The Olympic Circus
What Lies Under the Glitter
What Lies Under the Glitter
By Nancy Thomson
"Out with a bang",
is a quote in the February 25/02 copy of the Orange County Register. The
X1X Winter Olympic games finally ended. There were some bangs during the
interim also. On February 24, the last night, Olympians rolled all night
and rocked with KISS, (whose leader brags about the hundreds of women he
has bedded.) Band members had painted Satan faces, wild hair, high-heel
platform shoes and the tightest leg coverings accenting their clothes from
outer space. To add to the joy of the occasion, Katerina Witt, German gold
medal winner in the 80’s skated to the beat of this outer space costumed
group (1) A rock singer was provocatively dressed in black with low slung
pants that contrasted with her high slung garter belt. Fireworks, spotlighted
neon multicolored paint spread on the ice for the finale were spectacular.
Officials know that capturing Olympic interest with the younger generation is necessary for continuation of this organization. However, the Olympic Committee has elevated these American substandard entertainers to a new pinnacle by presenting them at the closing extravaganza while the world was watching.
Instead of representing individual countries as during the sports games, all the Olympic combatants marched arm in arm, displaying the "we are all just one world." Global unity at the end echoed UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s decree.
As time passes, it is more obvious that the Olympics and the UN are in business together supporting and promoting the one world concept. Actions at the games are a good example of why the amalgamation of the world won’t work. Some of the problems that DIDN’T unite the game participants mirror international squabbles.
Block -voting by communist/socialist judges is a long- standing problem. There was the fiasco with the French judge Marie Reine Le Gougne involved in grading couples ice dancing. Le Gougne admitted she was pressured to vote for the Russian skaters over the better performing Canadians (2) The International Olympic Committee dismissed the judge for "mental problems" and both the Russian and Canadians received duplicate gold medals.
In the biggest doping case of the Olympics Winter history, three skiers, one from Spain and two from Russia were stripped of their gold medals. They all tested positive for a new drug, not yet even on the Olympic list. It is a performance-enhancing drug called darbepoetin (3)
In the past Russians have used steroids, and even been accused of deploying someone who was really a man competing in a woman’s sport. It was well known that the Russian government subsidized their athletes during the era when participants were supposed to be unsubsidized amateurs. Winning medals was considered a national priority.
Now it seemed the Russian sports -empire was fading. Dismissal of their most decorated winter athlete because of drugs together with hockey and other losses caused Russian officials to blame the judges, referees, and North American prejudice (4) It didn’t help that the American athletes were winning many trohies. Russia (and Spain) threatened to pull out of the games and not compete in future Olympic events. Because Russians have always used the Olympics as a political vehicle, the matter escalated to the highest level, President Putin. Deciding quitting would damage their international standing, Putin ordered the Russian coaches to continue their participation in the games.
Originally Olympic games were presented as a goodwill chance to view the world’s best athletes in a competitive but fair setting. It has taken on a much different and expansive agenda.
Let’s look at what the Olympics have become.
Federal government
subsidized Olympic games in Salt Lake, has a starting cost of $1.3 billion.
According to "Sports Illustrated", the true cost of the Utah games surpasses
the amount spent by one and a half times (inflation adjusted) the government
funds used to support all seven Olympic games in the US since 1904 (5)
The games are based on the UN’s public/private partnership plan. Elites
in government and corporations make financial gains. Their risks and losses
are socialized, while profits are privatized" (6)
Quite aside from the bribes Utah officials and corporate management offered to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) congress got involved. Senator Hatch and Representative Jim Hanson (both from Utah) introduced land-swap legislation which enlarged a ski resort, Snowbasin, to make it more competitive with other resorts in Utah. Representative Hansen explained the land deal was necessary for the Olympic games. This measure was buried in a public lands management act that was signed in November, 1996. Tax funds were used to build a road through Snowbasin’s new territory. Snow basin hosted several 2002 Olympic events. Forbes 400, lists the owner of Snowbasin as one of the wealthiest men in America (7)
No fear that the citizens would be left with debt from the games. Utah Representative Cook, in an interview said it was the responsibility of the federal government to help Utah with the burden of hosting the Winter Olympics.
Olympic officials soliciting contracts from their close associates, federal, local and corporate associations are at the basis of the Olympic organization. All are feeding at the public trough.
Fear not, the international body is appointing a committee to investigate the whole Utah Olympic mess.
Many representatives of this committee are members of the Council on Foreign Relations (8) Don’t you feel encouraged knowing that Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of the UN Boutros Boutras Galli, and George Mitchell will determine the ethics for future Olympic rules?
As happened at previous meetings, Kissinger and company "are assured that congress will go along."
Refrences