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 ...
Make a fresh pot. You deserve it and we need you in good shape for Freeping:~)
Nicely put and a great idea. Hope Bush and company think along the same lines.
This needs some publicity!
So, what do *they* suggest when an American wins the Gold and stands on the medal podium...no raising of our flag or national anthem...do the Americans recieve their Gold in some secret room, so they won't anger the crowds....BS.
It does need more publicity - many Americans care more about the Olympics than Iraq, so this might galvanize them.
Personally, I think that if we're not going to be able to even show our flag, we shouldn't go. As another poster suggested above, the next thing is a rule where Americans have to do all activities on their hands and knees or with their shoelaces tied together.
Damn, that post got screwed up. that's what I deserve posting from my Treo. In any event, I meant to say if we can't run around with the flag, we should run around giving the ungrateful foreigners the finger.
Simple; Americans stay home.
I haven't seen the movie "MIRACLE" yet (about the '80 Olympic US ice hockey team - I skated on the exact ice this year where 'the miracle' happened in Lake Placid) - but I'd love to see a new version come about this summer - only this time when we kick the rest of the worlds' asses we should parade around with the head of Zarqawi up on the end of the flag pole with posters of Tilman and other friends of ours in hand. Won't happen though - 'cause we are a pussified nation of whimps, including George (I'm just like my old man) W.. (And I don't want to hear the 'if we did that we'd be just like our enimies' crap - this is all figurative and conjecture - Although 'miracles' do happen - One can only dream.)
P.S. - I also don't want to hear the 'you gotta vote for W.' garbage - my wife and I will vote for him, again - but we will be holding our noses - I couldn't give a rats rear end if he loses.
A little FYI - we we're there at the Freepers Inaugural Ball for Bush back in 2000 - with bells on - we stood there watching the video of W. with Reagan superimposed with him up on the screen - Lee Greenwood's 'Proud to Be An American' blaring in the background - remember - with tears of joy in our eyes like the rest of you all - today I cry tears of disappointment and disgust over him (W)- he is no Reagan - let's face it gang - the guy is a huge letdown. Someone tell me one fight we've won (cultural, political, societal) since this guys been in office - What happen to vouchers - medical reforms - truly building up our military - true tax reform - new immigration policy - blah, blah, blah - My sign at the Inaugural Rally read "Welcome 'W' and honor back to the Whitehouse" - in lieu of not having sex on the oval office carpet, the guys a 2-bit politician like the rest of them.
My family lost a second friend over in Iraq last week - if we don't do what we need to do over there soon (pre-election), my wife and I and all my (and her) family and friends are finished with Bush and this adminisrtation.
Perhaps we should sit this Olympics out. And let the International Olypic Committee chew on that!
"Good question."
Thanks. I am just tired of hearing media pundits, and anybody who is asked it seems, say: oh yes, there is bound to be another attack. Now, after Madrid, they keep saying: probably right before election day.
I have lived in Hudson county, NJ for 16 years, for that entire time, as I have come to realize, I was close neighbors with many Islamic terrorists; including the guy who went back for the deposit on the truck used in the first WTC bombing. He lived right across the street from me. So it is very easy for me to imagine somebody blowing up the local mall. In fact, the first Christmas after 9/11 I wouldn't go to the mall after about 11 am, because I figured they wouldn't try to blow it up until it got crowded.
So, if everyone is so sure something like this will happen, I only wonder if our gov't has ANY plan for what to do if it does. Or if they will merely continue with the failed "law enforcement" approach. That is manifestly unsatisfactory when your main perpetrators are dead, for one thing, and for another, as the Israeli experience shows, arresting these people does no good.
I am just wondering how many innocent people will the Muslim terrorists have to kill until we kill enough Muslim terrorists to make Muslims realize terrorism is bad for their community health.
As of right now I am afraid that I expect the death toll on both sides to continue to rise. The primary reason: we haven't killed enough terrorists yet.
And until Europe & Israel re-instate the death penalty, and unless we start enforcing it in this country, we may never kill enough of them to convince them to stop killing us.
I'm with you!!! Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead!!!
The one and only way to defeat envy is to lose.
FYI - not directed at you.
If we can't fly our flag, we don't need to be there at all.
BOYCOT THE OLYMPICS!!!!
Americans are Vigilantes at heart, IF these things start happening in the USA, Many Americans will start taking things into their own hands. It would get extremely ugly for a while. Probably the best hope would be internment for their own protection.
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