1983 Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500, Race report
This 492-lap event lasted for four hours and twenty-five minutes; drivers at this event managed to average speeds up to 113.055 miles per hour (181.944 km/h). Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day. At the start of the race were 35 American-born drivers; Ernie Cline was the last-place finisher due to a crash on lap 2. Crashes and engine problems would take out more than a dozen drivers; with Neil Bonnett being the highest-finishing driver not to complete the race. Ruttman slammed the outside wall after spinning in oil. He spun backward and his left rear slammed the wall and Ruttman bounced off nearly getting airborne, almost flipping. His day would ultimately end on lap 176.


1983 Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500, Race report
Richard Petty would end up beating Bill Elliott by half a car length in one of the closest finishes at the speedway. Petty would acquire his only win in a race televised by ESPN. Had the race been scheduled for 493 laps or more, Bill Elliott could have easily extended Richard Petty's winless streak (which had already reached 43 races by this event). This event resulted in Richard Petty's 196th win in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series instead in addition to his 900th Winston Cup Series start. The event was marred by 1.1 inches (28 mm) of rainfall forcing the race to be postponed for a week.


1983 Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500, Race report
The leaders for the first 100 laps of the race would be Ricky Rudd, Dale Earnhardt, Cale Yarborough, Neil Bonnett, and Dick Brooks while the leaders during the last 100 laps would be Neil Bonnett, Darrell Waltrip, Richard Petty, and Bill Elliott. With about 10 or 15 laps to go, Neil Bonnett and Cale Yarborough crashed in Turn 1 while racing for the lead.


1983 Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500, Race report
Ricky Rudd won the pole position by qualifying with a top speed of 143.413 miles per hour or 230.801 kilometres per hour. Out of Ricky Rudd's three poles to start 1983 this was the only one that netted him a good finish, he did not finish at Daytona or Richmond but brought the #3 Chevrolet home with a top-10 finish here. A crowd of 37,000 die-hard NASCAR fans would show up to cheer on their favorite drivers even though 94 of 492 laps were run under caution.


1983 Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500, Race report
Joe Ruttman would lose his championship lead to Bill Elliott after this event was over. Two years later, Elliott would become the top winner in NASCAR.


1983 Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500, Race report
Individual winnings for this event ranged from the winner's cut of $24,150 ($62,751 when adjusted for inflation) to the last-place finisher's purse of $910 ($2,365 when adjusted for inflation). The total prize purse offered at this event was $199,065 ($517,250 when adjusted for inflation).


1983 Washington Huskies football team
The 1983 Washington Huskies football team was an American football team that represented the University of Washington during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its ninth season under head coach Don James, the team was 8–3 in the regular season (5–2 in the Pacific-10 Conference, second), and outscored its opponents 285 to 178.


1983 Washington Huskies football team
The Huskies shut out USC 24–0 to improve to 8–2, were ranked fifteenth in the AP poll, with the inside track to the Rose Bowl. They dropped their final two games, the Apple Cup in Seattle, and the Aloha Bowl to Penn State.


1983 Washington Huskies football team
Senior quarterback Steve Pelluer was selected as the team's most valuable player. Pelluer, Dean Browning, Stewart Hill, and Rick Mallory were the team captains.


1983 Washington Redskins season
The 1983 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 52nd season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 47th in Washington, D.C. The season began with the team trying to win consecutive Super Bowls, following their victory in Super Bowl XVII against the Miami Dolphins. Washington's 14–2 record was a franchise record and the best in the NFL. Their two losses were by a combined two points. Though the Redskins won the NFC Championship and advanced to a second consecutive Super Bowl, they were blown out by the Los Angeles Raiders 9–38 despite being 3-point favorites.


1983 Washington Redskins season
The Redskins' 541 points scored and +209 point differential was the best in the league, with the 541 points setting an NFL record at the time. The 1983 Redskins also had a turnover margin of +43, an NFL record. Washington was the first team since the merger to record more than 60 takeaways (61).


1983 Washington Redskins season
This season is cornerback Darrell Green's first in the league. He would spend the next 19 years with the team.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
Packers Defeat Redskins in 48–47 Monday Night ThrillerThe Green Bay Packers were facing a major challenge as they hosted the Washington Redskins on October 17, 1983. At 3–3, Head Coach Bart Starr’s Packers were a team that could put points on the board, especially with QB Lynn Dickey (pictured above) passing to wide receivers James Lofton and John Jefferson and TE Paul Coffman. But they also gave up points and came into the game with the 28th-ranked defense in the NFL. They also had to make adjustments on the offensive line, with G Tim Huffman out with an ankle injury that necessitated moving Greg Koch over from his OT position and starting Charlie Getty at tackle.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
Having a poor defense was not a good situation to be in when facing the Redskins. Coached by Joe Gibbs, they were coming off a Super Bowl-winning season and, if anything, were even stronger in ‘83. Behind the best offensive line in the league, QB Joe Theismann was a proficient passer and RB John Riggins a powerful force running the ball. If there was a weak point, it was the defensive backfield, but Washington was cruising at 5–1, with a close opening-game loss to the Cowboys the only blemish.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
There were 55,255 fans in attendance for the Monday night game at Lambeau Field. Just over a minute into the first quarter, they had reason to get excited when Green Bay LB Mike Douglass forced RB Joe Washington to fumble and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown and, with Jan Stenerud’s extra point added, the early 7–0 lead.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
DB Mike Nelms returned the kickoff 41 yards and the Redskins drove 55 yards in six plays, highlighted by Theismann’s pass to WR Art Monk for a 34-yard gain. The series ended with John Riggins fumbling into the end zone and TE Clint Didier recovering for a TD. Mark Moseley tied the score with his PAT.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
Green Bay responded with a 10-play, 40-yard drive. Lynn Dickey threw to Paul Coffman for 17 yards and John Jefferson for 13 along the way and Stenerud kicked a 47-yard field goal that put the Packers back in front by three.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
Washington moved the ball quickly downfield with Theismann connecting with Monk for a 22-yard gain and with RB Nick Giaquinto for 31 more yards. But the Green Bay defense came through with back-to-back sacks of Theismann and the Redskins had to settle for a 42-yard Moseley field goal. The eventful first quarter ended with the score tied at 10–10.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
Things did not slow down as the game approached the second quarter. Dickey threw to James Lofton for 21 yards and the Packers picked up 15 more on a penalty when CB Darrell Green hit the receiver out of bounds. Dickey then tossed a 36-yard touchdown pass to Coffman. Stenerud added the extra point and the home team was back in front by 17–10.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
Back came the Redskins, moving 67 yards in seven plays and highlighted by a 36-yard carry by Riggins. Riggins scored from a yard out and Moseley again knotted the score with the successful PAT.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
The Packers reached the Washington 33 on the next series before a Dickey pass was intercepted by CB Anthony Washington. After getting a first down, the Redskins were finally forced to punt and Green Bay came back with a 73-yard, seven-play possession. RB Eddie Lee Ivery tossed an option pass to Coffman for 15 yards and a first down at the Washington 9 from where Coffman caught a scoring pass, this time from Dickey. Stenerud added the extra point and once again the Packers were in front by a touchdown.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
With less than two minutes remaining in the half, the Redskins came out throwing. Theismann completed five passes to reach the Green Bay 11 and Moseley booted a 28-yard field goal as the clock reached five seconds. The Packers carried a 24–20 lead into the intermission.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
Starting off the third quarter, the Packers struck quickly as they advanced 80 yards in just 42 seconds. Dickey threw to Coffman for 40 yards and then RB Gerry Ellis, taking advantage of a big hole, ran 24 yards for a touchdown. The home team had its biggest lead of the day at 31-20.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
Washington seemed on the verge of responding with a touchdown, reaching the Green Bay four, but an offensive pass interference penalty nullified an apparent scoring catch and once again the Redskins settled for a Moseley field goal, this time from 31 yards.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
Up by eight points, the Packers were forced to punt on their next series and Bucky Scribner’s kick was blocked to give the Redskins the ball at the Green Bay 19. Five plays later, Theismann threw to Joe Washington for a six-yard TD and, with Moseley’s PAT, the Green Bay lead was down to 31–30.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
Washington’s defense again asserted itself as Dickey was sacked twice by DT Dave Butz. Nelms made a good return of the ensuing punt by Scribner to give the visitors possession at their 46. From there, the Redskins again moved deep into Green Bay territory, but after reaching the nine yard line, Douglass tackled Joe Washington for a loss and once again Washington was held to a field goal. Still, Moseley connected from 28 yards and put the visitors ahead by 33–31 with ten seconds left in the period.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
RB Harlan Huckleby returned the ensuing kickoff for 54 yards to the Washington 39 and the fourth quarter started with Dickey throwing to Ellis for 32 yards. Shortly thereafter, TE Gary Lewis scored a touchdown from two yards out on an end-around that put the Packers back in front.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
The Redskins came right back again as Theismann threw to Monk for 25 yards and WR Charlie Brown for another 15. Riggins blasted into the end zone from a yard out and the Washington was again in the lead of the wildly back-and-forth contest.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
The Packers responded with another score of their own, with Dickey completing passes covering 19 yards to Jefferson and 17 yards to Lofton. An 11-yard touchdown pass to FB Mike Meade, followed by Stenerud’s extra point, again put Green Bay in front at 45–40.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
Now it was Washington’s turn again. Theismann (pictured at right) threw to Monk for 21 yards and Joe Washington ran for two first downs. A sack of Theismann by DE Byron Braggs momentarily derailed the Redskins, but a pass to Giaquinto picked up 35 yards and set up a five-yard scoring toss to Washington. Moseley added the point and, with 2:50 left on the clock, the visitors were back on top at 47-45.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
It looked bleak for the Packers when, following the kickoff, Dickey tossed two incomplete passes. But then he found Ellis on a short pass over the middle that turned into a 56-yard gain to the Washington eight and, after conservatively running the ball into the line three times, the dependable Stenerud came on to kick a 20-yard field goal. It was the fifth lead change of the final period and put the Packers ahead by a point.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
There were still 54 seconds remaining in the contest, however, and while the Redskins had no timeouts remaining, they quickly moved the ball down the field. Theismann completed three passes to Joe Washington, gaining a total of 33 yards, and the running back made it out of bounds after each. Theismann then threw to Brown for 22 yards, but the clock was still running and the quarterback had to hurriedly toss a pass out of bounds with three seconds to go. On the last play of the game, Moseley missed a 39-yard field goal attempt, the fans erupted, and the Packers came away with the 48–47 win.


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
The combined 95 points was a new high for Monday Night Football. The teams also combined for 1025 yards of offense, with the Redskins topping Green Bay by 552 to 473. They had more first downs (33 to 23). Each team turned the ball over once, and there were just three punts in all (one by Washington, two for Green Bay, one of which was blocked by the Redskins).


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
“It was about the wildest thing I’ve ever been in,” said Lynn Dickey. “I wish I had been in the stands or at home watching on tv, it was that good.”


1983 Washington Redskins season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at Green Bay Packers
“It was a tremendously inspirational win because you could see the sort of enthusiasm and intensity that was on display tonight,” said Bart Starr. “You have to salute both teams because Washington, for the reasons demonstrated on the field, is a world-championship team. They are magnificent.”


1983 Washington State Cougars football team
The 1983 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University in the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10). Led by sixth-year head coach Jim Walden, WSU was 7–4 overall (5–3 in Pac-10, third), and played their home games at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane and at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington.


1983 Washington State Cougars football team
The team's statistical leaders included Ricky Turner with 1,351 passing yards, Kerry Porter with 1,000 rushing yards, and John Marshall with 328 receiving yards. Sophomore quarterback Mark Rypien started two games in September, but was sidelined with a broken collarbone.


1983 Washington State Cougars football team
The Cougars won a second straight Apple Cup over rival Washington, their first victory at Husky Stadium in Seattle in a decade.


1983 Washington State Cougars football team
Walden was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year, and four Cougars were selected to the conference's first team: linemen Keith Millard and Eric Williams on defense, with guard Dan Lynch and sophomore running back Kerry Porter on offense. Millard was the thirteenth overall pick of the 1984 NFL Draft, selected by the Minnesota Vikings.


1983 Washington State Cougars football team
This is the most recent season in which selected home games were played in Spokane, and the Cougars won both. With a change in the academic calendar in 1984, classes started at WSU a month earlier, in late August, and all home games were scheduled for Pullman. (Home games in Seattle at Lumen Field were played from 2002 to 2014.)


1983 Waterford Senior Hurling Championship
The 1983 Waterford Senior Hurling Championship was the 83rd staging of the Waterford Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Waterford County Board in 1897.


1983 Waterford Senior Hurling Championship
On 9 October 1983, Mount Sion won the championship after a 5-11 to 2-06 defeat of Ballyduff Upper in the final. This was their 26th championship title overall and their first title since 1981.


1983 Wellington City mayoral election
The 1983 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1983, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including eighteen city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.


1983 Wellington City mayoral election, Background
The election saw deputy mayor Ian Lawrence voted in as the new Mayor of Wellington to replace Sir Michael Fowler who had retired. Lawrence retained the Mayoralty for the Citizens' Association, seeing off a challenge from high profile Labour Party councillor Helene Ritchie. Given Lawrence's quiet style and low profile compared to Ritchie's more marked public reputation, most commentators and pollsters were predicting a very close result. The eventual outcome was a surprise to many with Lawrence winning by a margin exceeding 8,000 votes, with media dubbing him "Landslide Lawrence". Ritchie retrospectively blamed her loss on an "anti-woman vote".


1983 Wellington City mayoral election, Background
The 1983 election was also notable as it saw former Citizens' councillor Leone Harkness re-elected to the council as an independent candidate, the first time a candidate without an official party ticket had been elected to the council since Berkeley Dallard in 1950. It also saw Jenny Brough (later Harris) retain her seat on the council after defecting from Labour in 1982. It also marked the last time in Wellington where local body elections elected councillors at large.


1983 Welsh Professional Championship
The 1983 Woodpecker Welsh Professional Championship was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament, which took place in February 1983.


1983 Welsh Professional Championship
Ray Reardon won the tournament defeating Doug Mountjoy 9–1 in the final.


1983 West African Nations Cup
The 1983 West African Nations Cup was the second edition of the tournament. It was held in Ivory Coast between September 25 and October 2. The title was won by Nigeria.


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic
The 1983 West Bank fainting epidemic occurred in late March and early April 1983. Researchers point to mass hysteria as the most likely explanation. Large numbers of Palestinians complained of fainting and dizziness, the vast majority of whom were teenage girls with a smaller number of female Israeli soldiers in multiple West Bank towns, leading to 943 hospitalizations.


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic
The cause was determined to be psychological in April 1983, but the fainting spells led to accusations and counter-accusations between Israelis and Palestinians. Israel even arrested some Palestinians during the outbreak, alleging that political agitation was behind the phenomenon. The New York Times reported that "Palestinian leaders have accused Israeli settlers and officials of using 'chemical warfare' in West Bank schools to drive Arabs out of the area" and that some Israeli officials "accused radical Palestinian factions of using gas or chemicals to incite demonstrations."


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic
Investigators concluded that the wave of complaints was ultimately a result of mass hysteria, even if some environmental irritant had originally been present. This conclusion was supported by a Palestinian health official, who said that 20% of the early cases may have been caused by the inhalation of some kind of gas, but the remaining 80% were psychosomatic.


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic
Albert Hefez was the lead Israeli psychiatric investigator into the incident, and he found that the Israeli press and Palestinian medical personnel both fueled the mass hysteria. He said the Israeli press, by speculating that "poison" was behind the incidents in its early reporting and quoting unnamed Israeli army officials as saying nerve gas was being used by Palestinian militants to provoke an uprising, spread panic. He found that Arab medical personnel, in turn, decided that the "poison" must be coming from the Israeli side.


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic
Baruch Modan, director general of Israel's health ministry, also concluded that most of the victims of the epidemic suffered from a psychological malady, though he said that some who fell ill after April 3 were faking, when epidemiologists say that the outbreak had subsided. Hefez wrote in his 1985 study "The Role of the Press and the Medical Community in the epidemic of 'Mysterious Gas Poisoning' in the Jordan West Bank" that Israeli newspaper reports of poisoning at the start of the epidemic added fuel to the flames.


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic
A front-page article in Ha'aretz on March 28, 1983 even claimed that Israeli military investigators had found traces of nerve gas and quoted "army sources" as saying that they suspected that Palestinian militants were poisoning their own people in order to blame Israel and provoke an uprising. Palestinian leaders followed up with accusations that Israel had poisoned them in an attempt to drive them from the West Bank. Such epidemic hysteria has a long history. Notable cases are the Salem witch trials, the Tanganyika laughter epidemic of 1962, and the 2008–2012 outbreak of psychogenic illness among Afghan school girls over suspected Taliban poisoning.


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Epidemic
The first fainting spells were on March 21, 1983, in the West Bank town of Arrabah under Israeli rule, when a girl ran to a window, coughing and complaining of breathing difficulties. Within hours, six other students complained of the same symptoms. Panic spread to other classes. Israeli and Palestinian doctors, on investigating, are also reported to have detected a nauseating odour in the school. Cases of vomiting and complaints of blurred vision were also reported. Schoolgirls fell sick, some fainted. At the time the girls were in a different classrooms. They were taken to hospitals but no medical causes for their complaints were found. Some female Israeli soldiers who escorted the girls came down with the same symptoms, including nausea, dizziness, headache and stomach pains.


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Epidemic
The school in Arrabah where the epidemic began saw 32 girls affected. Over the next two weeks, 57 Palestinian girls complained of similar symptoms at Zahra Middle School in Jenin (March 26), 37 at Tulkarem (March 29), 310 in Hebron (early April) and other towns, with 943 people eventually hospitalized in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Israeli military authorities in the West Bank closed Palestinian schools for 20 days during the epidemic.


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Epidemic
The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) wrote in its report on the epidemic that it occurred in three waves. The first wave from March 21 to 24, 1983, began at roughly 8:00 am "when a 17-year-old student experienced a sensation of throat irritation and had difficulty breathing shortly after entering her classroom" in Arrabah the CDC wrote. Symptoms soon spread to classmates and at least one teacher, and some of the girls complained of a smell like rotten eggs. "On the basis of the students' reports of odor, they suspected the presence of a toxic gas and immediately instituted a widespread but unsuccessful search for the source," the CDC wrote.


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Epidemic
The CDC reported that 70% of patients in the first wave were schoolgirls between 12 and 17 years old and that "clinical, epidemiologic, and toxicologic analyses indicated the illness was of psychogenic origin and was induced by stress. The outbreak, which began at a girls' secondary school, may have been triggered by the odor of low concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas near the school."


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Epidemic
The CDC defined the second wave as between March 26 and 28, mostly hitting Jenin and nearby villages. The second wave saw 367 people fall ill, 246 of them schoolgirls. The CDC reported that 67% of the patients in the epidemic's second wave were schoolgirls and that symptoms "developed in persons of all age groups and both sexes in an area of east Jenin after local residents observed a car moving through the streets emitting a thick cloud of smoke. The third wave was on April 3 with most of the cases in the Hebron area. Schools were closed in the West Bank after the April 3 outbreak and the epidemic ended.


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Epidemic
"Data collected in these investigations indicate that the West Bank epidemic was triggered either by psychological factors, or, more probably, by the odor of low, sub-toxic concentrations of H2S gas escaping from a latrine at the secondary school in Arrabah. Subsequent propagation of the outbreak was mediated by psychological factors, occurred against a background of anxiety and stress, and may have been facilitated by newspaper and radio reports that described the symptoms in detail and suggested strongly that a toxic gas was the cause. The epidemic was probably terminated by the closing of West Bank schools," the CDC concluded. "No evidence was encountered to indicate that patients had deliberately or consciously fabricated their symptoms. Evidence against malingering was provided by normal findings on physical examination."


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Epidemic
Albert Hefez, the lead psychiatric investigator of the epidemic for the Israeli Ministry of Health, found that it spread through the community much like the Tanganyika laughter epidemic, though he also said its spread was boosted by the reporting of the Israeli press and Palestinian distrust of Israel's intentions in the West Bank. "The social and historical context of this incident may throw light on the subsequent snowballing of events," he wrote. "The Djenin area is located in the Jordan West Bank region occupied by Israeli forces since the 1967 six-day war. The Arab population perceives the situation as a temporary occupation but some tend to believe that the Israelis would do anything to perpetuate the status quo."


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Epidemic
Hefez writes that the outbreak really spread after a March 26 article in the newspaper Ma'Ariv headlined "The Mysterious Poisoning goes on: 56 High School Girls in Djenin Poisoned." "The headline regarding a ‘mysterious poisoning’ implied in Hebrew the presence of an unknown perpetrator. No mention was made of the fate of the first group of girls... This increased the fear and suspicion already existing among the Arab population," he wrote. He also identifies a front page article from Ha'aretz on March 28 as feeding local hysteria. That article said Israeli investigators had found preliminary indications that nerve gas had been used and that "Israeli army sources suspected an attempt to provoke the Arab population in anticipation of the coming 'Day of the Land.'"


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Epidemic
The psychiatrist writes that these reports spread panic. "Not only was the number of effected persons increasing rapidly, but some unknown agent was poisoning the public. The answer to the ultimate question of ‘Who is behind it?’ would obviously depend on ones political affiliation. Thus the accusational tone and statements became even more apparent." He points to a Ma'Ariv article from March 31 that put forth the hypothesis that Palestinian activists were putting out a false story to provoke an uprising. Some Israeli doctors theorized the girls were playacting.


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Epidemic
The Palestinian counter-narrative emerged quickly, he wrote. "The Arab league accused Israel of using chemical weapons to exterminate Arab people, and Arab doctors from Tul-Karem Hospital raised suspicion that the gas was intended to produce sterility in the affected girls."


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Epidemic
The epidemic had peaked by April 1, Hefez found. "The official communiqué rejecting any poisoning etiology, published in the morning paper Ha'aretz on April 1, appeared at the peak of this final wave. Although several cases appeared after this report, the panic declined."


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Accusations and political backdrop
Palestinian officials accused Israelis—either the government or settlers—of using "chemical warfare" to either drive them out of the West Bank or to sterilize their young women. PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat alleged it was part of a "planned and systematic crime against our people." Some Israeli officials accused the Palestinians of using poison to provoke mass demonstrations.


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Accusations and political backdrop
The Christian Science Monitor reported that events earlier in March had "produced a pervasive atmosphere of distrust throughout the West Bank. West Bankers' fears are fanned by statements like that of Deputy Speaker of the Knesset (parliament) Meir Cohen... who said in mid-March that Israel had made a fatal mistake when it did not drive 200,000 to 300,000 Arabs of Judea and Samaria (biblical names for the West Bank) across the river Jordan in the 1967 war."


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Accusations and political backdrop
The Monitor reported that "expulsion of Arabs from the West Bank has been advocated by the Kach movement of American-born Rabbi Meir Kahane, active on the West Bank" and that the outbreak came amid a "major Israeli settlement drive," creating an environment in which Palestinians were ready to believe they were being poisoned by Israel.


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Accusations and political backdrop
On March 29, 1983, the Deputy Permanent Observer of the Palestine Liberation Organization to the United Nations Hasan Abdul Rahman sent a letter to the President of the UN Security Council in which he charged that the fainting spells were caused by Israeli poisoning. Rahman wrote that a "sulfurous powder" was found at two schools, and that a coke bottle containing a "noxious substance" and "emitting fumes" was found at a third school. He concluded "it is without question that a new phase in Israel's campaign of genocide against the Palestinian people has been launched."


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Accusations and political backdrop
Brigadier Shlomo Iliya, the head of Israel's military administration in the West Bank, said on April 5 that his men had arrested a number of Palestinians, insisting that "political agitators" were behind the outbreak. He told a press conference that "Palestinian student organizations and other political bodies were behind the illness."


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Accusations and political backdrop
The Israeli government was of two minds about what was going on at the time of the epidemic. While Baruch Modan, the director general of Israel's health ministry believed they were "dealing with a case of mass hysteria rooted in the tense anti-Israeli climate in the occupied West Bank," Brig. Iliya said "we tend to think it was all provocation designed to stir up the normally quiet Jenin streets." Not all military officials agreed with him. Brig. Gen. Moshe Revah, head of the Israeli army's medical corps, acknowledged that 10 Israeli soldiers in Jenin had fallen ill, while two wearing gas masks had not. "Border patrolman are not immune from such phenomena."


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Findings – no poison, mass hysteria to blame
Baruch Modan, Director-General of the Israeli Ministry of Health said that the first cases could have been caused by an "environmental irritant". Yellow powder that was seen around some school in Jenin proved to be a common pollen. Though a trace of hydrogen sulfide was found, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta found that most of the fainting cases were psychological in nature. A Palestinian doctor from Hebron said "there is no sign of poisoning. Still, something has happened to these girls."


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Findings – no poison, mass hysteria to blame
On March 31, 1983, the Permanent Representative to the UN from Iraq asked the Security Council to look into "the situation arising from the cases of mass poisoning which have affected more than 1,000 Palestinian schoolgirls," saying "these serious cases require that the Security Council discharge its responsibility under the Charter of the United Nations, in order to ensure Israel's compliance with the rules of international law relative to the protection of the civilian population in the occupied Arab and Palestinian territories."


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Findings – no poison, mass hysteria to blame
On April 4, 1983, the UN Security Council met and formally requested the Secretary General of the UN to conduct an independent investigation of the "reported cases of poisoning." The UN investigation found that mass hysteria was the likeliest cause of the epidemic, as did the International Red Cross, the World Health Organization and Israel's own lead psychiatric investigator, Albert Hefez.


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Findings – no poison, mass hysteria to blame
On August 25, 1983 Yehuda Blum, Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, wrote in a letter to the UN Secretary General that the accusations of poisoning by Israel were false and "Israel medical authorities, who immediately instituted an inquiry into the matter, could not establish the existence of any organic cause." A World Health Organization inquiry also found no organic causes for "this ill-defined health emergency." The letter also cites Red Cross doctor Franz Altherr, who felt it "was a mass phenomenon without any organic basis."


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Findings – no poison, mass hysteria to blame
In late April, a team of US medical researchers from the Department of Health and Human Services released their own report, which "rejected contentions that 943 cases of acute illness over two weeks were caused by deliberate poisoning or were fabricated for propaganda purposes." The report "concluded that the outbreaks represented an epidemic of true psychologic illness and that the cause of this illness was anxiety."


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Findings – no poison, mass hysteria to blame
In an "Editors Note", The New York Times apologized for its early coverage of the epidemic. "First reports suggested that the illness was caused by mass poisoning. But Israeli and American doctors later concluded that the symptoms, including dizziness, nausea and headaches, had been caused by mass hysteria. Articles on April 4, April 5, and April 26 reported on these medical investigations. But because of the positions and relative lengths of the articles, the overall effect was greater emphasis on the charge of poisoning than on the Israeli rebuttal."


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Findings – no poison, mass hysteria to blame
The New York Times also apologized for quoting an Arab doctor in the West Bank without giving equal time to Israeli officials. The doctor said that "Israeli officials had dismissed him as director of public health services there because he refused to agree that the illnesses had no organic basis. The article omitted the Israeli explanation for his dismissal: that he had allowed 'leftists' to loiter in the hospitals, that he had discouraged the hospitals from releasing the schoolgirls after they had recovered, and that he was trying to inflame the situation. The coverage gave more weight to the Arab charges than to the American and Israeli explanations. There was no journalistic justification for the disparity."


1983 West Bank fainting epidemic, Israeli claims it was a blood libel or a lie
Dan Margalit of the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz wrote in March 1983 that the accusations leveled at Israel over the fainting spells "may yet become a modern blood libel against the Jews." Raphael Israeli's 2002 book, Poison: modern manifestations of a blood libel, argues that the fainting epidemic was largely a grand lie designed to harm the image of Israel.


1983 West Dorset District Council election
The 1983 West Dorset District Council election was held on Thursday 5 May 1983 to elect councillors to West Dorset District Council in England. It took place on the same day as other district council elections in the United Kingdom. The entire council was up for election, following boundary changes that reduced the number of wards by two, but altogether the number of seats remained the same. Subsequent elections for the council would be elected by thirds following the passing a resolution under section 7 (4) (b) of the Local Government Act 1972.


1983 West Dorset District Council election
The 1983 election saw the Independent councillors lose seats but maintain their majority control on the Council.


1983 West German federal election
Federal elections were held in West Germany on 6 March 1983 to elect the members of the 10th Bundestag. The CDU/CSU alliance led by Helmut Kohl remained the largest faction in parliament, with Kohl remaining Chancellor.


1983 West German federal election, Issues and campaign
The SPD/FDP coalition under Chancellor Helmut Schmidt was returned to power in the 1980 West German federal election. The coalition parties grew more and more apart over economic policies. Schmidt asked for and won a motion of no confidence on 5 February 1982. The FDP cabinet ministers resigned on 17 September 1982 and the SPD formed a minority government. On 1 October, Schmidt and the SPD government were dismissed from office by a constructive vote of no confidence by the votes of the CDU/CSU Union parties and a majority of the FDP deputies in the Bundestag.


1983 West German federal election, Issues and campaign
The Leader of the Christian Democratic Union and Leader of the CDU/CSU Group in the Bundestag Helmut Kohl succeeded Schmidt. The new coalition had a majority in the Bundestag but early elections were arranged to legitimize it. Kohl did this by deliberately losing a vote of no confidence on 17 December 1982. Federal President Karl Carstens then dissolved the Bundestag and held new elections. The Federal Constitutional Court upheld the constitutionality of the dissolution.


1983 West German federal election, Issues and campaign
The FDP was split by its change of coalition partners. The party leadership under Hans-Dietrich Genscher and Otto Graf Lambsdorff drove the new policy, but they were rejected by a minority under Gerhart Baum, Günter Verheugen and Ingrid Matthäus-Maier. The FDP was defeated in the 1982 Hessian state election on 26 September 1982, losing half its voters by gaining only 3.1 percent of the vote and failing to enter the state parliament thanks to an SPD campaign against the FDP's "betrayal in Bonn". The FDP was defeated again and lost all of its seats in the 1982 Bavarian state election on 10 October 1982.


1983 West German federal election, Issues and campaign
Helmut Schmidt renounced his chancellor candidacy and was replaced by former Federal Minister of Justice Hans-Jochen Vogel. The SPD encountered difficulties because of the emergence of the Greens. A major issue in this election was the armament question after the NATO Double-Track Decision.


1983 West German federal election, Post-election
The coalition between the CDU/CSU and the FDP returned to government, gaining 55.7% of the vote and 55.8% of the seats, with Helmut Kohl as Chancellor. This was the first election in which the Greens secured representation in the Bundestag, and the first which saw a fourth (fifth) party in the parliament since 1960.


1983 West Virginia Mountaineers football team
The 1983 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Mountaineers' 91st overall season and they competed as a Division I-A Independent. The team was led by head coach Don Nehlen, in his fourth year, and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season with a record of nine wins and three losses (9–3 overall) and with a victory over Kentucky in the Hall of Fame Classic.


1983 West Virginia Mountaineers football team, Season summary
Jeff Hostetler was the starting quarterback for the Mountaineers. He led the team with 2345 passing yards and 16 touchdowns. Leading the team in rushing was Tom Gray with 498 net yards. Rich Hollins led the team in receiving with 50 receptions for 781 yards. Paul Woodside was also a reliable commodity for the Mountaineers. The Mountaineer offense was rolling after its first two games. They had beaten their first two opponents by a combined 103–10 score, with a 55–3 win over Ohio, and a 48–7 win over Pacific.


1983 West Virginia Mountaineers football team, Season summary
Their first test of the season came on the road against #17 Maryland, where the Mountaineers emerged victorious 31–21. The next week, the Mountaineers played on the road, against a second straight ranked opponent in #19 Boston College. Again, the Mountaineers emerged victorious 27–17. They then avenged a 13–16 loss at Pittsburgh the year before, by beating the Panthers 24–21 at home. The next week, they posted a second consecutive win over a major rival by shutting out Virginia Tech 13–0 at home. The win moved WVU's ranking up to 3rd in the major polls.


1983 West Virginia Mountaineers football team, Season summary
The Mountaineers were beaten at Penn State, the next week, ruining their national title hopes. It is very possible, that had the Mountaineers won that, they would be playing for the national championship. They were still hung over the week after, losing to Miami 20–3, giving them 2 straight losses. WVU came back with a 27–9 win over Temple, and a 35–7 win over Rutgers. They lost at Syracuse the next week 27–16, and closed out the season with a 20–16 win over Kentucky in the Hall of Fame Bowl.


1983 West of England Championships
The 1983 West of England Championships was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts in Bristol, England that was part of the 1982 Volvo Grand Prix. It was the fourth edition of the tournament and was played from 13 June until 19 June 1983. First-seeded Johan Kriek  won the singles title.


1983 West of England Championships, Finals, Doubles
John Alexander /  John Fitzgerald defeated  Tom Gullikson /  Johan Kriek 7–5, 6–4


1983 Western Australian state election
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 19 February 1983 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and 18 members to the 34-seat Legislative Council.


1983 Western Australian state election
The three-term Liberal-National Country coalition government, led by Premier Ray O'Connor since 25 January 1982 (after the retirement of Sir Charles Court) was defeated by the Labor Party, led by Opposition Leader Brian Burke since 10 September 1981.


1983 Western Australian state election, Results, Legislative Assembly
Western Australian state election, 19 February 1983Legislative Assembly << 1980–1986 >>


1983 Western Michigan Broncos football team
The 1983 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second season under head coach Jack Harbaugh, the Broncos compiled a 6–5 record (4–5 against MAC opponents), finished in sixth place in the MAC, and were outscored by their opponents, 208 to 179. The team played its home games at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan.


1983 Western Michigan Broncos football team
The team's statistical leaders included Steve Hoffman with 1,407 passing yards, Shawn Faulkner with 1,668 rushing yards, and Kelly Spielmaker with 653 receiving yards. Fullback Kurt Barterian and defensive back Demetrius Jones were the team captains. Shawn Faulkner received the team's most outstanding player award. Tight end Kelly Spielmaker was named the MAC freshman of the year.


1983 Whitbread Awards
The Whitbread Awards (1971-2005), called Costa Book Awards since 2006, are literary awards in the United Kingdom, awarded both for high literary merit but also for works considered enjoyable reading. This page gives details of the awards given in the year 1983.


1983 Wichita State Shockers football team
The 1983 Wichita State Shockers football team was an American football team that represented  Wichita State as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fifth year under head coach Willie Jeffries, the team compiled a 3–8 record.


1983 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election
Elections to the Wigan Council were held on Thursday, 5 May 1983, with one third of the council up for election. The election seen only the main three parties contesting for the first time and one gain in Tyldesley East with Alliance winning their seventh seat from Labour. The Conservatives, contesting a low of seventeen wards, managed their lowest voter share since the council's creation. Overall turnout rose to a relative high of 39.1%.


1983 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election, Election result
This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:


1983 Wightman Cup
The 1983 Wightman Cup was the 55th edition of the annual women's team tennis competition between the United States and Great Britain. It was held at The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia in the United States. It was held from November 1 through November 6, 1983.


1983 William & Mary Tribe football team
The 1983 William & Mary Tribe football team represented the College of William & Mary as an independent during the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by Jimmye Laycock in his fourth year as head coach, William & Mary finished the season with a record of 6–5.


1983 Wimbledon Championships
The 1983 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London in the United Kingdom. It was the 97th edition of the Wimbledon Championships and were held from 20 June to 3 July 1983.


1983 Wimbledon Championships, Prize money
The total prize money for 1983 championships was £978,211. The winner of the men's title earned £66,600 while the women's singles champion earned £60,000.


1983 Wimbledon Championships, Champions, Seniors, Men's Doubles
Peter Fleming /  John McEnroe defeated  Tim Gullikson /  Tom Gullikson, 6–4, 6–3, 6–4


1983 Wimbledon Championships, Champions, Seniors, Women's Doubles
Martina Navratilova /  Pam Shriver defeated  Rosie Casals /  Wendy Turnbull, 6–2, 6–2


1983 Wimbledon Championships, Champions, Seniors, Mixed Doubles
John Lloyd /  Wendy Turnbull defeated  Steve Denton /  Billie Jean King, 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–5), 7–5


1983 Wimbledon Championships, Champions, Juniors, Boys' Doubles
Mark Kratzmann /  Simon Youl defeated  Mihnea-Ion Năstase /  Olli Rahnasto, 6–4, 6–4


1983 Wimbledon Championships, Champions, Juniors, Girls' Doubles
Patty Fendick /  Patricia Hy defeated  Carin Anderholm /  Helena Olsson, 6–1, 7–5


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Boys' Doubles
Pat Cash and John Frawley were the defending champions but Cash did not compete. Frawley competed with Jonathan Canter but lost in the quarterfinals to Karel Nováček and Norbert Teufelberger.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Boys' Doubles
Mark Kratzmann and Simon Youl defeated Mihnea-Ion Năstase and Olli Rahnasto in the final, 6–4, 6–4 to win the Boys' Doubles tennis title at the 1983 Wimbledon Championships.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Boys' Singles
Stefan Edberg defeated John Frawley in the final, 6–3, 7–6(7–5) to win the Boys' Singles tennis title at the 1983 Wimbledon Championships.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Boys' Singles, Seeds
Click on the seed number of a player to go to their draw section.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Girls' Doubles
Patty Fendick and Patricia Hy defeated Carin Anderholm and Helena Olsson in the final, 6–1, 7–5 to win the Girls' Doubles tennis title at the 1983 Wimbledon Championships.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Girls' Singles
Pascale Paradis defeated Patricia Hy in the final, 6–2, 6–1 to win the Girls' Singles tennis title at the 1983 Wimbledon Championships.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Girls' Singles, Seeds
Click on the seed number of a player to go to their draw section.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Doubles
Peter McNamara and Paul McNamee were the defending champions, but McNamara did not compete. McNamee played with Brian Gottfried but lost in the quarterfinals to Anders Järryd and Hans Simonsson.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Doubles
Peter Fleming and John McEnroe defeated Tim and Tom Gullikson in the final, 6–4, 6–3, 6–4 to win the Gentlemen's Doubles title at the 1983 Wimbledon Championships.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Doubles, Seeds
Click on the seed number of a player to go to their draw section.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles
John McEnroe defeated Chris Lewis in the final, 6–2, 6–2, 6–2 to win the Gentlemen's Singles tennis title at the 1983 Wimbledon Championships.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles
Jimmy Connors was the defending champion, but lost in the fourth round to Kevin Curren.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles, Seeds
Click on the seed number of a player to go to their draw section.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles, Seeds
Gene Mayer and Jimmy Arias withdrew due to injury. They were replaced in the draw by Lucky Loser Bruce Kleege and Qualifier Scott Davis respectively.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles Qualifying
Players who neither had high enough rankings nor received wild cards to enter the main draw of the annual Wimbledon Tennis Championships participated in a qualifying tournament held one week before the event. Several players withdrew from the main draw after qualifying had commenced, leading to the highest ranked players who lost in the final qualifying round to be entered into the main draw as lucky losers.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Mixed Doubles
Kevin Curren and Anne Smith held the title but did not defend.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Mixed Doubles
John Lloyd and Wendy Turnbull defeated Steve Denton and Billie Jean King in the final, 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–5), 7–5 to win the Mixed Doubles tennis title at the 1983 Wimbledon Championships.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Mixed Doubles, Seeds
Click on the seed number of a player to go to their draw section.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Doubles
Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver successfully defended their title, defeating Rosie Casals and Wendy Turnbull in the final, 6–2, 6–2 to win the Ladies' Doubles tennis title at the 1983 Wimbledon Championships.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Doubles, Seeds
The top 8 seeds received a bye into the second round.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Doubles, Seeds
Click on the seed number of a player to go to their draw section.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles
Martina Navratilova successfully defended her title, defeating Andrea Jaeger in the final, 6–0, 6–3 to win the Ladies' Singles tennis title at the 1983 Wimbledon Championships.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles
Billie Jean King became the oldest semifinalist at a Grand Slam event at 39 years, 7 months and 9 days old, an Open Era record. Chris Evert Lloyd's loss in the 3rd round broke her streak of 34 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals. She had made the semifinals in her first 34 Grand Slam appearances between the 1971 US Open and the 1983 French Open.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles, Seeds
Click on the seed number of a player to go to their draw section.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles, Seeds
Tracy Austin withdrew due to injury. She was replaced in the draw by Lucky Loser Myriam Schropp.


1983 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles Qualifying
Players who neither had high enough rankings nor received wild cards to enter the main draw of the annual Wimbledon Tennis Championships participated in a qualifying tournament held one week before the event.


1983 Winfield State League season
The 1983 Winfield State League was the second season of the Queensland Rugby League's statewide competition. The competition was run similarly to the NSWRL's Amco Cup, featuring a short format prior the larger Brisbane Premiership season. Fortitude Valley won the title with a 21-12 win over Easts Tigers in the final at Lang Park in Brisbane.


1983 Winfield State League season, Teams
A total of 14 teams competed in the inaugural season, 8 of which were BRL Premiership clubs. The remaining six were regional teams from across the state, hence the State League name.


1983 Winfield State League season, Ladder
Easts and Valleys qualified for a one-off final from a 7-round season, while four teams, Norths, Souths, Central Queensland and Gold Coast each received a point for matches which did not take place as scheduled in round six. All 8 Brisbane clubs finished above their country counterparts on the ladder for the second year running.


1983 Winfield State League season, Final
The one-off final was held at held at QRL headquarters at Lang Park, between the defending champions Easts and Valleys. In the final, the Tigers could not repeat their success of 1982, beaten by the Diehards 21-12.


1983 Winnipeg Blue Bombers season
The 1983 Winnipeg Blue Bombers finished in 2nd place in the West Division with a 9–7 record. They appeared in the West Final but lost 39–21 to the BC Lions.


1983 Winnipeg municipal election
The 1983 Winnipeg municipal election was held on October 26, 1983 to elect a mayor, councillors and school trustees in the city of Winnipeg. There were also two referendum questions, on bilingualism and nuclear disarmament.


1983 Winnipeg municipal election, Results
Results taken from the Winnipeg Free Press newspaper, 27 October 1983.


1983 Winston 500
The 1983 Winston 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series event that took place on  May 1, 1983, at Alabama International Motor Speedway (now Talladega Superspeedway) in Talladega, Alabama.


1983 Winston 500, Background
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a Tri-oval and was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in the 1960s. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the Monster Energy Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles (4.28 km), and the track at its peak had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators.


1983 Winston 500, Race
There were 42 American-born drivers on the grid, representing manufacturers Pontiac, Buick, Chevrolet, and Ford. Cale Yarborough qualified for the pole position with a speed of 202.650 miles per hour (326.134 km/h). Richard Petty defeated Benny Parsons by two car lengths after three hours and fourteen minutes to earn his 197th career win. Seven cautions for 42 laps were witnessed by 110,000 spectators in addition to 27 lead changes. The average speed of the race was 153.936 miles per hour (247.736 km/h). There was a major incident involving Phil Parsons and ten other drivers. Two photographers managed to get Parsons out of the wreck. The entire race purse was $361,820 ($928,788.19 when adjusted for inflation).


1983 Winston 500, Race
Harry Gant finished 4th and took the points lead from Bobby Allison as a result of the 31-point swing. Neil Bonnett came in third in points and maintained that position although he lost ground as a result of the issues that left him with a 15th-place finish, seven laps down.


1983 Winston 500, Race
Dale Earnhardt was driving a Ford Thunderbird for team owner Bud Moore this year. Lowell Cowell would retire from NASCAR after this race.


1983 Winston 500, Media, Television
The television coverage of this race was (on NBC) on a tape-delayed broadcast.


1983 Winston Kings season
The 1983 Winston Kings season was the first season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Known as Manhattan Shirtmakers in the All-Filipino Conference and Sunkist Juice Lovers in the Reinforced Conference.


1983 Winston Kings season, Summary
The Sanyu Group of Companies, the league's newest member who took over from the defunct U-Tex Wranglers, carried its product line Manhattan Shirts of New York and were called Manhattan Shirtmakers with the Hong Kong-based Manhattan Far East subsidizing the team's training expenses. Its line-up were composed of 10 veterans and two rookies and will be handled by coach Nic Jorge. The team did not qualify in the semifinal round of the All-Filipino Conference, placing seventh in their inaugural tournament.


1983 Winston Kings season, Summary
For the Reinforced Filipino Conference, the team was renamed Sunkist Juice Lovers. Coach Nic Jorge was replaced by former U-Tex import Glenn McDonald, who saw action for two games before resuming to full-time coaching. McDonald he gave his spot to one-time CDCP import Ronald McCoy, who only played one game and was replaced by Maurice Williams, a seventh-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Lakers. The Juice Lovers were tied with San Miguel with six wins and eight losses after the eliminations. They lost to the Beermen in a playoff game for the last quarterfinals berth.


1983 Winston Kings season, Summary
Fortune Tobacco Corporation took over from the Sanyu Group in the Open Conference and carried the name Winston Kings, now coached by basketball great Lauro Mumar. The Kings started out with the returning Darryl Smith, who played for Great Taste back in 1979, and Eddie Roberson as their imports. After two games, both were replaced by former Gilbey's Gin import Larry McNeill and Maurice Williams, who was called back after playing 12 games with Sunkist in the previous conference. Winston ended up last with five wins and nine losses with one of their victories best remembered for the scoring record made by Larry McNeill, hitting 88 points against Great Taste.


1983 Winston Kings season, Scoring record
October 25: Larry McNeill set an all-time high for most points in the game by scoring 88 points in Winston' 167-163 overtime victory over Great Taste. The 88-point total output broke the previous record of 85 made by Lew Massey of Gilbey's a year before.


1983 Winston Western 500
The 1983 Winston Western 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on November 20, 1983, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.


1983 Winston Western 500, Race recap
There were 42 drivers; 40 of them were American-born while Roy Smith and Trevor Boys were born in Canada.


1983 Winston Western 500, Race recap
Ricky Rudd started on the front row but retired from the lead with a blown engine in his last outing for Richard Childress in the #3 Piedmont Airlines Chevrolet. Dale Earnhardt would start his final NASCAR Winston Cup Series race in a Ford; bringing home Bud Moore's #15 Wrangler Thunderbird home with a top-5 finish. Jim Stacy would mark his final race as an official NASCAR team owner at this race. Stacy came in with promises and a lot of cash but proved to be a charlatan.


1983 Winston Western 500, Race recap
Sterling Marlin and Trevor Boys battle for rookie of the year comes down to the last race of the year with the Canadian Boys leading coming into the final race by approximately 16 points. Marlin came from behind to claim the honor after scoring a top-20 finish while mechanical problems in this final race doomed Boys' hopes.


1983 Winston Western 500, Race recap
Buddy Arrington was the 23rd place finisher after dropping out of the race on lap 109 due to wheel issues in his Chrysler Cordoba. Sumner McKnight finished in 19th place after completing 114 of the regulation laps.


1983 Winston Western 500, Race recap
Bobby Allison secured his only Winston Cup Championship during the course of the race.


1983 Winston Western 500, Race recap
Jimmy Insolo quit the race on the first lap due to team issues. Joe Ruttman blew his engine on lap 12 while Bill Schmidt would ruin his engine on lap 13. Rick McCray's engine would stop working on lap 29. Meanwhile, ignition problems would take out Ron Esau on lap 32 at the same time Ricky Rudd suffered from a faulty engine. The ignition on Roy Smith's vehicle stopped working on lap 36 while the throttle on Jim Bown's vehicle gave out on lap 37. Between lap 38 and lap 61, four drivers were forced to exit the race due to engine concerns.


1983 Winston Western 500, Race recap
Bill Elliott defeated Benny Parsons under the final caution flag in front of 24,000 spectators for his first-ever Cup Series victory. The race concluded under caution because of a rain shower. This was Elliott's first win on a road course. Just under 35 years later his son Chase Elliott also scored his first Cup win on a road course, winning at Watkins Glen in 2018. Bill Elliott won this race driving a 1982 Ford Thunderbird as opposed to the slicker 1983 model; the team used the older car on road courses and short tracks this season.


1983 Winston Western 500, Race recap
There were 13 lead changes and five caution flags for 26 laps; making the race last three hours and fifteen minutes long. While the average speed of the race was 95.859 miles per hour (154.270 km/h), Darrell Waltrip qualified for the pole position with a speed of 116.782 miles per hour (187.942 km/h). The length of this race was 119 laps - the equivalent of 311.8 miles (501.8 km).


1983 Winston Western 500, Race recap
Jimmy Insolo, Doug Wheeler, Don Waterman, Pat Mintey, and Randy Becker would retire from NASCAR Cup Series racing after this event.


1983 Winston Western 500, Race recap
Drivers who failed to qualify were: Bobby Hillin, Jr. (#6), Dan Noble (#37), Tony Settember (#58), Harry Goularte (#17), Steve Pfeifer (#8), St. James Davis (#02), Mark Perry (#1) and Bob Kennedy (#94).


1983 Winston Western 500, Race recap
This was the last race without Rusty Wallace until 2006 Daytona 500.


1983 Winter Universiade
The 1983 Winter Universiade, the XI Winter Universiade, took place in Sofia, Bulgaria. This was one of only four Universiades since Winter 1981 with no official mascot.


1983 Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council election
The 1983 Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 5 May 1983 to elect members of Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council in England. This election was held on the same day as other local elections.


1983 Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council election
The third third of the council was up for election to new boundaries.


1983 Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council election, Notes
• italics denote a sitting councillor • bold denotes the winning candidate


1983 Wisconsin Badgers football team
The 1983 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season.


1983 Wisconsin Badgers football team, Game summaries
On September 24, 1983, Wisconsin lost to Michigan, 38–21, before a crowd of 77,708 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.


1983 Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council election
The Council elections held in Wolverhampton on Thursday 5 May 1983 were one third, and 20 of the 60 seats were up for election.


1983 Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council election
During the 1983 election the Conservatives gained the Bushbury seat from Labour whilst Labour gained the Wednesfield South from the Conservatives, leaving the overall constitution unchanged and Labour as the controlling group.


1983 Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council election
Prior to the election the constitution of the Council was:


1983 Women's British Open Squash Championship
The 1983 Women's Davies & Tate British Open Squash Championships was held at the Assembly Rooms in Derby from 6–14 April 1983. The event was won for the fourth consecutive year by Vicki Cardwell (née Hoffman) who defeated Lisa Opie in a repeat of the 1982 final. Vicki Cardwell made the shock announcement that she was going to retire after the 1983 World Open. The Australian was serving a two-year team events ban in her home country following misconduct in the 1981 Women's World Open Squash Championship.


1983 Women's European Volleyball Championship
The 1983 Women's European Volleyball Championship was the thirteenth edition of the event, organised by Europe's governing volleyball body, the Confédération Européenne de Volleyball. It was hosted in several cities in East Germany from 17 to 25 September 1983, with the final round held in Rostock.


1983 Women's European Volleyball Championship, Format
The tournament was played in two different stages. In the first stage, the twelve participants were divided into three groups of four teams each. In the second stage, two groups were formed, one containing the winners and runners-up from all first stage groups (six teams in total) to contest the tournament title. A second group was formed by the remaining six teams which played for position places (7th to 12th). All groups in both stages played a single round-robin format.


1983 Women's Hockey World Cup
The 1983 Women's Hockey World Cup was the fifth edition of the Women's Hockey World Cup field hockey tournament. It was held from 10 April to 23 April in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.


1983 Women's Hockey World Cup
It was won by the Netherlands, who defeated Canada 4–2 in the final. Host nation Malaysia did not participate in the tournament.


1983 Women's Junior World Handball Championship
The 1983 Women's Junior World Handball Championship was the fourth edition of the tournament which took place in France from 14 to 22 October 1983.


1983 Women's Junior World Handball Championship
Sixteen teams competed in the competition from three continents with three nations debuting in the competition. The gold medal went to the Soviet Union who claimed their third title after defeating East Germany by five goals in the final. South Korea finished in third after defeating Yugoslavia.


1983 Women's World Open Squash Championship
The 1983 Town and Country Building Society Women's World Open Squash Championship was the women's edition of the 1983 World Open, which serves as the individual world championship for squash players. The event took place in Perth in Australia during October 1983. Vicki Cardwell won the World Open title, defeating Rhonda Thorne in the final.


1983 Women's World Open Squash Championship, See also, Notes
Vicki Cardwell who had served a two-year team ban in her native Australia duly answered her critics by winning the World Open. The Australian then duly retired. Susan Devoy won a third place play off after defeating Carin Clonda 3 games to 1.


1983 Women's World Snooker Championship
The 1983 Women's World Snooker Championship was a women's snooker tournament that took place from 21 to 28 May 1983 at Pontins Brean Sands Holiday Club, Brean. It was the 1983 edition of the World Women's Snooker Championship, first held in 1976 and was sponsored by Pontins. The tournament was won by Sue Foster, who defeated Maureen Baynton 8–5 in the final.


1983 Women's World Snooker Championship
The top seed was Sue LeMaich. The defending champion from the previous staging of the event in 1981, Vera Selby, decided not to enter in 1983. Fourth seed Mandy Fisher was beaten by 13-year-old Stacey Hillyard in the third round. In the first semi-final, LeMaich lost the last two frames in a 5–6 defeat by Baynton. With the scores at 5–5, LeMaich missed a pot on the black and left it over a pocket, Baynton then potting the ball to win the match. In the other semi-final, Foster led Lesley McIlrath 3–0, but later found herself 4–5 behind.


1983 Women's World Snooker Championship
Foster won the next frame to level at 5–5, and took the deciding frame on the pink. Baynton led 4–3 after the first session of the final, but won only one further frame in the second session, with Foster winning 8–5. Foster received £2,000 prize money for her win, and Baynton received £1,000 as runner-up.


1983 Women's World Team Squash Championships
The 1983 Women's World Team Squash Championships were held in Perth, Australia and took place from October 31 until November 4, 1983.


1983 World 600
The 1983 World 600, the 24th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on May 29, 1983, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway (Concord, North Carolina, US).


1983 World 600, Background
The race was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) quad-oval track located thirteen miles from Charlotte, North Carolina in Concord. The track sanctioned NASCAR Winston Cup Series events biannually during the 1983 season, with the other race being the Miller High Life 500. The track opened for the 1960 World 600, and was built by Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner.


1983 World 600, Summary
This event took four hours, fifteen minutes, and fifty-one seconds to complete. Five cautions were waved for twenty-eight laps. Neil Bonnett defeated Richard Petty by a margin of 0.8 seconds in front of 137,000 people. Notable speeds for this race were: 140.707 miles per hour (226.446 km/h) as the average speed and  162.841 miles per hour (262.067 km/h) as the pole position speed. Bonnett had previously won the 1982 running of the same event and would repeat his success. However, he would never win another World 600 race after this one. Canadian driver Trevor Boys started in 33rd and finished in 20th during this race in his #48 Chevrolet. Total winnings for this race were $407,190 ($1,058,041 when adjusted for inflation).


1983 World 600, Summary
Jimmy Means was in the top 10 in points after this race. He was ahead in the point standings of NASCAR legends such as Ricky Rudd, Dave Marcis, Tim Richmond, Geoff Bodine, Kyle Petty, and Dale Earnhardt. Bobby Allison and Bill Elliott had a great race going for the lead until they were both swept up in the Sterlin Marlin, Slick Johnson spin out. There was some heavy rainfall after the race which did not affect the race.


1983 World 600, Summary
Margaret Claud Padgett was the designated Miss Winston for this race in addition to every NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event held from 1981 to 1985.


1983 World 600, Qualifying
Drivers that failed to qualify were: Ronnie Thomas (#41), Lennie Pond, Jody Ridley (#84) and Rick Baldwin (#04).


1983 World Allround Speed Skating Championships
The World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Men took place on 12 and 13 February 1983 in Oslo at the Bislett Stadion ice rink.


1983 World Allround Speed Skating Championships
Prior to 1986, it was possible to win the world championships by winning 3 of the 4 distances. This is why Rolf Falk-Larssen became champion even though he had a higher samalog total than Tomas Gustafson.


1983 World Allround Speed Skating Championships for women
The 44th edition of the World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Women took place on 19 and 20 February 1983 in Karl-Marx-Stadt at the Eisschnelllaufbahn ice rink.


1983 World Allround Speed Skating Championships for women
This was the first world championship for women using the big combination of 500m, 3000m, 1500m and 5000m distances. The 1000m distance was replaced with 5000m. This was the only occasion that this championship was ever held in East Germany


1983 World Archery Championships
The 1983 World Archery Championships was the 32nd edition of the World Archery Championships. The event was held in Los Angeles, United States in October 1983 and was organised by World Archery Federation (FITA).


1983 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 22nd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, in 1983.


1983 World Badminton Grand Prix Finals
The 1983 World Badminton Grand Prix was the first edition of the World Badminton Grand Prix finals. It was held in Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia, from December 14 to December 18, 1983.


1983 World Championship Tennis Finals
The 1983 World Championship Tennis Finals was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 13th edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1983 World Championship Tennis circuit. It was played at the Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas in the United States and was held from April 26 through May 1, 1983. Second-seeded John McEnroe won the title, his third at the tournament, and the accompanying $150,000 first-prize money after defeating defending champion Ivan Lendl in a five-set final that lasted 4 hours and 16 minutes.


1983 World Championship Tennis Finals, Final, Singles
John McEnroe defeated  Ivan Lendl 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–0)


1983 World Championship Tennis Finals – Singles
Ivan Lendl was the defending champion but lost in the final 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6 to John McEnroe.


1983 World Championship Tennis Finals – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


1983 World Championship Tennis circuit
The 1983 World Championship Tennis circuit was one of the two rival professional male tennis circuits of 1983. It was organized by World Championship Tennis (WCT). The WCT circuit withdrew from the Grand Prix circuit in 1982 and established its own full calendar season consisting of 20 tournaments. For the 1983 season the WCT circuit was downsized to eight tournaments and ran from January to May.


1983 World Championships in Athletics
The inaugural 1983 World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between 7 and 14 August 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics, Summary
The overall medal table was a closely contested affair. East Germany took the most gold medals (10) over the first championships and finished with a total of 22 medals. The United States had the next largest number of golds, with eight, and also had the greatest overall medal haul, having won 24 medals altogether. The Soviet Union won one more medal than the East Germans and had six golds, although almost half of their podium finishers were bronze medalists. Twenty-five nations reached the medal tally at the inaugural competition, with all six continents being represented. During the early 1980s this was the top venue in which Soviet Bloc athletes competed against American athletes due to the American-led boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow and the retaliatory Soviet Bloc boycott of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.


1983 World Championships in Athletics, Summary
Carl Lewis won both the 100 metres and the long jump, and finished the competition by anchoring the 4×100 metres relay team to a world record time, along with the 200 metres champion Calvin Smith, and bronze medallists Emmit King and Willie Gault. Jarmila Kratochvílová dominated the 400 metres and 800 metres events, setting a world record of 47.99 seconds. Mary Decker enjoyed her best competition performance, taking the golds in the women's 1500 metres and 3000 metres. Other prominent athletes included Marita Koch, who won the 200 m and both relay golds, as well as the 100 m silver medal. Sergey Bubka won the first of his six consecutive World Championship gold medals in the pole vault.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 10,000 metres
These are the official results of the men's 10,000 metres event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total number of 36 participating athletes, with two qualifying heats held on Sunday 7 August and the final held on Tuesday 9 August 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 10,000 metres, Summary
With the best in the world filtered down to 18 finalists, there was still a traffic jam on the track. In the first 80 metres several athletes were jostled trying to find running room. Christoph Herle and Antonio Prieto found themselves lying on the track. Out of the chaos, Bekele Debele was far back in the string of competitors, speeding down the outside of the backstretch. This culminated with him taking over the lead for a short period of time before Gidamis Shahanga took over the point.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 10,000 metres, Summary
Joined by Mohamed Kedir, the three Africans jockeyed for the lead marked most closely by Carlos Lopes. The African pace was not consistent, instead slowing until the field bunched then speeding up to disrupt the even pace most distance runners would prefer. With 6 laps to go, tall, long striding, home favorite Martti Vainio took charge with a 63 second lap, exciting the crowd and forcing the field the change their pace to catch back up. For three laps, Vainio held the lead but was looking for help that was not going to support him.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 10,000 metres, Summary
With three laps to go, the pack was bunched tighter than ever, 13 athletes all within 10 metres. Again Kedir took the lead with Lopes almost attached to his shoulder. 50 metres before the bell, the pack was finally disrupted by Werner Schildhauer sprinting out to a 3 metre lead. His East German teammate Hansjörg Kunze and Vaino rushed to cover the break. Shahanga and Alberto Cova were the last to hang on to the breakaway down the final backstretch.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 10,000 metres, Summary
With 200 to go, Schildhauer had 3 metres on Kunze who had another 3 metres on Vainio, with Shahanga and Cova respectively another 2 and 4 metres back. Through the final turn, all those distances began to compress. By the time they hit the final straightaway, they were in the same order but with a metre separating each. Each then pulled progressively wider, Cova all the way out to lane 4, so each could have running room for the sprint to the finish. Cova was clearly the faster sprinter, cruising past the field.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 10,000 metres, Summary
Schildhauer and Kunze both leaned for the finish way too early, hoping the finish line would arrive sooner. The first four runners separated by a third of a second after 10,000 metres. The result was not exactly a surprise, it was the same result as the European Championships for Cova, Schildhauer, Vainio and 6th place Lopes, a year earlier, with the addition of Kunze and Shahanga. Minus the boycotting East Germans, Cova pulled the same stunt on Vainio in what turned into a match race at the 1984 Olympics. Days later, Vainio was later disqualified for doping.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 100 metres
These are the official results of the men's 100 metres event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total number of 66 participating athletes, with nine qualifying heats and the final held on Monday 8 August 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 110 metres hurdles
These are the official results of the men's 110 metres hurdles event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total number of 28 participating athletes, with four qualifying heats, two semi-finals and the final held on 12 August 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 1500 metres
These are the official results of the men's 1500 metres event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total number of 52 participating athletes, with four qualifying heats, two semi-finals and the final held on Sunday 14 August 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 20 kilometres walk
These are the official results of the Men's 20 kilometres race walk event at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. The race was held on 7 August 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 200 metres
These are the official results of the men's 200 metres event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total number of 57 participating athletes, with eight qualifying heats and the final held on 14 August 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 200 metres
At 22 years, 218 days old, gold medallist Smith is the youngest ever world champion for the men's 200 m.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 3000 metres steeplechase
These are the official results of the Men's 3.000 metres Steeplechase event at the inaugural 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total of 35 participating athletes, with three qualifying heats and the final held on 12 August 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay
The 4 x 100 metres relay at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on August 9 and August 10.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay
The 4 × 400 metres relay at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on August 13 and August 14.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 400 metres
These are the official results of the men's 400 metres event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total number of 55 participating athletes, with seven qualifying heats and the final held on 10 August 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 400 metres hurdles
These are the official results of the men's 400 metres hurdles event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total number of 34 participating athletes, with five qualifying heats, two semi-finals and the final held on 9 August 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 50 kilometres walk
These are the official results of the men's 50 kilometres walk event at the 1983 World Championships held on 12 August 1983 in Helsinki, Finland.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 5000 metres
These are the official results of the men's 5000 metres event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total of 39 participating athletes, with three qualifying heats, two semi-finals and the final held on Sunday 14 August 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 5000 metres, Final ranking
As in most other major international championships, also this 5,000-metre final was mostly slow and tactical. The Soviet Union's Anatoliy Krokhmaliuk led at 1,000 metres in 2:43.30. During the second kilometre, he and his team mate Dmitriy Dmitriyev alternated in the lead, with Dmitriyev clocking 5:34.15 at 2,000 metres. One lap later, Britain's Julian Goater suddenly accelerated, but over 200 metres after the start of his surge, Dmitriyev caught him. Soon thereafter, Dmitriyev again took the lead, and clocked 8:19.52 at 3,000 metres. During the fourth kilometre, Dmitriyev, Ethiopia's Wodajo Bulti, and Switzerland's Markus Ryffel took turns leading the race.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 5000 metres, Final ranking
With over three laps left, Krokhmaliuk dropped from the lead group. Bulti took the lead for the second and the last time just before 4,000 metres, which he passed in 11:03.27. At the start of the third-last home straight, Dmitriyev accelerated past Bulti. West Germany's Thomas Wessinghage and Ireland's Eamonn Coghlan positioned themselves behind Dmitriyev and Bulti. With two laps left, twelve men were still in the lead group, with Goater and Italy's Salvatore Antibo having dropped from Dmitriyev's pace. On the second-last back straight, the Soviet Union's Valeriy Abramov lost contact with the lead group.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 5000 metres, Final ranking
Dmitriyev launched his final kick's decisive stage at 4,400 metres. Immediately Ryffel, Portugal's Antonio Leitao, and Austria's Dietmar Millonig dropped from Dmitriyev's pace. At the start of the second-last home straight, Dmitriyev was already sprinting about five metres ahead of Bulti. Later on that home straight, Wessinghage and Coghlan kicked past Bulti, and Coghlan passed Wessinghage. At 4,600 metres, Dmitriyev led in about 12:30. In other words, he had sprinted the second-last lap in about 57 seconds!


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 5000 metres, Final ranking
Coghlan was running about six or seven metres behind this Soviet runner, with Wessinghage, Bulti, Finland's Martti Vainio, the United States' Doug Padilla, East Germany's Werner Schildhauer, and Kenya's Paul Kipkoech still in the lead group. To the surprise of many spectators, Wessinghage dropped from Coghlan's pace on the final lap's front bend. This astonishing event - Wessinghage was a world-class runner at both 1,500 and 5,000 metres - probably inspired Vainio to start his final kick, and to pass Bulti. Further back, Kipkoech dropped from Padilla's and Schildhauer's pace.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 5000 metres, Final ranking
Early on the final back straight, Coghlan easily caught the tiring Dmitriyev. Vainio kicked past the exhausted Wessinghage. At 4,800 metres, Dmitriyev and Coghlan were running about nine metres ahead of Vainio. On the final bend, Schildhauer passed Padilla and Wessinghage, and dashed after Vainio. Coghlan triumphantly raised his right hand, glanced at the worn out Dmitriyev, and then began his final sprint. By the start of the home straight, Coghlan had already stretched his lead over Dmitriyev to four metres. Vainio was sprinting ten metres behind the Irishman, while Schildhauer was kicking a couple of metres behind the Finn.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 5000 metres, Final ranking
On the final home straight, without even sprinting as fast as he could, Coghlan moved into a wide lead, crossing the finish line in 13:28.53. In other words, he had run the final 1,000 metres in 2:24.77! Schildhauer passed Vainio with about 25 metres left, and caught Dmitriyev over 10 metres later. The exhausted Soviet runner was no match for the fast-finishing East German. Vainio leaned forward, and lunged across the finish line, crossing it just 0.04 seconds before Dmitriyev. Two of the strongest pre-race favourites, Padilla and Wessinghage, had to settle for the fifth and sixth places, respectively. (The World Track and Field Championships / Yleisurheilun MM-kisat 1983, the Juoksija-lehti / Runner Magazine, Helsinki, Finland, 1983;  another book on the IAAF World Championships 1983;    Eamonn Coghlan - World Athletics Championship 5000m Gold, Helsinki 1983.)


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 800 metres
These are the official results of the men's 800 metres event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total of 60 participating athletes, with eight qualifying heats, three semi-finals and the final held on 9 August 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 800 metres
From the gun, World Junior Record holder and NCAA Champion Joaquim Cruz went out fast to get the lead, with Peter Elliott in lane 1 accelerating when he saw Cruz ahead of him, passing the break point swinging wide to go around Cruz but Cruz would not let him by. Coming off the turn, Elliott accelerated and ran past Cruz to take the lead at the bell in 50.58. Hans-Peter Ferner was next behind them, followed by Willi Wülbeck and Rob Druppers. Coming off the third turn, Cruz again accelerated to try to take back the lead.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 800 metres
Down the backstretch, Cruz and Elliott ran shoulder to shoulder. Gritting his teeth, Elliott would not concede the position, Cruz running the final turn outside of Elliott still shoulder to shoulder with now Wülbeck watching the battle from two steps behind. Off the final turn, Cruz accelerated again to pull away from Elliott but Wülbeck went around the outside to sprint past both of them, unleaded to victory. Druppers came off the final turn several metres back, passed a fading Ferner and began sprinting, picking off Elliott and then Cruz just before the finish line.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's decathlon
These are the official results of the men's decathlon competition at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total number of 25 participating athletes, including seven non-finishers. The competition was held from August 12 to August 13, 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's discus throw
These are the official results of the Men's Discus Throw event at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total of 26 participating athletes, with the final held on Sunday August 14, 1983. The qualification mark was set at 63.00 metres.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's hammer throw
These are the official results of the Men's Hammer Throw event at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total of 33 participating athletes, with the final held on Tuesday August 9, 1983. The qualification mark was set at 73.50 metres.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's high jump
These are the official results of the men's high jump event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total of 38 participating athletes, with two qualifying groups and the final held on 13 August 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's javelin throw
The Men's Javelin Throw event at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland had a total number of 18 participating athletes, with the final held on 12 August 1983. All results were made with old rules javelin. The qualification mark was set at 84.00 metres.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's long jump
These are the official results of the Men's Long Jump event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total of 34 participating athletes, with two qualifying groups and the final held on 10 August 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's marathon
The Men's Marathon at the inaugural 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland was held on August 14, 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's pole vault
These are the official results of the Men's Pole Vault event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total number of 27 participating athletes. The qualification round was stopped and later canceled due to heavy rain and strong winds and eventually a straight final was held on 14 August, the last day of the championships.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's shot put
These are the official results of men's shot put at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total number of 20 participating athletes, with the final held on 7 August 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's triple jump
These are the official results of the men's triple jump event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total of 27 participating athletes, with two qualifying groups and the final held on 8 August 1983.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 100 metres
These are the official results of the Women's 100 metres event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total number of 49 participating athletes, with seven qualifying heats and the final held on Monday 1983-08-08.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 100 metres
Evelyn Ashford set the World record just over a month before this meet (at altitude). In the semi-finals, she dusted one of the East German favorites Marita Koch eased up by almost a tenth of a second out in lane 8. As the number 1 qualifier, she still was placed in lane 2, with number 2 qualifier, winner of the other semi-final Marlies Oelsner-Göhr across the track in lane 8. Koch was given lane 4 again.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 100 metres
At the start, Koch and Ashford were out fast, about even 40 metres into the race. Suddenly Ashford jumped, leaning back and hopping to stay off her leg as her hamstring exploded before collapsing to the track. Göhr gained steadily on her teammate Koch, passing her with more closing speed 20 meters out. Sensing a further challenge from Diane Williams next to her, Koch leaned at the finish to hold on to second.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 100 metres hurdles
These are the official results of the Women's 100 metres Hurdles event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total number of 35 participating athletes, with five qualifying heats, four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and the final held on Saturday 1983-08-13.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 1500 metres
These are the official results of the Women's 1,500 metres event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total number of 26 participating athletes, with three qualifying heats and the final held on Sunday 1983-08-14.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 1500 metres
The final was a microcosm of these championships. East vs West. The American Mary Decker vs a strong Soviet squad. Decker was so dominant in domestic competition, her races were won from the gun, so she was not well practiced in running elbow to elbow as the Soviets and other Europeans were highly skilled in the art. True to her form, Decker took the lead from the gun, with a large pack surrounding her. As the last lap approached Zamira Zaytseva moved onto Decker's shoulder, immediately to her outside.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 1500 metres
On the last lap, the pace quickened but Decker refused to let Zaytseva get all the way past. Finally with 200 metres to go, Zaytseva sprinted ahead and gained a couple of steps. Decker looked dejected, unable to keep up all the way through the turn but clearly ahead of Yekaterina Podkopayeva who was battling to stay ahead of Ravilya Agletdinova. On the final straight, Decker moved into lane 2 and started to make a run at Zaytseva, gaining slightly. About 50 metres out, Decker checked over her shoulder to see if any competition was approaching from the rear.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 1500 metres
Agletdinova-Kotovich was making a run at Podkopayeva several metres back but neither was gaining on Decker. Decker gritted her teeth and noticeably accelerated gaining on Zaytseva. As Decker moved past Zaytseva tried to accelerate. In the effort she started to lose her balance. Two awkward steps of flailing and reminiscent of Yevgeniy Arzhanov a decade earlier, Zaytseva dived for the finish line from four meters out. Clearly beaten by this point, Zaytseva executed a face plant a metre from the finish line and rolled across the line in second. Podkopayeva held off her teammate for bronze. The powerful Soviets all finished in the top four, but Decker was number one.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 200 metres
These are the official results of the Women's 200 metres event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total number of 44 participating athletes, with six qualifying heats and the final held on Sunday 1983-08-14.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 200 metres
Out of the blocks, world record holder Marita Koch in lane 6 slowly made up the stagger on Merlene Ottey in lane 7. By the time they hit the straightaway, Koch had two metres on Ottey who was about even with Florence Griffith in lane 1. Down the straightaway, Ottey steadily ate into Koch's lead while the long striding Kathy Cook came from behind to cruise past Griffith. Sensing the challenge from Ottey, Koch started to lean and struggle the last few steps, but realizing she had won she threw her arms up in victory.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 200 metres
Two years later, Koch would set the world record in the 400 metres to go along with her 200 world record. She would retire in 1987 with both records; the 400 record has never been beaten. Five years later, Griffith as Florence Griffith-Joyner would slice more than a second off her time to set the world record that lasts today. 6th place Grace Jackson would slice .9 off her time to finish second to Griffith-Joyner as the #9 performer of all time with Ottey a distant fourth in that race, still .2 faster than this race. Ottey became the (at the time) #2 performer of all time in 1990. Surpassed by Marion Jones in 1998 and Dafne Schippers in 2015, Ottey remains #4 on the all-time list after the longest career for an elite sprinter ever.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 3000 metres
These are the official results of the Women's 3,000 metres event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total number of 26 participating athletes, with two qualifying heats and the final held on Wednesday 1983-08-10.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 3000 metres
The final was led from start to finish by Mary Decker-Slaney, a common tactic for her in the USA, but untested at the world level. Marking her every move throughout the race was the Soviet pair of 1500 metres world record holder Tatyana Kazankina and 3000 metres world record holder Svetlana Ulmasova who expected to use their superior finishing speed. As Decker gradually increased the pace, the field stretched out to a lead pack of five, with Wendy Smith-Sly and Agnese Possamai.


1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 3000 metres
As the final lap approached, Sly, who ran in the USA frequently, moved to join Decker on her shoulder, while Brigitte Kraus covered the gap to join the lead pack. The Decker/Sly wall kept the Soviet runners boxed in for half a lap, but when Kraus moved on the rail, Kazankina popped free and the race was on to the finish. Coming off the final turn Kazankina looked ready to pass Decker, but she never got there as Decker found an extra gear to hold her off. Kazankina eventually slowed before the finish to be passed by a fast closing Kraus two steps before the line.