U.S. Olympic Festival

The U.S. Olympic Festival was an amateur multi-sport event held in the United States by the United States Olympic Committee in the years between Olympic Games. Started in 1978 as an American counterpart to the communist Spartakiad – a similar event held on a quadrennial basis by the former Soviet Union and its former satellite in East Germany. As the competitive position of U.S. athletes in the Olympics slipped relative to that of the Soviets and East Germans, it was felt the U.S. needed some kind of multi-sports event to simulate the Olympic experience. It was originally called the National Sports Festival and was the nation's largest amateur sporting event, before ending in 1995.

Editions

• 1978 US Olympic Festival - Colorado Springs
• 1979 US Olympic Festival - Colorado Springs
• 1980 - Olympic Year
• 1981 US Olympic Festival - Syracuse, New York
• 1982 US Olympic Festival - Indianapolis
• 1983 US Olympic Festival - Colorado Springs
• 1984 - Olympic Year
• 1985 US Olympic Festival - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• 1986 US Olympic Festival - Houston, Texas
• 1987 US Olympic Festival - Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina (hockey tournament @ Greensboro Coliseum)
• 1988 - Olympic Year
• 1989 US Olympic Festival - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• 1990 US Olympic Festival - Minneapolis, Minnesota
• 1991 US Olympic Festival - Los Angeles, California (hockey tournament was played in St. Cloud, MN)
• 1992 - Olympic Year
• 1993 US Olympic Festival - San Antonio, Texas
• 1994 US Olympic Festival - St. Louis, Missouri
• 1995 US Olympic Festival - Denver, Colorado

Hockey tournaments

1978

• 7/27: Central - Midwest 5:4
• 7/27: Great Lakes - New England 4:2
• 7/28: Midwest - New England 9:3
• 7/28: Central - Great Lakes 8:4
• 7/29: Midwest - Great Lakes 8:6
• 7/29: New England - Central 6:3
• 7/30: Midwest - Central 6:3 - gold medal
• 7/30: Great Lakes - New England 3:2 OT - bronze medal

1979

• 7/27: Great Lakes - Central 6:1
• 7/27: Midwest - New England 10:5
• 7/28: Great Lakes - New England 5:3
• 7/29: Central - Midwest 6:4
• 7/30: New England - Central 9:8
• 7/31: Midwest - Great Lakes 6:5
• 8/1: Great Lakes - Midwest 4:2 - gold medal
• 8/1: Central - New England 7:4 - bronze medal

1981

• 7/25: Great Lakes - New England 4:1
• 7/25: Central - Midwest 7:4
• 7/26: Great Lakes - Midwest 6:4
• 7/26: Central - New England 8:5
• 7/27: Midwest - New England 8:6
• 7/28: Great Lakes - Central 6:3
• 7/29: Great Lakes - Central 5:2 - gold medal
• 7/29: New England - Midwest 10:0 - bronze medal

1982

The hockey tournament had a new format this year, bringing 80 of the best available Olympic prospects and drafting them into four teams. Previously, teams were picked from regions.

• 7/26: North - East 6:5
• 7/26: South - West 4:4
• 7/27: West - North 6:4
• 7/27: East - South 4:1
• 7/29: West - East 5:1
• 7/29: North - South 4:4
• 7/30: North - West 7:3 - gold medal
• 7/30: South - East 7:3 - bronze medal

1983

• 6/29: West - East 5:3
• 6/29: North - South 8:4
• 6/30: West - South 7:3
• 6/30: East - North 10:3
• 7/2: South - East 8:7
• 7/2: North - West 3:3
• 7/3: West - North 4:0 - gold medal
• 7/3: South - East 5:3 - bronze medal

1985

• 7/31: East - West 5:2
• 7/31: North - South 7:2
• 8/1: South - West 5:4
• 8/1: North - East 6:4
• 8/3: East - South 4:3
• 8/3: West - North 5:3
• 8/4: North - East 7:2 - gold medal
• 8/4: West - South 10:3 - bronze medal

1986

• 7/30: South - West 4:3
• 7/30: North - East 5:5
• 7/31: West - North 5:5
• 7/31: East - South 3:2
• 8/2: West - East 4:2
• 8/2: North - South 5:4
• 8/3: North - West 5:4 - gold medal
• 8/3: South - East 7:4 - bronze medal

1987

• 7/21: North - East 4:2
• 7/21: South - West 3:0
• 7/23: North - West 8:0
• 7/23: East - South 9:5
• 7/24: West - East 9:2
• 7/24: South - North 5:4
• 7/26: North - South 6:4 - gold medal
• 7/26: West - East 7:1 - bronze medal

1989

• 7/25: North' - East 6:3
• 7/25: South - West 5:5
• 7/27: South - East 6:3
• 7/27: West - North 5:3
• 7/28: South - North 4:4
• 7/28: West - East 7:5
• 7/30: West - South 5:1 - gold medal
• 7/30: North - East 7:3 - bronze medal

1990

• 7/9: North - East 7:4
• 7/10: South - East 5:5
• 7/10: North - West 4:2
• 7/11: South - West 3:2
• 7/12: North - South 5:3
• 7/13: East - West 6:2
• 7/14: North - East 2:1 - gold medal
• 7/14: South - West 9:1 - bronze medal

1991

Incomplete

• 6/23: North - East 6:1
• 6/23: South - West 8:5
• 6/28: North - South 11:4 - gold medal
• 6/28: East - West 6:3 - bronze medal

1993

• 7/27: South - North 4:0
• 7/28: East - North 4:2
• 7/28: West - South 4:2
• 7/29: West - East 3:1
• 7/30: East - South 8:3
• 7/31: North - West 3:2
• 8/1: East - West 6:5 OT - gold medal
• 8/1: North - South 8:3 - bronze medal

Women

• 7/30: United States - Canada 6:3
• 7/31: United States - Canada 7:3

1994

• 7/4: West - East 8:2
• 7/4: South - North 8:5
• 7/6: North - East 8:4
• 7/7: South - West 5:3
• 7/8: North - West 5:4
• 7/9: East - South 11:4
• 7/10: South - North 8:7 OT - gold medal
• 7/10: West - East 4:3 - bronze medal

1995

• 7/25: West - East 6:1
• 7/26: North - West 7:3
• 7/27: East - South 9:7
• North - East 4:3
• South - West 6:5
• North - South
• 7/30: North - South 6:4 - gold medal
• 7/30: West - East 5:4 OT - bronze medal