Israel Matzav: What 'Olympic spirit'?

Sunday, August 07, 2016

What 'Olympic spirit'?

In 1936, the Olympics were held in Nazi Germany, to Hitler's delight, until Jesse Owens, a black man, walked away with four gold medals.

In 1972, when 'Palestinian' terrorists murdered 11 Israeli athletes in Munich, while the hostage drama was being played out and thereafter, IOC Chairman Avery Brundage famously insisted that 'the games must go on.' It took 40 years afterward for the 11 murdered Israelis to even be memorialized at the Games, and even that was in a side ceremony and not at the main stadium. For more than 40 years, the IOC has gone out of its way to cover up what actually happened on September 6, 1972. On Wednesday, there was finally a proper memorial ceremony for the Munich 11 - 44 years later - albeit not at the opening ceremony where it would have been watched by a huge worldwide audience.

What happened on Friday pales by comparison, but nevertheless shows that the 'Olympic spirit' is as big a fraud as ever. The Lebanese Olympic team prevented members of the Israeli Olympic team from boarding a bus at the Olympic village, because... well they're Israelis. And it goes without saying that there were no consequences to the Lebanese team.

“I kept on insisting that we board the bus and said that if the Lebanese did not want to board as well they are welcome to leave,” Udi Gal, the Israeli sailing team trainer, wrote in a Facebook post Friday.

“The bus driver opened the door, but this time the head of the Lebanese delegation blocked the aisle and entrance. The organizers wanted to avoid an international and physical incident and sent us away to a different bus.”

So far, no official response on behalf of the delegations was given regarding the incident. The Olympic organizing committee has not yet offered any statement about the incident either.

Back home, the head of the Lebanese delegation is being hailed as a hero.

Saleem a-Haj Nacoula told Lebanese media that the Israelis were “looking for trouble” as they insisted on boarding the same bus when they had their own assigned transportation.

“There were more than 250 buses assigned to transport delegations from the Olympics village to the ceremony. After we boarded bus number 22, for the Lebanese delegation, I was surprised to see the Israeli delegation approaching and trying to get on,” Nacoula said.

“I told the bus driver to close the door but a trainer who was with the Israelis prevented him from doing so. I had to physically stand at the door and block him and the rest of the delegation from boarding, knowing that some were trying to force their way through and were looking for trouble,” he went on.

Nacoula alleged that the Israeli had their own bus to take them. “Why did they want to board a bus with the Lebanese delegation?”

“I stood at the door and told those responsible that we would not let them on the bus with us,” he said.

Members of the Israeli delegation were taken to the opening ceremony on other buses arranged through Olympics organizers.

Back home, Nacoula was praised in the press and on social media as a hero.

Maybe the reason the Israelis were looking to board the bus was that there were too many of them to fit on one bus.

For the 2016 Olympic Games, which officially opened on Friday, Israel proudly showed off its largest delegation ever, with 47 athletes competing in 17 categories. Israel’s delegation also includes 34 coaches and about 25 support staff.

The Lebanese delegation consists of 9 athletes, and probably far fewer coaches and support staff than the Israelis have. The Lebanese did not need their own bus. This was nothing but pettiness (and worse). But it will go unpunished. Because the 'Olympic spirit' is a fraud.

Labels: International Olympic Committee, Israel, Lebanon, Munich Olympic massacre, Olympic spirit, Rio Olympics, Summer Olympics