Republic of Macedonia Snubbed

[United MKD]

lavce, what did Eddy say as our country was called out? I didn't watch the telecast.

[United MKD]

I’m afraid things are even worse. None of these four athletes was qualified. They were all just invited so that your country is represented. This happens for all (very) small countries (e.g. Andorra) or countries with no athletic tradition (e.g. Afghanistan in 2004).

Still, that only means you have to start from zero and invest on your young talents and probably the lesser known sports. You’ll find that the first successes (whenever they come, e.g. basketball) will create new national heroes and a huge wave of inspiration. The same thing has happened in Greece (after early 90s) and Turkey (about 10 years later). The only way is up!

They are only kids who train by themselves, they have no running track, they have no coaches, they aren't sponsored, they only have one pair of running shoes! It sounds worse than Afghanistan, but that's what our athletes are up against, zero support. I wouldn't even call them athletes more like London tourists. Only the flag bearer (Blazevski) actually swims in America so he is abit different.

[Louis]

That was Blazhevski? He shouldn’t be a flag bearer as he competes in Saturday morning!!!

I DO have a (funny) recommendation. Medals will always come from unknown sports. Cyprus is a small country but had two amazing shooters (in skeet shooting) that came 4th and 5th in Beijing 2008.

I read that Vangelovski is a Christian gun enthusiast. So he should better shoot clay disks instead of people or start his training with clay disks. There’s a variety of shooting Olympic sports using a variety of guns. He can also live and train in Australia, yet represent Macedonia’s colours in international games. Diaspora can always provide athletes in this way, or you can have athletes who study and train in an American university.

[lavce pelagonski]

United he said former like five times and somehow managed to say Macedonia at the end. It isnt his fault the government didnt make the effort to apply some pressure on the Olympic committee.

[Dejan]

They were all just invited so that your country is represented.

What country are you referring to here? You find it hard to say our name?

[DirtyCodingHabitz]

What country are you referring to here? You find it hard to say our name?

Well fyrom was invited so there's no point saying the name.

Makedonija should stop joining with the name fyrom because in 100 years people will look back and it won't be good for any of us.

[Risto the Great]

I wonder if Macedonia could be "formerly Yugoslav" for a longer period than it was in Yugoslavia. Could Macedonians wake up in a shorter time frame than this?

[George S.]

If it wasn't for the break up of yugoslavia macedonia would still be there.They found no reason to leave apart from the break up.You know how a branding iron works like it leaves an indelible mark "FYROM".They can't think outside the square.

[Krivan]

I’m afraid things are even worse. None of these four athletes was qualified. They were all just invited so that your country is represented. This happens for all (very) small countries (e.g. Andorra) or countries with no athletic tradition (e.g. Afghanistan in 2004).

Still, that only means you have to start from zero and invest on your young talents and probably the lesser known sports. You’ll find that the first successes (whenever they come, e.g. basketball) will create new national heroes and a huge wave of inspiration. The same thing has happened in Greece (after early 90s) and Turkey (about 10 years later). The only way is up!

Actually, it has gotten progressively worse. In the first Olympic Games in 1992 we were able to send 11 competitors. In 2008, 7. But this year? Only 4 and apparently none of them actually qualified.

I would probably place blame on Yugoslavia. The system was strongly rigged in favor of Serbian, Croatian and Slovenian athletes. The only reason we barely saw any Macedonians representing Yugoslavia 1945-1991. Macedonia was actually treated very badly in comparison to Slovenia, Croatia (economic engines of Yugoslavia), Serbia or Bosnia (demographic engines of Yugoslavia). Macedonia had lots of good athletes but the Serbo-Croatian-dominated Yugoslavian Olympic Committee was never going to pick Macedonian athletes over their own. Hence the reason for our non-existent presence in Yugoslav sports and our incredibly weak showing in modern sports competitions.

[United MKD]

I wonder if Macedonia could be "formerly Yugoslav" for a longer period than it was in Yugoslavia. Could Macedonians wake up in a shorter time frame than this?

Wow so true and funny. We're nearly halfway there!

[lavce pelagonski]

Beware Of Olympic Opening Ceremony Politics
As London 2012 officials are only too aware, Olympic Games ceremonies are full of potential diplomatic pitfalls.

Tim Marshall

Foreign Affairs Editor

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Portrait of Tim Marshall

The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games is always a celebration of sport; it can also be a deeply political event and an excellent opportunity for diplomatic incidents.

As the 205 teams parade around the arena most people will simply enjoy the spectacle, but there will be others watching every move in case of an incident which may cause hilarity among some, and deep offence to others.

For example, the Greeks will keep a keen eye on the placard held by the official from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. It would cause an almighty row if the team was to parade behind a sign simply saying ‘Macedonia’ because as far the Greeks are concerned that is a province of Greece, not a sovereign state.

If the Macedonian Macedonians began calling themselves Macedonian, the next thing you know they might be claiming parts of the Greek province of Macedonia for, er, Macedonia. You see how easily these things can become complicated.

We’ve already had the first cock-up and the Games haven’t even officially opened.

The furore over the use of the South Korean flag to represent the North Korean football team acts as a warning to officials - know your Cameroons from your Macaroons. Getting that wrong would really take the biscuit.

The Palestinians have a flag but not a state; however, they will be taking part. Not so the Kosovars.

Despite being recognised as a state by many countries, Kosovo is not yet part of the Olympic family of nations.
London opening ceremony rehearsal A rehearsal for the London Games opening ceremony

However, there will be a Kosovar taking part; Majlinda Kelmendi has left her nationality behind and will compete in the judo competition for Albania. If she were to appear wearing a discreet Albanian badge that would go down well in Pristina, but not in Belgrade.

There’s no suggestion she intends such a political statement, but it’s the sort of incident which can happen at the games despite the wording of chapter 5 of the Olympic charter: "No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in the Olympic areas."

The Olympics has always provided an opportunity to make political points. The last time they were held in London, three years after WW2, Germany and Japan were not invited. The Soviet Union was, but didn’t show.

In Melbourne in 1956, China withdrew because the Olympic committee had recognised Taiwan.

Mexico 68 gave us the memorable image of two Americans giving the Black Power salute on the victory podium as their national anthem was played.

Munich 72 is infamous not for politics but for terror. Eleven Israeli athletes were murdered by Palestinian terrorists and the games were then suspended for 36 hours before resuming.

That event has led to another row this year. The relatives of the murdered athletes want a minute of silence to be held during the opening ceremony.

Despite a petition signed by 100,000 people, including Barack Obama, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) says the ceremony isn't a "fit setting" to mark the deaths. Those who disagree will make their feelings felt by standing up during the speech by the IOC chief Jacques Rogge.
Black Power salute Black Power salute in the 1968 Mexico Games

The IOC won’t comment but the suspicion is that they will not agree to the minute's silence so as not to anger the 50 predominantly Muslim states taking part.

Supporters of the minutes silence point to the honouring of the 9/11 victims at the Salt Lake City ceremony in 2002.

This week Mr Rogge was visiting the mostly empty Olympic Stadium and held an impromptu minute's silence observed by the handful of Olympic officials present.

The LA Times reports that when the widow of one of the murdered athletes was told by Mr Rogge that his hands were tied on the matter, she replied: "Your hands were tied? My husband’s hands were tied. So were his feet."

The 1980 Moscow Olympics suffered because over 60 countries, including the USA, boycotted the event to protest about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Only 81 countries took part.

Moscow had its revenge four years later when the Soviet Union led 14 nations in snubbing the Los Angeles Games on the grounds that the Americans were using the Games to make profits.

This year sees a full complement of countries, but not individuals. The head of the Syrian Olympic Committee didn’t get a visa, the President of Argentina isn’t coming but has left it open whether or not this is a snub due to the row over the Falklands Islands.

The teams are expected to be led in by Greece, for historical reasons, and the host nation goes last. Usually, in between, the countries march in alphabetical order according to the language of the host nation.

And before mischievous types look forward to seeing the Iranians leading in the Israelis, a look at the alphabet reminds us that they will be separated by Iraq and Ireland, unless of course the latter decide to boycott the Games in support of the outraged citizens of North Korea…

http://news.sky.com/story/965396/beware-of-olympic-opening-ceremony-politics

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/london-olympics/damien-hooper-will-now-face-former-world-champion-egor-mekhontcev/story-fn9dheyx-1226439016876

Australian boxer Damien Hooper warned not to wear Aboriginal flag t-shirt

He did it for his people, but officials are warning Australian boxer Damien Hooper not to repeat his entry to the Olympic ring with the Aboriginal flag proudly emblazoned across his chest.

Hooper, an Indigenous Australian from northern Queensland, marked his Games debut by wearing a black T-shirt bearing the Aboriginal flag as he arrived for his impressive opening fight win against American Marcus Browne.

It went against Australian team rules, which state athletes must only wear the official team uniform.

But it's the fear of further sanctions from the International Olympic Committee, which frowns upon political statements, that prompted Australian Olympic team officials to halt the practice ahead of his second round fight against Russian Egor Mekhontcev.

"We will talk to Damien and counsel him against doing it again," Australian team media director Mike Tancred said.

"He intends to apologise to (Australian team chef de mission) Nick Green for his actions but there is the potential for the IOC to look at this incident as a possible breach of the Olympic Charter and they could take action."

IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said the IOC had been informed of the incident by the Australians.

"The AOC is handling the matter and is in touch with the athlete," she said. "At the moment it is in their hands. We'll leave it with them for the moment."

After beating Browne with a brutal third round onslaught, Hooper seemed unperturbed by the potential trouble his sartorial gesture could bring.

"What do you reckon? I'm Aboriginal, I'm representing my culture, not only my country but all my people as well," said Hooper of his motive for wearing the T-shirt.

"That's what I wanted to do and I'm happy I did it.

"I was just thinking about my family and that's what really matters to me.

"Look what it just did - it just made my whole performance a lot better with that whole support behind me.

"I'm not saying that at all that I don't care (about a possible sanction), I'm just saying that I'm very proud of what I did."

His action had echoes of the Cathy Freeman-Arthur Tunstall controversy 18 years earlier.

Freeman marked her coming of age as an athlete in 1994 by celebrating her 200m Commonwealth Games gold with a victory lap in which she carried both the Australian and Aboriginal flags.

Despite strong criticism from Australian team chef de mission Tunstall, Freeman repeated the act after winning the 400m - and again following her memorable gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The IOC charter prevents political statements at the Games, but Hooper - considered Australia's best chance of a boxing medal since Graham `Spike' Cheney won silver in 1988 - has never been one for officialdom.

He was sent home early from the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games for misbehaviour, while his Olympic build-up was hampered when he was sent packing from a team camp following a run-in with coach Don Abnett.

What was clear after Monday's performance against Browne is that Hooper has the tools to possibly end Australian boxing's gold medal drought.

He was surprisingly conservative early - and trailed 6-5 after two rounds - before exploding with a flurry of punches in the last, including one to the chin of Browne which resulted in a standing eight count.

"I could see it in his eyes and his body language that he didn't want to be there," Hooper said. "I was down a point, so I was a bit desperate."