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The human cost of Olympic gold
By Lucky Gold
Our athletes are left to the wolves
CNN - Is the price of gold too high? China leads the world in Olympic gold medals at the London games but many are questioning the training of Chinese athletes, some as young as six, taken from their parents and sent to state-run camps; and raised to believe that winning gold isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.
Dave Zirin, Sports Editor, The Nation, says, “This has been the Chinese system for roughly two decades.” What he finds more remarkable is that now “this discussion is happening inside of China where people are asking this question – is the price too high?”
Unwilling to limit the problem to China, Zirin added, “I want to make the case that this is a discussion worth having on this side of the globe as well, when we look at the sacrifices that U.S. athletes make during the process of trying to make it to the Olympic Games.”
Asked to compare the two athletic cultures, Zirin said, “It’s a different kind of comparison. Because in China what you have is a very merciless state bureaucracy that controls Olympic training from a very young age. In the United States our athletes are left to the wolves. There are no government subsidies whatsoever…and so the number one thing that has to be navigated in the U.S. is poverty.”
To drive that point home, Zirin quoted a report by The USA Track and Field, the sports governing body, that said “half of the top ten athletes in every single USA Track and Field event live on less than $15,000 a year. Some of the athletes that we’ve celebrated through these games: like Ryan Lochte – they’re foreclosing on his parents’ home. Lolo Jones, who was homeless. Gabby Douglas, who was pulled away from her family at age 14 to be homeschooled and live with a family she did not know.”
A rivalry just as serious, just as blood thirsty and leaves just as many broken bodies
Defining the problem, Zirin said, “What we’re dealing with frankly is a Cold War hangover. Because you saw during the Cold War how medal counts both East and West led to things like in East Germany a state run doping operation that destroyed the lives of hundreds if not thousands of young athletes. And you saw similar things with drugs and steroids here in the United States as well. Because there became this narrative that whatever country does better in the medal count wins this kind of proxy war in the larger Cold War.”
That same fierce competition continues between the U.S. and China: “I heard someone on CNN describe the situation between the US and China as economically mutually assured destruction, as opposed to the nuclear variety during the Cold War. And I think that creates its own kind of rivalry which can be just as serious, just as blood thirsty and leaves just as many broken bodies at the end of the day.”
Asked to name a country running its Olympic program the right way, Zirin said, “It’s a bit ironic, but Australia does a very interesting job of mixing public and private partnership in developing athletes. I say it’s ironic because Australia is actually having its worst Olympics in a generation and the state announced a few days ago that they’re empowering a commission to study why Australia has done so badly in these Olympic games.”
Zirin appealed to Australia not to panic: “You have one bad Olympics. Don’t change the fact that you’re developing human beings through the training process and not developing people who end up on both sides of the globe in many cases broken.”
@camanpour on Twitter
Shame on you !! No not China or the US! But on CNN for for their obvious bias! Credit however to Dave Zirin who was trying to highlight some very important middle ground but was unfortunately cut short by the the not so moderate moderator!! Appalling absolutely appalling CNN for breaking the fundamental of journalism.
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Very bias!
You're so JEALOUS of China.... be realistic Americans!!
Completely agree with Mewanthi. Very bias presenter who appears to have missed the point that this is not only a Chinese problem (although it is state-run in China). Also, very bad directing by CNN who decided to only show Chinese footage and not American footage (other than football)...Indeed, there is a battle between the US and China as to who is the global super power. Its been carried out in the development sector where countries across Africa are being fought for, its been carried out in Sports (as addressed here) etc. There are many battlefields, consequently it is important for serious journalists to remain neutral and not continuously try and make the other side look worse (as done by the presenter here). Credit to Zirin for not allowing the presented to shut him up. These are the kinds of discussions that will hopefully one day be fruitful.
Dumb and dumber... Stop screwing the athletes. Withdraw them from the hypocritical charade labeled amateur. Now the white house is weighing on the nfl dispute. It's the economy stupid! Land of the free home of the slave. Free our young folk, stop suggesting that sports plantations can be successful with free labor! After all, taxpayers are under writing most of the costs. That ain't rain over our heads.
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