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May 16, 2004
Who made this decision?
Warning - I'm pissed, 4 letter words may follow.
Joe at the Moderate Voice pointed this Washington Times article out.
U.S. athletes told to cool it at Olympics - The Washington Times
American athletes have been warned not to wave the U.S. flag during their medal celebrations at this summer's Olympic Games in Athens, for fear of provoking crowd hostility and harming the country's already-battered public image.
Ok - who the fuck made this decision? Was it someone who is a member of the State Department? Was it someone in the government at all? Was it someone unaware of the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution?
Damn. They were 'warned' were they? So, what is going to happen to the athlete if he or she says he or she is proud to be an American?
The spectacle of victorious athletes grabbing a national flag and parading it around the stadium is a familiar part of international sporting competition, but U.S. Olympic officials have ordered their 550-strong team to exercise restraint and avoid any jingoistic behavior.
Hmmmm - who elects the US Olympic officials? Lets look at the definition of the word jingoistic, eh?
Ah, here it is, from the Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary: extreme chauvinism or nationalism marked especially by a belligerent foreign policy.
It doesn't appear to me to indicate that a person who wins a relay or high jump is jingoistic because they wave the flag of their country.
Obviously, the USOC (US Olympic Committee) would prefer for us to be overrun by terrorists than to embarrass them or the EU by defending ourselves and the world from terrorists.
Hell, they ought to be more concerned that Greece won't have any of the athletic fields finished before the Olympics start.
"American athletes find themselves in extraordinary circumstances in Athens in relation to the world as we know it right now," said Mike Moran, a veteran former spokesman for the United States Olympic Committee who has been retained as a consultant to advise athletes how to behave.
"Regardless of whether there is anti-American sentiment in Athens or not, the world watches Americans a lot now in terms of how they behave and our culture. What I am trying to do with the athletes and coaches is to suggest to them that they consider how the normal things they do at an event, including the Olympics, might be viewed as confrontational or insulting or cause embarrassment."
"What I am telling the athletes is, 'Don't run over and grab a flag and take it round the track with you.' It's not business as usual for American athletes. If a Kenyan or a Russian grabs their national flag and runs round the track or holds it high over their heads, it might not be viewed as confrontational. Where we are in the world right now, an American athlete doing that might be viewed in another manner."Mr. Moran added that the behavior of British athletes could face similar scrutiny in Athens, though the British Olympic Association insists there are no plans to ban them from celebrating with the Union flag.
Oh, now I get it - USOC (the US Olympic Committee) has decided that our country has embarrassed them by going to war against terrorists.
Why don't we just tell our athletes to lose on purpose, to make all the other countries feel better.
This guy needs to be fired, pronto - by whomever it is who hired him.
Oh, no such luck - the acting president of USOC thinks this is all a great idea:
"We're not the favorite kid in the world right now," conceded Bill Martin, the USOC's acting president. "We are sensitive not only to the security issue, but to jingoism in its raw sense. That is why we are sending people around to educate the athletes as to the appropriate behavior."
If I was an athlete competing in the Olympics, I would do what I felt in my heart was the right thing.
I would pick up the American Flag and wave it every time any American or Brit won an event.
Posted by Beth at May 16, 2004 7:56 PM
Comments
This makes me sick to my stomach... Which is why I've stopped watching the news for now.
"Sensitive"?
"Confrontational"?
"INSULTING"??
I hope we win every damned event. I hope every one of our athletes holds our flag high, and is proud of our country.
Posted by: pam at May 17, 2004 7:41 AM
I posted about this as well. I think this is just the kind of thing the enemy is hoping to cause. I also sent an email to the USOC and told them I thought they needed to find some new consutants if this is the advise they're getting. I don't often do that, but this REALLY pissed me off a lot.
Posted by: Nick at May 17, 2004 10:56 AM
I just have to shake my head. And to think the OC wants everyone to have this idealized vision that the Olympics are apolitical, but politics rears its ugly head at EVERY Olympics in one way or another.
Posted by: Boudicca at May 17, 2004 3:36 PM
I'm with you, Beth.
We should be proud....and we shouldn't have to hide it.
Posted by: Da Goddess at May 19, 2004 2:40 PM
Folks:
There's a difference between being right and being dead right.
While I'm sure some are using this as political fodder, I see the primary intention being an effort to increase the safety of the athletes.
Which is more important to you... the right to flaunt your national pride (perfectly reasonable, especially over an Olympic victory) or the ability of those victors to come home in one piece?
Adapting one's behaviour to the reality of the situation may be galling, but being angry about it doesn't change the safety issue for the athletes.
Posted by: Light & Dark at May 19, 2004 9:06 PM