This summer, when World Cup matches begin at Lumen Field, it won’t be Seattle’s first encounter with a major international sporting event. More than 35 years ago, the city and other communities across Washington state hosted the Goodwill Games — a unique competition that brought together 2,300 athletes from 54 countries at venues such as Husky Stadium, Seattle Center and Marymoor Park.
The Goodwill Games, created by American media proprietor Ted Turner to improve relations among the U.S., the Soviet Union and other countries during the Cold War, were a kind of alternative to the Olympic Games. Seattle hosted the second Goodwill Games in 1990, where athletes competed for medals in 21 sports. Now the city is preparing for five World Cup matches, and the newspaper’s editors are asking readers to share memories of the Goodwill Games and thoughts on how the upcoming World Cup will be similar to or different from that earlier experience.
Based on: What do you remember from when Seattle hosted the 1990 Goodwill Games?