Politics, Change and The Olympic Spirit
The most yawnful month of the year is upon us, but thankfully politics and sport are keeping the flame alight: the games have already begun.
The Hog, 31 Jul 2008
August is traditionally the silly season, the month when the stray dog’s indiscretions get picked up by snoozy sub-editors in the national media. Whether in an office, a production line or a farm, our heads are on holidays. But elsewhere it ain’t necessarily so.
Two big things will dominate the headlines over the next month. First up there’s the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing from August 8 to 24. Immediately after that there’s the Democratic National Congress in Denver, Colorado, from August 25 to 28 which will see Barack Obama accept the nomination for President of the United States.
The Olympics kick off next week. They’ve already proved politically controversial and the Olympic torch has been dogged by human rights protests on its way from Greece. Also, dissidents and nationalists in Tibet and Xinjiang have used the games to highlight their grievances against Han Chinese majority rule and, as they see it, colonisation.
Plus c’est la meme chose plus ça change...
Well, we started it way back. The first significant Olympian rumble was initiated by Irish athletes who boycotted the 1908 Games in London in protest at not having their own country to compete for – only countries with full sovereignty were accepted.
But some competed for adopted countries. Not only that, they went and won gold, silver and bronze medals to boot. Corkman John Jesus Flanagan, representing the USA, won his third Olympic title in London (at the age of 40!) throwing the hammer. Two other Irish athletes were second and third, Mattie McGrath from Nenagh (USA) and Con Walsh from North Cork (Canada).
Martin Sheridan, who emigrated from Bohola, Co. Mayo at sixteen years of age, went one better and won two golds for the USA in the discus and in the Greek style discus. Just for the hell of it he also took a bronze in the standing long jump. In all, he won nine medals in various Olympiads. Timothy Ahearne from Athea, Co. Limerick came first in the triple jump for the USA, Robert Kerr (Enniskillen) represented Canada and came first in the 200 metres and third in the 100 metres.
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