Where sport and politics mix

I might not agree with her p.o.v, but she should be able to express it without an ensuing witchhunt imo. Maybe took it a bit far speaking for her entire nation right enough.
 
It does seem a bit strange that a nation is prepared to almost pretend there are no gays amongst them.
It's almost " he doth protest too much" kind of thing.

The Catholic Church springs to mind :detective:
 
Amongst those who are seeking to have the games pulled from Russia, and who are old enough for the question to apply, i wonder how many wanted Moscow 1980 to be boycotted because of the then brutal regime in power in Russia ?
 
Amongst those who are seeking to have the games pulled from Russia, and who are old enough for the question to apply, i wonder how many wanted Moscow 1980 to be boycotted because of the then brutal regime in power in Russia ?

Was that just not America banging their political drum?
I know I can google it ( and will!) but did any other nation boycott the games.
And Allan Wells won a gold 100m! So all was good !!!! C'MON ALLAN!!!!! Remember her!! :pullhair:
 
Was that just not America banging their political drum?
I know I can google it ( and will!) but did any other nation boycott the games.
And Allan Wells won a gold 100m! So all was good !!!! C'MON ALLAN!!!!! Remember her!! :pullhair:

65 nations in total boycotted it mostly over the USSR invasion of Afghanistan.

Oor Margot? His PE teacher wife and coach :thumbgrin

She runs her own "speed academy" now and is speed coach for a number of international egg chasers

http://www.wellfast.co.uk/
 
Was that just not America banging their political drum?
I know I can google it ( and will!) but did any other nation boycott the games.
And Allan Wells won a gold 100m! So all was good !!!! C'MON ALLAN!!!!! Remember her!! :pullhair:

That was my point - I suspect a lot of today's protestors who were around at the time would not have protested Moscow 1980 despite rather more serious issues.
I don't know if this is due o a growing intolerance which now objects sport transcending
Grievances or skewed priorities or what. It may just
Be a healthier willingness to challenge but then I can't envisage the same thing when the wc goes to Qatar for instance
 
That was my point - I suspect a lot of today's protestors who were around at the time would not have protested Moscow 1980 despite rather more serious issues.
I don't know if this is due o a growing intolerance which now objects sport transcending
Grievances or skewed priorities or what. It may just
Be a healthier willingness to challenge but then I can't envisage the same thing when the wc goes to Qatar for instance


I think it is screwed priorities. There was far greater reason for boycotting in 1980, but appalling as the regime was then, a boycott was not the correct response. It is not the correct response now.
 
That was my point - I suspect a lot of today's protestors who were around at the time would not have protested Moscow 1980 despite rather more serious issues.
I don't know if this is due o a growing intolerance which now objects sport transcending
Grievances or skewed priorities or what. It may just
Be a healthier willingness to challenge but then I can't envisage the same thing when the wc goes to Qatar for instance


FIFA should be boycotted for that one :banger:

Is there a more corrupt sporting organisation ? ( apart from the poppy pocklers of course :giggle:)
 
That was my point - I suspect a lot of today's protestors who were around at the time would not have protested Moscow 1980 despite rather more serious issues.
I don't know if this is due o a growing intolerance which now objects sport transcending
Grievances or skewed priorities or what. It may just
Be a healthier willingness to challenge but then I can't envisage the same thing when the wc goes to Qatar for instance

I'm kinda old enough to remember 1980 but wasn't really aware politically / culturally enough at the time. What I do remember from that time was sport was occasionally used as a political field but it seemed much more dependent on the sport and if it was one that those with a point to make were interested in - I recall a lot of attention to cricket and South Africa.

What, I think, has changed massively from 1980 is the money and sponsors involved in sports and the awareness of protestors to this fact. We now have the possibility of 'smaller' issues causing way more impact just because the organisers of events are shit-scared of any bad publicity putting sponsors off. The FIFA World Cup is a very different beast though and harder I think for protests to make an impact on.
 
How to make a statement to Russians at an Olympics... (40 secs in)

[video=youtube_share;1YPv9AL5YIs]http://youtu.be/1YPv9AL5YIs[/video]