It was started in 1978 as an American counterpart to the communist Spartakiad – a similar event held on a quadrennial basis by the former Soviet Union and its former satellite in East Germany.
[3][6][7] After Kane was elected president of the USOC in April 1977,[8] the committee began to discuss the notion of holding such a festival every summer, except during Olympic years.
The name change was intended to make the association between the Festival and the Olympic Games more obvious, and to encourage more interest in the event.
The quality of competition at the Festival became inconsistent, with some sports featuring the top American athletes and others having only young upstarts in need of development.
During the 1995 Festival, the USOC voted to cancel its plans for the 1997 event, which had not been awarded to a host city yet, stating that there was not enough time to prepare.