Sarajevo, a city in the underdeveloped part of SFR Yugoslavia only known until then for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand that started World War I, was chosen to host the Olympic Games, the biggest and most well-known international sporting event in the world. The very fact that the undeveloped city of Sarajevo was one of the candidates for a project of this scope was surprising, but when in May of 1978 the International Olympic Committee announced that it had chosen Sarajevo to host the 14th Winter Olympics over Götteburg, Sweden and Sapporo, Japan (which were both on the shortlist of suitable cities), there was much scepticism about whether the Games could be organised and held there, as well as a good deal of criticism due to the large sum of money the Government would need to spend on the venture. The later was especially emphasized as the great economic crisis took sway in the early 1980s, when preparations for the Games were in full swing. The assurances by the Organising Committee about how the whole country would benefit from the Games were not very convincing, and all the stories about the boost to the country’s international reputation, the income in foreign currency that would save the economy, and about using the newly constructed buildings and infrastructure in the future, in the context of a country on the brink of dissolution, seemed like empty promises. The discussion about the ratio between investment and profit from the Games illustrated the growing differences between the federal units, which were not prone to investing in large projects on a federal level, but were rather focusing on their own needs, such as creating jobs, securing stable income, and providing basic necessities for their citizens. This individualistic approach became more pronounced after the death of Josip Broz Tito, since he was no longer there to sustain the crumbling Federal Republic. The International Olympic Committee was hoping that organizing the Olympic Games in a country that was a member of the Non-Aligned Movement would save the Olympic Movement, which was going through a crisis at the time that was marked by political boycott and other issues. The symbolism of friendship and peace as the main ideas of the Games, even though converse to the real political situation in the country, was especially emphasized during the whole period of the Olympics in Sarajevo. Even though there was speculation that there might be incidents during the Yugoslavian Games, none were recorded and the competition was a peaceful success. However, excluding a minor financial injection to the country’s tourism and positive comments on the overall organisation, the Sarajevo Olympic Games could not solve the deeply rooted problems on the federal level nor did they save the Olympic Movement. The dissolution of SFR Yugoslavia several years later and the resulting bloody war dramatically illustrated the huge contrast between the emphasized sentiments of brotherhood and unity on one side and the unsustainability of the federal structure on the other.