New Olympic records were set 241 times over the course of the competitions and world records were beaten 97 times.
Teófilo Stevenson of Cuba became the first boxer to win three consecutive Olympic titles in heavyweight, and indeed the only boxer to win the same event in three Games.
36 world records, 39 European records and 74 Olympic records were set at the games.
These were the final Olympic Games under the IOC Presidency of Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin.
During the opening ceremony, Salyut 6 crew Leonid Popov and Valeriy Ryumin sent their greetings to the Olympians and wished them happy starts in the live communication between the station and the Central Lenin Stadium.