It was an event which not only re-drew the political map of Europe but foreshadowed major repercussions for the Olympic world.

The fragmentation of the Soviet Union led to the emergence of 14 other nations including Ukraine making their Olympic appearance as independent entities.

In the late 1980s, visits to the West by Gorbachev were often accompanied by "Gorbymania", when he was welcomed by excited crowds.

Towards the end of his 1990 tour of Barcelona he was shown the 1992 Olympic installations by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Juan Antonio Samaranch and Crown Prince Felipe.

At the renovated Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys the scoreboard displayed a personal welcome in Catalan.

"It is a marvellous place to stage the Games, we will win many gold medals," Gorbachev predicted.

"The atmosphere was relaxed, even sporting," the official Olympic Review reported.

In fact, by the end of 1991, the Soviet Union ceased to be and Gorbachev was out of office.

Many of its former republics took part in the 1992 Games as a "Unified Team", a prelude to full recognition of each individual National Olympic Committee by the IOC.

Gorbachev was a rising star in the ruling Politburo at the time of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, but did not succeed hardliner Konstantin Chernenko as Soviet leader until 1985. 

Relations between the Kremlin and Western sporting bodies were still frosty after a Soviet-inspired boycott of the Los Angeles 1984 Olympics.

Gorbachev himself had attended the alternative "Friendship Games" held in the Soviet Union in 1984 as a compensation for Eastern Bloc athletes who had missed the Olympics.

Soon after he came to power, Gorbachev set out to build bridges and in November 1985, he met American President Ronald Reagan face-to-face in Geneva.

IOC President Samaranch was quick to encourage the meeting.

"The Olympic Movement as a whole confidently expects that your talks will produce positive and concrete results that will serve to encourage friendship, international understanding and that they will thus contribute to establishing and strengthening world peace, the hope of all mankind," Samaranch said in a message to both .

Many feared that the Soviets would boycott the Seoul Olympics, but early in 1988, Soviet Olympic leaders confirmed they would participate, even though Moscow did not enjoy diplomatic relations with South Korea.

Many felt that Gorbachev’s policies had been instrumental.

"This year's resumption of the traditional athletic rivalry mirrors the upbeat mood in Moscow-Washington relations since the meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev," the Washington Post said.

The Soviets sent a team of 319 to Seoul, winning 132 medals, including 55 gold.

Within a few months, Gorbachev had also held a summit meeting with South Korean President Roh Tae-woo.

In addition, Moscow had hosted the inaugural Goodwill Games, a competition bankrolled by American television tycoon Ted Turner. 

A group of Soviet ice hockey players had been allowed to join the National Hockey League in North America and some footballers were permitted to join clubs in Western Europe.

A golf club was even launched in Moscow.

In 1990, Gorbachev was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize but in 1991 he was succeeded by Boris Yeltsin who became President of the new Russian Federation.

In 2016, at the age of 85, Gorbachev sent an open letter to IOC President Thomas Bach voicing his opposition to a total ban on Russian competitors at the Rio 2016 Olympics after revelations about the extent of doping in Russia during Sochi 2014 had come to light.

"I am appealing to you to take my view into consideration when making a decision on the admission of Russian athletes to compete in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro," Gorbachev wrote.

"I support the fight against prohibited substances in sport, it is an evil that must be eradicated, those athletes who are proven to have doped should be banned from competitions," he continued.

"I am deeply worried by the fact that there also were Russian citizens among officials and athletes who used doping and falsification for the sake of victory at any price.

"At the same time, I am concerned and deeply saddened by the possibility that in case all Russian athletes are banned from competing in the Olympic Games, the innocent will be punished together with the guilty."

Gorbachev told Bach: "The principle of collective punishment is unacceptable for me.

"I am convinced that it contradicts the very culture of the Olympic movement based on universal values, humanism and principles of law".

Reports from Moscow said Gorbachev had died yesterday at Moscow's Central Clinic after "a long and grave illness".