The Special Olympics Are NOT Compensation
Let me be
clear: I hate sport spectatorship. It's stupid. Play the sport or go read a
book, but don't sit in front of the TV and shout enthusiastically while someone
ELSE does all the hard work.
Anyway,
that's familiar ground.
What I have
noticed out of the corner of my eye is the sudden rush of enthusiasm for our
winning of medals at the "special olympics". "South Africa Redeemed" is the
message.
Um. No. If
we failed (as I understand we did) to win any medals at the REAL Olympics
because we are a nation of lazy, second-rate athletes whose performance in
Olympic-rated sports ranks somewhere alongside Uzbehkistan, can we just face the
fact? Does it REALLY make anything better that people without arms and legs are
beating other people without arms and legs to win medals?
Sorry to
say this, but I really don't think other countries hold up as their most eminent
swimmers the ones who have to use their ears as propulsion devices. I'm sure the
performance of the disabled at the Olympics is all very heroic and fabulous, and
they should get credit for winning and doing us proud. Three
cheers.
But these
are just not REAL medals. Not REALLY. And we all know it, even if everyone gasps
at the fact that I'm saying it.
