Posted on 05/16/2004 4:14:05 AM PDT by tjwmason
Fear of a hostile reaction has led US officials to warn its participants in the Games against overtly patriotic displays
By Simon Hart in New York
(Filed: 16/05/2004)
American athletes have been warned not to wave the US 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.
The spectacle of victorious athletes grabbing a national flag and parading it around the stadium is a familiar part of international sporting competition, but US Olympic officials have ordered their 550-strong team to exercise restraint and avoid any jingoistic behaviour.
The plan is part of a charm offensive aimed at repairing the country's international reputation following the deepening crisis in Iraq and damaging revelations of torture and mistreatment of detainees by US forces at the Abu Ghraib prison.
"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 US Olympic Committee who has been retained as a consultant to advise athletes about the correct way 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."
Four years ago, at the Sydney Olympics, the victorious American 4 x 100m relay team were widely condemned for their arrogant strutting with the US flag following their gold medal presentation, and American officials, mindful of the country's precarious standing in world opinion, are desperate to avoid any repeat.
"Unfortunately, using the flag as a prop or a piece of apparel or indulging in boasting behaviour is becoming part of our society in sport because every night on TV we see our athletes - professional, college or otherwise - taunting their opponents and going face to face with each other," said Mr Moran. "We are trying, for 17 days, to break that culture.
"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 behaviour of British athletes could face similar scrutiny in Athens, though the British Olympic Association insists that there are no plans to ban them from celebrating with the Union flag.
A spokesman for the association said: "It's up to every athlete how he or she wishes to celebrate their Olympic success and there are no plans to issue any instructions. We are confident that every athlete will celebrate in a responsible way."
The US Olympic Committee's anxiety at over-exuberant displays of jingoism is a far cry from the scenes at the 2002 Winter Olympics, hosted by Salt Lake City, where the American flag became the defining symbol of the Games.
A different environment awaits the American team in Athens, where officials are anxious to replace apple pie with humble pie.
Americans were booed at the World Athletics Championships in Paris last year - largely as a result of Jon Drummond's histrionic protest at his disqualification from a heat of the 100 metres. And at an Olympic football qualifying match in Mexico earlier this year the American team was subjected to sustained barracking by a section of the crowd, including chants of "Osama, Osama".
Despite the extra burden being placed on American athletes, officials still predict a US medal haul of more than 100, and have made it their target to finish top of the medals table. The irony is that finishing the Games as the most powerful nation is unlikely to endear them to the rest of the world.
"We're not the favourite kid in the world right now," admitted Bill Martin, the US Olympic Committee'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 behaviour."
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Probably not. The media will do their best to colloborate with the "victims" of American ______ (fill in the blank).
The "victims" are the Muslims. If only we did/didn't _____ (fill in the blank).
For an example, see how the media treats the Palistinian "victims" of Zionist "oppression".
They also should warn the athletes against winning any competitions. That might upset the fans of other countries' teams.
This is so beyond outrageous I am sitting here speechless.
Can anyone say "1972" without remembering the scenes on TV? The security of the Greeks is rotten at best with Athens a center for mideast terrorism, and the olumpics will be just one more venue for them. As far as world attitude to the flag - I say screw 'em, take our foreign aide packages away and see how their tune changes overnight. If it wasn't for the sugar teat of Uncle Sam these two bit countries would regress to the stone age.
OLympic cpmmittee sends me requests for donations they can kiss my hind quarters
This is unreal. And it's our own Olympics Committee that's saying this????
Irrelevant - If an Iraqi team boos...fine, America= Unpopular occupying power.
If Iraqi Team doesn't boo...America=Occupying power which team is too scared of to boo for fear of repercussions to selves, relatives or state.
NO matter what the team does, those pro and anti the war will draw and defend their own beliefs.
October 3, 2002— "After years of ill will between the U.S. Olympic movement and the Gay Games athletic competition, organizers of the gay event and boosters of bringing the Olympics to the Bay Area in 2012 said Wednesday that they had joined forces to help each other's causes."
...."Mike Moran, spokesman for the USOC, said the support of the federation and the Bay Area's gay community could only help the local effort when it goes before the 123-member Olympic committee in Colorado Springs, Colo., next month."
"We look to that support from diverse segments of the community," he said. "The differences are way in the past."
I live 40 miles from Dearborn, Michigan..............AK47's at shopping malls just before the election is my fear.
If something, somewhere occurs again, I don't think American citizens will be passive like the Israeli's are.
I hope we don't have to find out.
Besides, the Olympics is full of sports that only make the Saturday afternoon TV shows in the first place, which nobody pays attention to the rest of the time.
Irrelevant made-for-TV sports? What a great idea for another way to spend money!
What do we expect from a USOC that dresses our athletes in an overly Canadian patriotic Roots company? I am still angry as hell that Roots and not an American company is uniforming our athletes. You can see why the world wants John Kerry and Demonrats-BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO BE ASHAMED TO BE AN AMERICAN AND HAVE NO PRIDE AND WORK FOR THEIR WELL BEING AND FEELINGS RATHER THAN OURS.
Greece can't police the games properly, sad to say. I expect violence, but I suppose anything Americans can do to minimize their very being would help matters. Uh, maybe we should just stay home this time around. That said, I hate the idea of the rest of a jealous world influencing our behavior in the least. And if violence does occur and people get hurt or killed, I don't want to hear someone from the state department saying that such behavior is unacceptable and that we intend to hunt down the killers and prosecute them. I want something like the Mossad to step in and do the job asap.
Obviously the US Olympic Committee has become a political lobbying organization. Can we pull their tax free status.
Good question. I'd like to know the answer to that, too.
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