Paul Anderson 1932-1994 – Iron Game History – August, 1994

The first competition behind the Iron Curtain between athletes from the two superpowers after the Cold War began was help in 1955 in Moscow. The athletes were weightlifters. Ever since the end of World War II and the resumption of international meets the American lifters had been dominant, and the soviets resented this dominance and were jealous of it. The political leaders of the soviet sports machine were very aware of the propaganda value of athletic success, and they badly wanted to be able to say to the world that their political system produced the strongest men.