July 14, 1976

Let Olympics Die

And so the modern Olympics die for the same reason the ancient games did - politics.

International understanding through sportsmanship is a good idea.  Sadly, however, it is an ideal unattainable by mankind in its still primitive stages.

Ironically, history will record that the demise came at the hands of Canada which heretofore prided itself on its tradition of fair play.

Our northern neighbor, which sells much of its fabulous output of wheat to Red China, knuckled under to its big customer by refusing to let the Nationalist Chinese participate in the current Olympiad.

If you labor under the delusion that the International Olympic Committee decides athletic qualifications you can put the quaint notion aside.  It is a naive throwback to those days when we believed in brotherhood, cooperation, and peace.

When Canada asked to host the games, it specifically declared the Nationalist Chinese on the Island of Taiwan would be welcome at Montreal.

But that was four years ago - apparently beyond the Canadian statute Of limitations for keeping one's word.

Andre Bissonette, under-secretary for Canadian external affairs, brushed aside the commitment of neutrality.  "We are not prepared to allow the public proclamation in Canada of anyone under the name of the Republic of China," he declared.

He would not allow the Nationalist Chinese even to enter Canada unless they promised to leave their country's flag at home, rip the initials ROC off their shirts, and reject their national anthem should they win any medals.

Canada's action is a shameful display of cynicism, and a blatant violation of both the spirit and rules of the Olympics.

It takes us back to the days of Hitler when he packed the Berlin Olympics of 1936 with Nazi sympathizers and left in a pout when an American black, Jesse Owens, exposed the sham of master race.

That taste of politics shook up Olympic leaders, and they took particular pains to preserve the objective of sportsmanship.

They succeeded pretty well until the 1972 games - again in Germany, by a twist of fate.  There, Arab terrorists murdered 11 Israeli athletes.  It was because of this experience that Olympic officials demanded, and received, assurances by Canada that the 1976 games would be free of prejudice.

Unfortunately, the IOC leaders didn't notice at the time that Canada had its fingers crossed.  We now live in an era of expediency, when any double-cross is permissible so long as the crossee is small and insignificant.

We live in a new age where allies are chosen on the basis of power rather than principle.  Terrorists, gangsters, assassins and racketeers are fondly embraced so long as the embracer gets a piece of the action.

Before you condemn Canada wholly, keep in mind that the United States is experimenting with the same cynical approach to world affairs.  We double crossed our pro-western friends in Angola - ostensibly because of the high costs involved - in order to get on the more powerful communist band wagon at an admission price twice that of our original objection.

We stood by while the United Nations kicked out the Nationalist Chinese.  The Nationalist Republic of China was the only nation we did not invite to our Bicentennial celebration.

So, the United States stands as a tearful crocodile when it laments weakly that the Nationalist Chinese should be allowed by Canada to take part in the Olympics.

Phillip O. Krumm, president of the U.S. Olympic Committee, plaintively "hopes" the Nationalist Chinese will commit a moral treason by repudiating their national symbols and march under the now cowardly Olympic flag of five interlocking rings.

How stupid!  The oriental will die before he will give up "face."  It is a Freudian acknowledgment of Krumm's moral standard that he would seriously entertain a craven surrender.

Lord Killianin, president of the IOC, caved in after stoutly declaring for two weeks he would withdraw sanction for the games rather than submit to strong-arm politics.  His backbone, too, was revealed to be rubber.

"He said, petulantly," I admit we've had a very heavy blow from this political interference, I hope we'll never be put in such a damnable position again."

No such luck, M'Lord.

The Soviet Union is scheduled to host the 1980 Olympiad.  With such a beautiful precedent established by Canada, we can expect some professional bad manners from the communists.

The United States might be barred on political grounds.

Let us hope that before such a time we have a government and an Olympic committee with principles and guts.

Otherwise, let the Olympics succumb from the mortal wounds inflicted by Canada.

Author: Lindsey Williams