U.S. Athletes Told Not to Carry Flag at Olympics

The Sunday Telegraph ^ | 16 May, 2004 | Simon Hart

[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."

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The Olympics, politicized. Who would've guessed ?

[Hand em their arse]

"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."

"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"

F*CK THEM!!! This is becoming complete BULLSH*T and we are becoming puss*es... and frankly this "Mike Moran" needs to be FIRED and NYFD firefighter (Osama Bin Laden, you can kiss my Irish ass) Mike Moran needs to be immediatley put in his place to show him WE DON'T BACK DOWN TO ANYONE!!!

[Caipirabob]

The problem is "Anti-Americanism", not Americans. Wave the flag and hold your head high.

If the authorities at the Olympics cannot handle security then the Olympics need to be held elsewhere.

Stating that Americans should not wave their flags is a ridiculous, assinine and cowardly statement I'd expect from only the most craven individual.

In addition, when the "Little M" mexicans chanted "Osama! Osama!" at the stadium that day, we should have firebombed mexico city the next day.

We ARE the big kid on the block. So far we have been the world's protector and savior. Perhaps we should let them eat crow a while until they get tired of living on their knees.

[TomGuy]

The people of the U.S. had shown remarkable restraint and understanding

True. The problem with that is that the rest of the world (non-Euroweenies) perceives it as weakness, not restraint; thus, like the Islamofanatics, they continue their attacks.

Look at Israel. They have, for their size, equitable firepower to ours. They have been under attack for 57 years. They show restraint. They continue to get homicide bombers. In one all-out effort, they could eliminate the Palestinians from the face of the earth. But they don't. They show restraint. And they clean up another mess of blood and metal and bodies left by the next homicide bomber. And they show restraint, again.

[Spirited]

Not at all unusual.
Lots of us from "way back" did not even register or post for years after we had first made FR our home page.
Many did not do so until after taking a hard, "in-person" look at the FR type at some regional or national function.

This is going on in spades these days.

[dfwgator]

F 'em all, screw the Olympics, I hope we don't go, let's put the Greek economy in the tank.

[jocon307]

"And God forbid that the act is found to be performed by Muslims who have lived in this country for some time."

Yes, that would be extremely bad. Of if something bad was accomplished by native born Americans, born Muslims, or converts.

I remember the Jersey papers running many "get to know your local Muslim" articles after 9/11. I was stunned by the not-so-subtle antipathy to America expressed by many, if not most, of the people interviewed. Now, I know the press is not to be trusted, and it could well have been that the reporters strove to elicit such remarks. But it seems to me that would have undermined the general thrust of the pieces, so I was very much left not knowing what to think.

There was the Egyptian immigrant who shot the people at the El Al terminal at LAX, but he certainly seemed to be a lone actor. All of the rest of the Islamofacist wannabes that have been arrested,etc. have all been accused of wanting to go to Afghanistan, etc. I wonder if that is in fact, correct.

And as for the right to bear arms, every single person in the middle east seems to own a fire arm of some type; I mean they are always shooting them off after weddings, etc. (Maybe they have a lot of shot gun weddings over there - sorry, I couldn't resist.) but it doesn't seem to keep the bad guys in line too well.

Maybe I am too pessimistic sometimes, the Iraqi "insurrgency" doesn't seem to be living up to the hopes of the NY Times, The New Yorker Magazine, etc.

The Palestinians have obviously been brain-damaged due to generations of propaganda, maybe the Iraqis are not so mentally ill. Perhaps they can truly perceive that the Americans, even as occupiers, are a bit of a better "new boss" than Al Sadr, and the rest of the would be home grown dictators would prove.

How many hundreds of years did the Crusades go on for?

Oy vey!

[Mo1]

"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."

The athletes should tell this committee to go pound sand

[Spirited]

"We ARE the big kid on the block. So far we have been the world's protector and savior. Perhaps we should let them eat crow a while until they get tired of living on their knees."

That is why the "one-worlders" have been intent on making us dependent.

How can we be the big kid anywhere? We NEED those other little nations BY THE DESIGN of OUR LEADERSHIP.
WE cannot manufacture what we need any longer. Raw materials are no longer ours, etc., etc., etc. We have oil but are not allowed to take it out because we must be subject to others by purchasing it(sometimes in extraordinary currencies) and building up THEIR national pride.

It wasn't Reagan's idea. The first big American mention of this "new world" order was not by a Dem, either (although it is promulgated by both parties).

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

I'm soooo sick of the "Please don't hurt me! I'm not your ememy" attitude the libs expect the United States to adopt!!!

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Probably it is wise not to send a team.

[usadave]

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.

[Caipirabob]

How can we be the big kid anywhere? We NEED those other little nations BY THE DESIGN of OUR LEADERSHIP. WE cannot manufacture what we need any longer. Raw materials are no longer ours, etc., etc., etc. We have oil but are not allowed to take it out because we must be subject to others by purchasing it(sometimes in extraordinary currencies) and building up THEIR national pride.

Your observations are disturbing, mostly because they are correct. Planned obsolescence at a national level? The systematic dismantling of an entire country's infrastructure?

[doug from upland]

Maybe they will demand that our medal winners throw their medals over a fence into the trash. Or is that ribbons? Ribbons, medals -- they're interchangeable.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Contact information for this Moron:

NYC2012: Mike Moran (719) 331-7266

General information emails here:

http://www.olympic-usa.org/about_us/contactinfo.htm

media@usoc.org

[filbert]

Oh, and "The Star Spangled Banner" won't be played . . . wouldn't want to mention bombs bursting in air or rocket's red glare. Too militaristic. SHEESH!

I'm with you. Maybe it is time to get out the Gadsden "Don't Tread On Me" flags, as well as put together an appropriate "Live Free Or Die" banner.

[prairiebreeze]

Maybe. Another thing that is occuring "in spades" are posts from sleeper-trolls and DNC funded disruptors.

And you can take that to the bank.

Prairie

[thathamiltonwoman]

I think about suicide bombers in New Jersey shopping malls and NYC subway..

I think about that stuff too. After years of working in DC I've pretty much resigned myself the the fact that one days some wild eyed young man will manage to do something horrible and if not me then one of my friends/relatives will be near by when the street/metro, bus goes up in smoke. What will the reaction be? Seriously, I think we will all be sternly told to be nice and to treat it like an isolated incident.

[Luker]

Although I believe most freepers are good intentioned, yours is just the kind of reply I would expect from at least one paronoid, weak, singleminded, defenseless one. You chose to avoid the issues I have with our president and sneak around MY life somehow weaseling information about my experience as a freeper - you are everything that I cannot stand about many of my fellow republicans/conservatives - they are afraid to fight the established core - you are satisfied to nibble around the edges of what is important and never get to the reality of the problems that face us - republicans have regained much of the power back that we squandered for 45 years while the demorats controlled congress - yet, as I asked in my original post, WHAT HAVE THEY DONE WITH IT???!! our leaders (that we continue to defend) are afraid to espouse their conservative views, as we grovel for a crumb each legislative seesion - nothing changes - nothing gets done. Tag onto my original ???'s about the lack of action by our republican 'leaders'- budget reform as they continue spending us into oblivion -real movement on the abortion issue - taking God out of our public spaces - gay marriage - defenseless against the onslought of trial attorneys - over-regulation - underfunded veterans programs (Bush made a huge deal about this during his 2000 campaign) - I could go on and on.

So, Prairie - you were afraid to discuss what my first post was really about (true patriotism and demands on our leaders)- and chose to dig up info on me - Well, as a fearless gentleman, I will answer your sneaky question/charge - I have been accessing thefreerepulic since day one - I did not sign on with you guys for a couple of years because quite frankly I am out there working 75 a week to support myself and wife, I never had much time to sign up and post - I simply enjoyed reading the banter. By the time the election came along I was steamed up enough about the Clintons to put some time into Bush getting elected - after he won, we went to the parade, his speech and then the ball - I eventually took the time to log on with you guys and take some time to post some of my thoughts. And now you, you moron, question whether and how long I've been a freeper. Let me mention something else I attented as I freeper - my wife and I were at the first support the troops rally a couple of years ago (I believe that was also something we attended before officially signing up with you guys) - since your so good at digging up information about your fellow freepers, get intouch with jim Robinson and ask him to post some of the old photos from that Rally - check them out - the huge banner (40 ft. long - we stood up on the hill from the podium) my wife and I carried read 'Support the Troops - join the resistence - go to FreeRepublic.com' - (I have the same sayings on both bumpers of both my cars) - B-1-Bob spoke and we stood firm against the hordes of pro-Palestian/Iraqi supporters America-Haters - almost got beat up a few times because of our banner - Let me ask you something now - WERE YOU AT THAT RALLY????? - You little sneaky balless shit.

[adx]

Greece can't police the games properly, sad to say.

They're in a tough spot, to say the least. There's so many ways to commit terrorist acts that it'd be impossible to defend against them all. Everything from suicide bombers in crowds to indirect fire from several miles away (if they have that capability), and they only have to succeed once, even if it's just against the spectators, not the athletes.