4 replies to this topic

[Johnny Henning]

London Olympics: athletes who refuse to compete will be 'heavily punished'

The head of the International Olympic Committee has warned that any athlete not prepared to compete against a rival nation for political or religious reasons in London will be heavily punished.

The intervention of the IOC president, Jacques Rogge, comes after an Algerian athlete withdrew from a race against an Israeli rival during a recent World Cup canoeing regatta in Duisburg, Germany...

...He refused to comment afterwards, but it was later confirmed that he was did so due to pressure from the Algerian government. He returned to competition the next day in the 200m heats.

The head of the Algerian Olympic Committee, Rachid Hanifi, has said it will be up to the Algerian government whether its athletes should compete against Israelis at the Games.

"I know it's a very sensitive question and this is why I said that I will discuss it with the Algerian government, conforming to the recommendations of the IOC, which advocates harmonious co-operation between national Olympic committees and their government," Hanifi told the Associated Press last week.

During the 2004 Games in Athens and the 2008 Olympics, Iran faced criticism after its athletes withdrew from events against Israelis.

"If you think about rugby, you have this wonderful sentence where England and Scotland think about each other as the 'auld enemy'. But they still play every year," said Rogge...

Hmm, I had thought contentions between England and Scotland had cooled a bit since the days of William Wallace, but if the head of the IOC is comparing them to Israel and Iran...?

[Steve Sensible]

There's often an exchange of fire at the border between England and Scotland, usually involving chemical weapons - Buckfast, Irn-Bru and the like.

[garjones]

It's a very tenuous comparison but I think the point being made is, and it is true, the rivalry between England and Scotland makes them want to beat them even more, not drop out.

I was just listening to a story about the 1980 games and the pressure on British athletes not to take part was quite bizarre as the US were happly selling corn to the Soviet Union. Sport and politics can never be entirely seperate, the rugby and cricket boycotts of South Africa show they can hold sway but I tend to agree with the idea that the Algerian guy would make a better point if he beat the Israeli.

[Johnny Henning]

From the article, I think the Algerian rower was following instructions from his government - not that he wanted to make a point, but they wanted to make the news with this just before the games. I bet if you could look up the same racers other events, it's likely he's competed against Israel without incident before when they was no political news to be made.

[garjones]

From the article, I think the Algerian rower was following instructions from his government - not that he wanted to make a point, but they wanted to make the news with this just before the games. I bet if you could look up the same racers other events, it's likely he's competed against Israel without incident before when they was no political news to be made.

Yes well that was the analogy with the UK 1980 experience. Various governments, including the Thatcher regime at the time. wanted to make the point and the athletes rejected it and took part. Not every region allows that level of autonomy and will just tell them what to do.