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Thu. Aug 19, 2004

Mid Week Olympic Impressions

Wednesday was the big glamour event. No, not the men’s all round gymnastics competition. I mean the first competition at Olympia since 394 A.D. Sport, returning to the place sport was born. At least, it was the big glamour event for me.

They decided to hold the shot put at the ancient site, an event that was introduced for the second round of the Olympics in 1896. People sat on the hillside, just as spectators did thousands of years ago. And we heard Olympic caliber primal screaming from the shot putters, the linebackers of Olympic competition.

But I wish they’d created a special one time event for these Games. A 200 meter dash. Not the “curved” event we already have. One like it once was at Olympia, a straightaway, on dirt, from a standing start. You’d probably have to pass on the historic authenticity of total nakedness for the competitors, but they should at least be barefoot. And shorn of all logos, corporate or national.

Well, maybe in another 1,610 years, they’ll do it again and get it right.

I also enjoyed the Salt White Water Kayaking, particularly Rebecca Giddens who seems to typify the best of the Olympic attitude: “Believe it or not, I wasn’t very nervous … I focused on the things that I have. I focused on the good things in my life. That did it.” On winning a silver medal? “I absolutely am happy, but I’m proud of [gold winner] Elena [Kaliska], too … She’s a very, very good friend, and I love competing against her.”

You don’t have to look far to find the worst, either. Stuart Hughes reports that “A full-blown media scrum before breakfast isn’t the most relaxing way to start the day. By 10 o’clock this morning I’d been crushed, trodden on and abused by fellow members of the international press corps…” And John Crumpacker tells us that “An ugly international incident occurred Monday in Athens and received no media play because the perpetrators were members of the U.S. and Dutch press, who strangely chose not to write about it.”

And even though the US basketball team managed to win their second game, they’re still taking big hits:

The U.S. men’s basketball team is getting slammed from all sides. These Dream Team impostors are jeered in Athens bars by Americans, booed in the arena by Greeks and the rest of the world, despised back home by people fed up watching their selfish ways on TV.

Complaining right in their faces is coach Larry Brown, who’s beside himself between yelling at them, trying to cajole them into playing like a team, and ripping them for lack of effort.

This is a collection of players who offend basketball purists by insisting on playing one-on-one, schoolyard-style. More than that, they’ve become a focal point for some of the attitudes that critics find most offensive about pro athletes.

Sure, the world has caught up since the days when they were awed by the original Dream Team at Barcelona a dozen years ago. But the sad truth exposed in these Olympics is that NBA-style, American ball — corrupted more and more each year — has degenerated into a schoolyard affair.

Steve Wilstein: “Dream Team most unpopular athletes in Olympics”

Kathy K tells us “The Falun Gong have infiltrated Athens. They are everywhere. The obvious ones are Chinese but they have also recruited some white faced anglo types to trick white faced anglo types like me. They are capitalizing on the fact that EVERYONE is handing something out to read in Athens.” Oh, and I’m sure they’ll be very welcome at the next Olympics … in China.