In July of 1976 at the Montreal Olympic Games, 17 year old Russian diver Sergei Nemtsanov finished 9th in the Men’s 10 meter Platform diving competition. As punishment for not earning a medal, his Soviet coaches told him he’d be banned from further international Olympics. His Soviet coaches, wary of defectors among their athletes with the diving competition over, would fly out the diving team as soon as possible and not stay the remainder of the games. It was then he made the gut wrenching decision to defect from the Soviet Union. At the games, Sergei witnessed the amazing freedoms available in the West. He realized if he wanted the same, it was Now or Never, so he quietly approached the Canadian diving team and asked for help.
