The Olympics are winding to a close, and probably not a minute too soon, either. Don't you hate when you throw a party and the guests can't get along?
It's been fun, but maybe it's time for everyone to go home. When the kids aren't playing well together and the grown-ups are complaining and threatening to go home unless they get their way, it's probably time to call it a day.
And to think it might have all begun with a whisper. A French judge gets pressured from Mr./Ms. X to vote for the Russian pairs skaters and the dominoes fall. A whisper leads to a vote leads to a protest leads to a scandal leads to dual gold medals leads to an Olympic Jerry Springer show.
By Friday, parliaments and presidents were crying foul and giving it more attention than terrorism.
To review:
a. The Canadians protested the pairs figure skating results and a judging scandal was uncovered, resulting in the awarding of a second set of gold medals, which opened a Pandora's box.
b. The Russians protested the awarding of the extra gold medals.
c. The Lithuanians protested their fifth-place finish in ice dancing after the bronze medalists fell so hard it looked like they'd been hit by a linebacker.
d. The Koreans protested the disqualification of their short-track skater, which left the gold medal to American Apolo Ohno. They say they will file a lawsuit in a U.S. court (how American). "We should use a rifle on Ohno," said an Italian skater. "It's absurd that the Korean was disqualified." Nice. South Korean officials said they might boycott the closing ceremonies. They hint they want their own gold medal — like the Canadians.
e. The Russians protested the suspension of their cross country skier (due to a high level of hemoglobin in her blood) and threatened to pull their team out of the Games and go home. Matters got so serious that IOC President Jacques Rogge dispatched a letter to Russian president Vladimir Putin. Putin says there is a bias against Russians.
f. Hours later, Russia protested the results of women's figure skating in which their own Irina Slutskaya finished second to, ahem, American Sarah Hughes. The Russians say they want a second gold medal to be awarded to their skater. Sound familiar? Meanwhile, the Russian lower house of parliament, by a vote of 417-0, passed a resolution that accused the IOC of bias and urged the Russia team to boycott the closing ceremonies.
"As far as this issue was corrected during the Canadian pair competition, we feel that it will be most likely to be possible to be corrected this time as well," said the Russian Olympic committee president.
It's getting ugly. Korean journalists reportedly are saying that President Bush's visit to their country might have been canceled if it hadn't already happened. Russians are saying this could sour U.S.-Russia relations. They charge that judges are sympathetic to the U.S. because of Sept. 11.
It doesn't help that the hometown U.S. medal count is climbing over the 30 mark — more than double their previous record. Suddenly, that's a little embarrassing. Maybe the U.S. should have lost that hockey game to Russia to preserve world peace.
So much for the Olympics being a happy gathering place for the world. Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, must be rolling in his grave. De Coubertin once stated the purpose of the Games was "to create friendship and goodwill that would lead to a happier and more peaceful world."
He didn't say anything about it creating lawsuits, protests, cold wars and second gold medals.
Now might be a good time to note that in A.D. 394, the Roman Emperor Theodosius ended the ancient Olympics because he considered them to be a public nuisance. They weren't revived for 1,500 years.
It might not be overstating things to say this is the biggest threat to the Olympic movement since the tit-for-tat boycotts of 1980 and '84 (or since the bid scandal). Has there ever been a more acrimonious Games? Russians have hinted that maybe they'll attend their own separate Olympic-type event in the future.
Maybe it's time to reconsider the inclusion in the Olympics of the so-called subjective sports that rely on judges rather than a stop watch or measuring tape. Why not put figure skating and ice dancing in the same category as the ballet and theater, where it is enjoyed as art instead of as competition? Time will tell how much change is needed.
Meanwhile, while Americans are enjoying the Winter Olympics more than ever, the perception abroad is that these are North America's Games. Athens should be fun.
Doug Robinson's column will run daily through the Winter Games. You can e-mail him at drob@desnews.com.
© 2002 Deseret News Publishing Company