Rogge, IOC Should Not Criticize Bolt
IOC President Jacques Rogge shot off his mouth at one of the biggest stars of the Olympics today, criticizing Jamaican Usain Bolt’s flashy finish to the 100-meter finals. Guess what Mr. Rogge: no one cares about you and everyone cares about Mr. Bolt. No one comes to the Olympics to hear about what members of the IOC think. The Olympics would go on without the IOC, but not in the absence of the athletes.
Perhaps you should be looking at your own monumental failings of leadership before you point a finger at the greatest sprinter of all-time. You promised free press coverage and non-repressive policies, and then caved in to Chinese pressure, even allowing them to censor the internet in the press center. You are a total disgrace, and for you to criticize a man who came from a tiny, poor island to reach the pinnacle of his sport is a total joke.
Perhaps he could have responded differently, but perhaps you could have made China live up to its promises. In the end, a little high-stepping is not nearly as bad as allowing rampant corruption in your organization. You are a bunch of petty dictators who tried to stop a country from participating in the Games because they didn’t play by your rules that are solely designed to line your pockets. In 15 years, everyone will remember Bolt’s stunning performance, and no one will know who you are. Unless he tests positive for anything, and then everyone will remember your failure of leadership. He made your corrupt organization millions of dollars, and for that you should be kissing his ass, not claiming some moral authority.
Here is some of the coverage of Rogge’s idiotic statement:
IOC president Jacques Rogge criticized Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt on Thursday for showing a lack of respect to other competitors after his record-breaking gold-medal performances in the 100 and 200 meters.
“That’s not the way we perceive being a champion,” Rogge said.
The International Olympic Committee chief hailed Bolt’s stunning achievements in the two sprints, comparing him to American great Jesse Owens, but said Bolt should have cut out the look-at-me flaunting and acknowledged the other athletes.
“I have no problem with him doing a show,” Rogge said in an interview with three international news agency reporters. “I think he should show more respect for his competitors and shake hands, give a tap on the shoulder to the other ones immediately after the finish and not make gestures like the one he made in the 100 meters.”
Someone should tell the IOC that they are completely insignificant. It’s about the athletes, not the corrupt bureaucrats. They have shown no leadership in dealing with China, and no one is following them as a result.
[update]
I was thrilled to see I was not the only one who ripped the IOC for criticizing Bolt. ESPN’s Luke Cyphers did so too (link requires ESPN.com subscription):
Share ThisWhat we saw from Bolt was joy — pure, unadulterated, genuine. “Can you believe what you just saw?! Me, neither! Commence to boogie!”
“I like having fun,” Bolt said.
So do we. So let him.
And one more thing, an FYI to the IOC: How about getting your own house in order?
Allowing Wallace Spearmon, Bolt’s good friend, to get three-quarters of the way through a victory lap before disqualifying him, taking away a bronze medal and thereby embarrassing him on his sport’s biggest stage, was a low-class, low-life blunder.
That’s not the way we perceive being a competent organization.
Dan responds:
Posted: August 23rd, 2008 at 12:29 am →
Great post. Rogge and his cronies are pretty much despicable and his going after Bolt was a diversionary tactic.
Cici responds:
Posted: August 24th, 2008 at 2:12 pm →
Why was it “low-class” to disqualify Spearman? He ran out of his lane, so he deserved it.
And guess what? He didn’t even win, so he shouldn’t have done a victory lap!
Josh responds:
Posted: August 24th, 2008 at 9:46 pm →
That was a quote from someone at ESPN. I didn’t even know who Spearman was.
JD responds:
Posted: September 26th, 2008 at 7:56 am →
What was low-class was not telling Spearmon he was DQ’d, flashing on the scoreboard that he finished third, then leaving that result up for several minutes, without indicating the race was under review. That’s what allowed Spearmon to get around the track so far and embarrass himself.
At a well-run meet, that wouldn’t have happened.