There is usually a ceremonial hand-off of the Olympics from the current host to the next host at the closing ceremony. In 1980, this would have involved Moscow handing the Olympics to Los Angeles. However, the United States pulled out of the Moscow Olympics in protest over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
So, was there a hand-off at the closing ceremony and, for lack of a better term, was it awkward?
PS: Bonus music video of Moscow 1980 theme song.
PPS: Bonus video of Moscow 1980 closing ceremony.
The 1980 boycott was quite extensive. As a result, there was no official US presence at the Moscow games, including the handover ceremony. This went so far as not flying the American flag; as an article in the New York Times noted: "The only US flag now flying over [Moscow] waves in front of the US Embassy."
This ban on flying the US flag in Moscow extended even to the closing ceremony, when it is customary for the flag of the next host nation to be raised and the national anthem played. The IOC wanted to stick to standard protocol; the Carter administration did not, and they expressed their strong objections to even this brief US presence. Consequently, the IOC agreed to alter protocol and allow the raising of Los Angeles' flag, which was done to the tune of the Olympic Hymn.
The Olympic Flag, meanwhile, was handed over to the IOC's President, Juan Antonio Samaranch, who accepted it on behalf of the Los Angeles games.
