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The Gold Medal Goes To Russia For... Invasion!
Over the course of 20 years we've seen Russia swing from totalitarianism to authoritarianism, but some things don't change. Russian imperialist aggression, for example. Let's take a quick look at a half-century's history using the yardstick of the Olympic Games to see how this works in practice.1956. Melbourne. The Games of the XVI Olympiad. Ronnie Delany of Ireland wins gold in the 1,500 metres. The Hungarian Revolution is a spontaneous revolt against the country's Stalinist government and its Moscow-imposed policies. Soviet troops invade Budapest and an estimated 2,500 Hungarians die, while 200,000 people flee. The new Soviet-installed government suppresses all opposition. Olympic gold 1968. Mexico City. The Games of the XIX Olympiad. Mohammed Gammoudi of Tunisia wins gold in the 5,000 metres. To prevent Alexander Dubcek's Prague Spring reforms from continuing, the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies invade the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. The invasion ends democratization and 72 Czechoslovaks are killed by Soviet tanks. 1980. Moscow. The Games of the XXII Olympiad. Sara Simeoni of Italy wins gold in the high jump. Led by the United States, 66 democracies boycott the games protesting the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan that ravaged the destitute country. Prince Alexandre de Merode of Belgium, Chairman of the IOC Medical Commission, stated that "There were 9,292 drug tests. None positive". Among the 1980 records that still stand are the East German women's 4×100 metre relay (41.6 seconds) and the shot put by Ilona Slupianek of East Germany (22.41 metres). 2008. Beijing. The Games of the XXIX Olympiad. Katerina Emmons of the Czech Republic wins the first gold medal in the Women's 10m Air Rifle event. Russia invades Georgia. The presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia issue a joint statement condemning Russia. John McCain says: "I strongly support their commitment that 'aggression against a small country in Europe will not be passed over in silence or with meaningless statements equating the victims with the victimizers.'" And in his comment on "Russia's Aggression in Georgia", McCain says that "Russia should immediately and unconditionally cease its military operations and withdraw all forces from sovereign Georgian territory." The small nations of eastern and southern Europe can win gold medals, but they cannot withstand the depredations of their Russian neighbour. They have to be protected because although Olympics may come and go, some (terrible) things remain the same. Posted by: Sherry 2008-08-16 |
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