The best athletes from all over the world converge for a glorified fortnight of heart-suspending, harmonious and friendly international competition. Sounds exactly like a spellbinding sports showcase, with only one missing ingredient: controversy. The 2000 Sydney Olympic Games was predictably marked by tremendous tension before the first lap was swum, first routine was completed or first game was played.
Australian long jumper Jai Taurima trash-talked with a diplomatic tone and established a sincere sense of hospitality for visitors by asserting that the United States' "dark athletes" won't jump well in cold weather, as Australia is just coming out of its winter season.
While Taurima brashly won the gold medal for political incorrectness and bigotry, he certainly did not win over many fans. In fact, American jumper Savante Stringfellow claims to have used Taurima's comment as inspiration to beat the Australian at a pre-Olympic meet in Brisbane. American swimmer Gary Hall soon lashed back at the hosts, predicting that the U.S. will "smash them [Australian swimmers] like guitars." Across the Pacific, Australian 1,500-meter gold medallist Kieran Perkins shattered, or should I say supported, Hall's rock star fantasy by attacking Hall's previous substance abuse. It seems so far that the foreign athletes are handling the cooler temperatures, clockwise-flushing toilets and killer kangaroos Down Under just fine.
Civil Olympic battles took place as well. United States tennis coach Billie Jean King stirred up a batch of controversy by selecting household name and established star Serena Williams to play Olympic doubles with her sister Venus Williams. According to the practices of previous Olympics, the United States should have given a call to doubles specialist Lisa Raymond, ranked number one in the world in doubles at the time, instead of Serena, who had no doubles ranking. It is worth noting that Venus hinted that if Sydney would not be a sister experience, she herself would relinquish her singles position. Of course, having the spectacular18-year-old Williams play doubles with Venus will generate much more international fanfare and recognition, but at 26, the deserving Raymond probably missed out on her last opportunity to represent her country on such an occasion. Raymond appealed this unfair decision in court to no avail.
A similar situation occurred in France, as an Olympic singles berth was denied to top-ranked Nathalie Tauziat, whose book "The Underside of Women's Tennis" infuriated other French players so much that they threatened to boycott the Olympics if she was selected.
In recent years, the International Olympic Committee, the governing board of the Olympics, has been stained by allegations of corruption. Cities hoping to be awarded the Games can first improve their standing by presenting the Committee with lavish gifts and favors before building the necessary facilities and making a proper proposal.
Negative publicity such as the 1996 bombing in the Atlantic Olympic Village and terrorism in a number of previous Games are seemingly synonymous with the Olympics. Although nothing so extreme has occurred so far in Sydney, the 2000 Games have certainly had their share of disruption, doping and dilemma. The Olympic torch's journey was upset three separate times on its journey from Atlanta to Sydney, as bystanders tried to snatch the torch from the holder. American athletes were virtually prisoners in the Crown Casino and Hotel as political protestors barricaded the complex to protest the World Economic Forum. The pre-opening headlines were predictably dominated by positive drug tests, including the unprecedented removal of 27 athletes from the Chinese delegation due to positive results of the performance-enhancing drug EPO and the banning of the Romanian weightlifting team for positive drug tests. The Opening Ceremonies' Olympic oath appropriately featured a new line vowing abstinence from enhancing substances and doping. Despite this new oath, it is probable that the Olympics will never be pure in terms of drugs or scandal.
Those who will spend some of their first, exam-free days of this Fall term glued to the Olympics on our new multi-channel televisions should expect actual accomplishments by the top Olympians to be in the spotlight. This was indeed the case if the top Olympians in the particular event happen to be American. With some notable exceptions, the proud peacock and its affiliates do not really seem to appreciate that there are foreign athletes present at the Games. Coverage centers on events in which Americans have medal hopes and includes frequent heartwarming profiles of American athletes who have overcome difficulties (such as being young or pursuing their sport against the will of their parents) to reach Sydney. Even though badminton, table tennis and judo will receive scanty, if any, coverage, we can be relieved to be finally witnessing competition instead of controversy.
