Władysław Kozakiewicz

The history of a legendary Polish pole-vaulter, Władysław Kozakiewicz. At the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games, he competed in a passionate showdown with the Soviet Union representatives in front of millions of viewers. In the final, he won the gold medal and broke the world record. Upset by the Soviet public, he also made an unsportsmanlike, derogatory gesture interpreted as a political provocation. That moment changed the athlete’s life in the blink of an eye.

A 1981 documentary film directed by Yuri Ozerov. It showed the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow. The director was awarded the State Prize of the USSR in 1982. The film was selected as the Soviet entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 54th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.