What’s this nonsense about our athletes being told not to wave the American flag after winning their event?
What does the USOC plan to do if this directive is ignored? Lifetime suspension for excessive love of country?
Are Americans going to be discouraged from cheering for American athletes?
Are they still planning to allow the American anthem at medal ceremonies, or is that offensive, too?
Do athletes from other countries still get to express their patriotism? Why?
I haven’t heard this…
What’s the story?
The story is that the USOC is discouraging American athletes from waving the American flag after their event- no flag waving victory lap- because of “safety concerns,” and because they feel it is offensive to the rest of the world.
It’s been widely reported, but I don’t have a specific source at hand. . .
Not acceptable.
I’d heard about this on the radio the other day. Some random sports talk show while stuck in traffic.
The discussion I heard was aimed more at avoiding grossly obssesive displays after finishing a race, celebrating, on the medal stand, etc… It is akin to the End Zone Dance rule in the NFL.
The USOC does not want American athletes to be seen as taunting others with their celebrations or displays.
I’m not sure about not being allowed to wave the flag. They just want their athletes to be safe. I wouldn’t be surprised if they will try to limit athletes display of the flag/colors outside of the sports venues for security reasons.
Yeah this is crap. I am tired of the idea that we can’t have pride in our flag and our country. If I were at the Olympics I would for sure carry a flag. What makes it worse is they say other countries should be allowed to revel in their flag.
The funny thing is they site security. If you are a target because you are American, then having a flag doesn’t make a difference
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1136495/posts
Just more bowing to the global PC crap. Maybe the UN should run the olympics?
http://washtimes.com/national/20040516-121028-9603r.htm
What a load of crap! If other countries have a problem with our athletes waving the American flag after winning an event, maybe they should try to win instead of whining like a bunch of crybabies. Why don’t they just tell our athletes to not try to win, wouldn’t that solve the problem. Lets just throw every event, so France can win a few. In fact lets just not send any athletes, then we won’t offend anyone. Damn, this makes me so angry!
Chris
**The discussion I heard was aimed more at avoiding grossly obssesive displays after finishing a race, celebrating, on the medal stand, etc… It is akin to the End Zone Dance rule in the NFL. **
The statement I read specifically mentioned that they didn’t want the flag being carried on a victory lap, because that would be confrontational, whereas if a Russian or Kenyan athlete did it , that would be OK. I resent the double standard.
As for gross displays, I agree with curbing those- I was ashamed of the behavior of the 4x100 relay team last time- terribly disrespectful of the American flag, and horribly unsportsmanlike. It was an ugly spectacle.
what happened there?
The report I heard on NPR mentioned an american woman swimmer who spat in the lane of a competitor, and the basketball “dream team” who pretty seriously taunts the opposing team (but this is normal basketball culture, AFAIK!).
It’s not about the Flag, specifically. It’s more about behaving like an ass, inciting a riot, and getting yourself killed along with your fellow athletes. Let’s face it: a. athletes can behave like REAL asses sometimes. b. The olympics are not the venue for behaving like an ass (see WWF, NBA, NHL, NFL…) c. Americans are not exactly on the best terms with a bunch of the world right now…
If somebody spat in my lane before a race…
-Zo
It’s not about the Flag, specifically. It’s more about behaving like an ass
Again, I agree that our athletes need to refrain from acting like asses.
It* is* about the flag, though. Specifically.
I just don’t see what the flag has to do with taunting really.
If that was the objective then why not ban sharpie’s and cell phones on the podium?
Can you imagine Terrell Owens on the Podium?
“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.”
Decided to go to the source - Read below from USOC website
Statement From United States Olympic Committee
Chief Executive Jim Scherr Regarding U.S. Athletes
Celebrating with the American Flag
at the Athens Olympic And Paralympic Games
"The United States Olympic Committee wants to make it absolutely clear that we have not – and will not – instruct our athletes to refrain from waving the United States flag during the upcoming Athens Olympic and Paralympic Games. Any suggestions or statements to the contrary do not reflect the official position of our organization.
Athletes will be free, as always, to celebrate their performances in an exuberant, respectful way during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We will remind our athletes that they are guests of the Olympic movement, Greece, and the city of Athens and to be good ambassadors of our country, their communities, families and sports. We want our athletes to be champions who conduct themselves with class and, if it is the case, to lose with grace and dignity. Additionally, we are reminding them to treat the United States flag with the respect it deserves.
One of the proudest moments of my life was to put on my USA warm-up and represent my country at the 1988 Olympic Games. I know our athletes feel the same way today and we will not in any way infringe upon that honor.
Accomplishments of athletes and teams such as the 1980 United States Olympic Hockey Team, the great Billy Mills, swimming legend Janet Evans and countless others have inspired our nation. We are certain that the athletes who represent the United States at the 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games will do the same."
vitus979,
The American flag will not be raised in the Olympic village for fear of identifying the building housing American athletes as a terrorist target.
However, it is speculated that the CIA is planning to raise the American flag on various buildings housing athletes from Moslem countries as a means of trying to prevent terrorist attacks in the hope that terrorists would refrain from killing members of their own faith. It has been pointed out that the terrorists do not seem to be concerned about killing members of their own faith in attacks and as such the CIA plan is a bad one.
We shall have to wait and see.
The Olympics has become bloated affair with corruption involving government officials. It doesn’t even mean much to me anymore. Just another big money sporting event with lots of greased palms. I’d rather watch the special Olympics, a lot more heart there.
IMHO, flag or no flag, if some arsehole wants to try and kill you, then they will try.
Any country’s flag is crucially symbolic. I think kiwiland only had one Gold at Sydney, but I will never forget the medal ceremony, and when they hoist that flag and play the anthem…special stuff, and if you are allowed to compete then you should be allowed to fly your flag high as well.
My .02 cents.
I think it’s about taunting, especially in light of what our track team did in Sydney, and just being careful, especially outside the Olympic Village.
I’m sure you’ve all seen that the Greeks have done a crap job of putting together the facilities, with a bunch of them still unfinished as of now, 100 days before the start of the Games. Security is also crap, as Bernard Goldberg showed on Realsports. None of this is really a surprise. As a Greek friend of mine points out, this is sort of typical, as the Greek attitude is generally one of “don’t worry about it, it’ll get done.”
Combine this with the fact that Greece has a long history of terrorism, and that Athens, at least until recently, was one of the airports I would be warned about anytime I flew international (and Lagos, Nigeria), and that the Greeks tend to have historically divided loyalties between the Mideast and Western Europe, and you sort of have a recipe for potential catastrophe.
So I think this is just a form of pragmatism - win your events, compete honorably, and get the hell out in one piece. While I’m optimistic nothing will happen, I think as far as Olympics go, this is the riskiest one in 30 years.