Oregon Public Broadcasting

The brand new lights and jumbotron television at Eugene's Hayward Field were built for the athletes at this week's U.S. Olympic Trials.

But track and field stars from 28 years ago were the featured attraction in the stadium Friday, as fans honored the competitors from the 1980 Olympics that weren't. Ethan Lindsey reports.

Earlier that year, President Jimmy Carter announced a boycott of the summer games in Moscow - to protest the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan.

Walter McCoy: “It was a different mindset knowing that you might not go anywhere, but we still hoped and prayed that they would listen to the past.”

Walter McCoy ran in the men's 400-meters at the 1980 trials. He said in the past, the Olympics had been free from politics.

Walter McCoy: “I am very bittersweet about it now, because it's ironic that we are doing exactly what they were doing back then. So were they wrong? Or are we wrong now?”

Opening ceremonies were dedicated to the '80s team - organizers say about two-thirds of the athletes from those trials returned.

Former hammer thrower Andy Bessette says he remembers the trials because he set his personal record.

Andy Bessette: “You know, we were here to compete. And any day you beat all your competitors, it's a good day."