Montreal 1976

Montreal won the vote to host the 1976 Olympics after a 3-way contest with Moscow and Los Angeles. When the decision was made, in 1970, Los Angeles dropped out in the first round and then Montreal won the final vote over Moscow 41-28. 

The Games were dominated by the protest of African countries over the All Blacks tour of South Africa. That tour began on June 30 and continued until September. The Olympics began on July 17. African countries wanted New Zealand ejected from the Games for its support of pro-apartheid South Africa. The New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association stated that the policies of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union were beyond its control. Feelings intensified and as Olympics got closer, an increasing number of African countries announced they’d boycott the Games if New Zealand was permitted to stay. 

Abraham Ordia and Jean-Claude Ganga, president and secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa, led the boycott discussions, and Tanzania set the boycott ball rolling a week before the Games by becoming the first African nation to withdraw. 

The IOC still refused to bar New Zealand and eventually 29 countries, mainly from Africa (plus Iraq and Guyana), boycotted. Some, including Morocco, Cameroon and Egypt had already begun participating, having competed on the first day, before they withdrew.  Only Senegal and Ivory Coast of African countries remained.