Sports

The first goal of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as stated by its Olympic Charter, is “to create a way of life based on […] the educational value of good example and respect for the universal fundamental ethical principles.” Instilling a sense of sportsmanship in the world’s youth is a noble cause for the IOC, but the task becomes difficult when Olympians, the supposed  “role models,” fail to grasp the Olympic spirit themselves.

The IOC needs to become stricter and swifter when dealing with athletes who fail to respect their competitors. Being the best at one’s sport should not be enough to qualify for the Olympics. Athletes who wish to compete at the Olympics should embody the Olympic Spirit as well. The IOC should team up with the National Olympic Committee of each country to send athletes that possess both Olympic character and Olympic skill.

The imperfect human element, which includes judges, officials and umpires, has been a source of frustration throughout the Beijing games. Poor and arbitrary judging and scoring was present in boxing, tennis, but most prominently in gymnastics. For example, American gymnast Nastia Liukin finished in a tie for first place with China’s He Kexin on the uneven bars, only to be forced to settle for second place because of a nuanced and complicated tiebreaking system.  However, Liukin embodied the Olympic spirit in accepting the judges’ unjust decision, understanding that other past calls had been in her favor when she won the gold medal in the individual all-around event.

Sweden’s Ara Abrahamian was not so lenient with the judges. Abrahamian felt he received an unfair call during the 84 kilogram Greco-Roman wrestling semifinal. After Abrahamian lost the match, he threw the 84 kilogram version of a temper tantrum, stomping around and yelling at the judges.

The IOC should have intervened after Abrahamian’s initial stunt. Even though he lost the semifinal, Abrahamian was eligible for the bronze medal match. He went on to win it, earning a spot on the coveted medal podium.    After Abrahamian received his medal, he walked off of the podium and dropped the bronze in the center of the wrestling mat. Abrahamian showed youth everywhere that sore losers exist even at the Olympic level.

The IOC responded weakly to Abrahamian’s stunts, merely stripping him of his bronze medal. This punishment was more ironic than severe. Abrahamian’s penalty for throwing away his bronze medal during the medal ceremony was the loss of his medal. The IOC decided to investigate the incident unnecessarily. Unless they find out Abrahamian is allergic to bronze, his motives are obvious to the public. He was unhappy and he wanted to draw attention to himself.

By not punishing Abrahamian and others who do not comply with the Olympic Charter with an appropriate degree of severity, the IOC is sending mixed signals. If it continues to go unchecked, there is potential for unacceptable conduct to increase in future Olympic Games.

The IOC charter also outlaws “Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise.” The Spanish men’s senior basketball team ignored that principle, when they posed for a picture with their hands pushing their eyes slanted.

Their pose mocked the eyes of the Chinese, the Games’ hosts. China has spent billions of dollars and huge amounts of labor to prepare for these Olympic Games, making the team’s actions especially insensitive. Encouraging ethnic stereotypes at an event designed to promote world unity is shameful.

The Spanish team denies any malicious intent behind their pose. Even if it was intended to be humorous, that does not make it any less inappropriate. Regrettably, the IOC has not punished the team for its actions.

Demanding good sportsmanship will not lead to any loss of intensity in Olympic competition. Similar to the way American sprinter Wallace Spearmon and Jamaica’s Usain Bolt joke and chat before facing off in the 200 meter dash, runners from Stuyvesant’s and Brooklyn Tech’s track teams joke around just minutes before races. But when it is time to race, we are able to change into the competitive mindset.

Fortunately, the behavior of troublemakers like Abrahamian has been overshadowed by Olympic moments that do exude the principles in the Olympic Charter. Even after swimmer Alain Bernard declared that they would “smash” the Americans in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay, the French men’s swimming team showed great sportsmanship when they shook the American team members’ hands after the Americans came out triumphant. That race will become an Olympic classic. Abrahamian will soon be forgotten.