Time in Beijing
Links
News & Organizations
Other Beijing Blogs of Note
Other Blogs of the Authors
Archives
Come discuss the 2008 Beijing Summer games with a couple of fanatics!
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Three Cheers for the Red, White & Blue
Did anyone notice that the US athletes were NOT waving their country's flag during the Parade of Nations last night? That was no mistake. The athletes have been told to tone down the patriotic flag waving. In political double-speak, the athletes have been told to "show respect to the flag." That means not hanging the flag out on the balcony of their dorm rooms like thousands of other ahtletes from around the country are doing and not wrapping the flag around themselves when they win an event. While showing the US flag has not been officially banned, do not expect to see it nearly as much as in past games.
Also, for the first time ever, athletes have been warned against wearing their official red, white and blue outfits which they are usually required to wear while at the Olympics. The officials are concerned about US athletes being targets for violence.
The world has changed indeed...
Did anyone notice that the US athletes were NOT waving their country's flag during the Parade of Nations last night? That was no mistake. The athletes have been told to tone down the patriotic flag waving. In political double-speak, the athletes have been told to "show respect to the flag." That means not hanging the flag out on the balcony of their dorm rooms like thousands of other ahtletes from around the country are doing and not wrapping the flag around themselves when they win an event. While showing the US flag has not been officially banned, do not expect to see it nearly as much as in past games.
Also, for the first time ever, athletes have been warned against wearing their official red, white and blue outfits which they are usually required to wear while at the Olympics. The officials are concerned about US athletes being targets for violence.
The world has changed indeed...
