High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! In artistic gymnastics, Alternate Olympics refers to two separate competitions held in 1980 and 1984. Because of the American-led 1980 Summer Olympics boycott and the Soviet-led 1984 Summer Olympics boycott, the alliances of countries that participated in each boycott organized their own alternative competitions. In 1980, these competitions were divided by sport, and included such events as the Olympic Boycott Games in Philadelphia. In 1984, while competitions for different sports still occurred in different countries and cities, they were all tied together under the aegis of the Friendship Games.