Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, which created a conflict that would last ten years and extend the Cold War. Margaret Thatcher, Britain's Prime Minister at the time, stated she would boycott the Olympic games'. The US President at the time, Jimmy Carter, stated that the United States would boycott the Moscow summer Olympic games if soviet troops did not withdraw within one month. There were many protests in Britain against the boycott but also other groups were in favour of the boycott, which sparked a debate about the relationship between sport and politics.