The 1970s were a very turbulent decade for countries around the world, in terms of societal and political changes. In 1976, the Vietnam War had just ended and many American citizens were expressing their beliefs, trying to make progress in creating a more equal society, and protesting the war. Americans were also beginning to pay more attention to the environmental movement, which played a significant role in determining where the Olympics would ultimately be held. Because the Olympics took place in the midst of the Cold War, athletes were eager to give their best to represent the strength of their country and fuel the patriotism of their citizens. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThe 1976 Winter Olympics, held in Innsbruck, Austria, from February 4 to 15, 1976, were arguably halfway through one of the most eventful decades for the United States and the rest of the world. Many Americans were unhappy with the political events of the early 1970s, and the anti-war movement was born. Americans were not only unhappy with the state of the country during the Vietnam War, but also with the state of social and political rights. Although many Americans were opposed to the Vietnam War, Nixon refused to surrender, fearing that the United States would be perceived as weak. Finally, in July 1975, Vietnam was unified under communist rule and the war was over. This was a very important period in the Cold War as yet another country was falling under communist rule, which certainly didn't help America's paranoia about the Soviet Union. In order not to be seen as weak, it was very important for the United States to perform well in the Olympics, especially when defeated in the Vietnam War. The IOC had initially decided that the Twelfth Olympic Winter Games in 1976 would be held in Denver, Colorado. However, this decision sparked great debate among the citizens of Denver. Many citizens voted to prohibit their tax dollars from being used to fund the Olympics, and some argued that the environmental impact was not worth the honor of hosting the competitions. American citizens were becoming increasingly involved in environmentalism in the 1970s, so it was not surprising that there were protests against holding the Olympic Games in Denver. In 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated and the National Environmental Policy Act was also passed. The 1970s marked a major turning point in environmentalism and the problem of pollution. Not only did the Denver government underestimate the costs of building new sports facilities, but citizens were very unhappy about the potential environmental damage it would cause. Thus, Denver made the decision not to host the Olympic Games and the IOC granted Innsbruck, Austria, the honor of hosting the Games. Innsbruck was a much better option, given that the 1964 Olympic Games were held there and only minor renovations were required to the facilities already available. The Games were considered a huge success for the second time. The country that received the most medals was the Soviet Union, finishing with twenty-seven medals, thirteen of which were gold. Tatyana Averina-Barabash, representing the Soviet Union, received the most medals out of 1,123 athletes, with two gold and two bronze. Tatiana.