South Korea