The Prince George Citizen — Saturday, August 27,1988 — n

MARK ALLAN S p o r ts Sports editor Sigh of relief wafts over Seoul LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — A new ing to even discuss moving the Games to Samaranch has done all he couldcountries to to say whether they would par­ sound is in the breeze over Lake Genevaa less volatile site. ensure a complete, peaceful Games ticipate, in negative replies came from only these days, blowing from the headquartersAnd now, with a record 161 countries Seoul. He was Spain’s ambassador to Mos­six — North Korea and allies Cuba, Ethio­ of the International Olympic Committee.ready to take part, it sees its faith about cow before becoming IOC chief in 1980,pia, Albania, Nicaragua and the Sey­ It is a sigh of relief that, after seven to be rewarded, with top athletes of East and he used his diplomatic skills to stampchelles. years of threats, politics, demonstrationsand West meeting Sept. 17 to Oct. 2 for the out the worst of the brushfires that flared.The threat of another boycott, this one and death, the Olympics in Seoul first are time since 1976. They started when North Korea de­by African countries protesting Sknith Afri­ manded in late 1985 it be declared co-host about to begin. “ When the IOC awarded the Games to ca’s racial policies, was quashed earlier of the Games, something that never has If, as IOC president Juan AntonioSeoul Sa­ in 1981, I thought it made the right this summer when Samaranch held a con­ maranch says, staging the Games has decision; I still think so,” Samaranch been done. ference on Olympism Against Apartheid in Unless it was allowed to stage at least enabled South Korea to accomplishsaid. an Lausanne. economic dream, it has seemed at times eight of the 24 events — roughly equiva­And in South Korea, the IOC president like a nightmare for both Seoul organizersNo one would argue that the country lent to the proportion of the populationmet with government of and opposition lead­ and the international committee itself. and its capital have undergone remarka­ the Korean peninsula that lives aboveers the and got them to urge their followers to Boycott threats have come from theble changes since the IOC’s decision at 38th parallel — the North said it wouldunite behind the Olympic effort. Communist bloc and Africa. Baden-Baden, West Germany, seven years lead an East Bloc boycott of Seoul. Student demonstrations, which helped Demonstrations by students and middle-ago. Boycotts had hit the previous threebring about the balloting in which Roh-tae class workers brought violence to the“ Never has a city done so much for the Summer Games, and Samaranch was de­Woo was elected president last December, streets of Seoul and forced officials to holdOlympic Games, never in Olympic histo­ termined Seoul would be spared. Throughhave continued as the Games approach. presidential elections sooner than planned.ry,” Samaranch said. “ The Olympic four sets of joint meetings, he kept But the Samranch said fears that these often- A Korean airliner was blown out ofGames the have been very helpful for Seoul . North and South talking, while travellingviolent protests, or terrorism from Pyon­ sky, killing 115 people, and a North Kor­. . and also the country. to Communist countries to try to convincegyang, would disrupt the Games were ean agent said she did it to disrupt Olym­ “ It has gone through an economic leaders not to heed the call of Pyongyang,unfounded. pic preparations. dream. And politically today, the Republic North Korea’s capital. “ The security arrangements at the Through it all, the IOC stood firm, refus­of Korea is a real democracy.” When the deadline of Jan. 17 came forGames will be very complete,” he said. Soviets, East German stars Americans preparing to shine get together EAST BERLIN (AP) - From a net­ cess is due to the early talent search, by JAMES LITKE work of secrecy-shrouded sportscomprehensive medical and social Associated Press academies, East Germany churns outcare, and advanced training methods. Just say nyet. Olympic champions at an amazing The program doesn’t come cheap. To bombast, bureaucrats, boycotts and rate. East Germany in 1988 allocated 0.4 per bitterness. To politics, pride, piety and pif­ That awesome sports machine hascent of its annual state budget to fle. won 116 gold medals in four Olympicsports — $590 million US. And let the Games begin. Games — eighth on the all-time list. But sources in East Berlin say the American and Soviet athletes, kept Not bad for a country of fewer thansum 17 is actually 10 times greater, with apart at the last two Summer Olympiads million people. That’s about one gold in a tit-for-tat boycott of Moscow and Los various ministries injecting more mon­ Angeles, meet again after 12 years on the medal for every 146,000 people. ey. Not bad when ycu consider the relatively level playing fields of Seoul. Training first-rate athletes and se­ “ No problems, no regrets, no recourse; United States and the Soviet Union curing— top-notch equipment requires what’s past is past,” says Mac Wilkins, countries with more than 240-millionplenty of hard currency and East Ger­ the seemingly ageless discus thrower who people — have a per capita gold medalmany recently opened its doors to brought the United States gold at the 1976 rate about 10 times worse than theWestern companies eager to advertise Games in Montreal and will be trying to East Germans over that span of time.at its stadiums. repeat in South Korea — his fourth Olym­ And the machine is ready to make It is a major shift in policy for East pic appearance. more gold. Germany, which for long had sharply “ Wien you look at it in a book, a gold Track stars Heike Drechsler and criticized commercialism in sports. medal in Moscow looks just as good as Thomas Schoenlebe and swimmer It also illustrates the significance of one in Los Angeles,” Wilkins said. “ But Kristin Otto lead another strong teamsports in East Germany, which is rea­ people in the sport, people who know to the Summer Games at Seoul nextdy to bend a few ideological postulates what’s going on, usually add something month. to keep producing champions. World record holder Heike Drechsler like an asterisk, because half the world The two German countries started of Germany (above) is a perfect ex­ wasn’t there for one or the other.” The last superpower showdown at the sending separate teams to the Olym­ ample of her country's burgeoning pics in 1968. Since then, the East Ger­ Olympics was won decisively by the So­ dominance in Olympic sport while viets, with a then-record 125 medals in mans have harvested 32 gold medals former world pommel horse champion Montreal. in track and field and 29 in swimming. Li Xiaoping of China (below) helped At the 1980 Games in Moscow — boycot­ With 60 million people, the West Ger­ lead his country from self*imposed ted by western countries after the Soviet mans have only 12 track and field Olympic exile. military intervention in Afghanistan — Olympic champions, and just two Lord Killanin, then president of the Inter­ swimming gold medals, both won by national Olympic Committee, urged “ the Michael Gross at the 1984 Games in sportsmen of the world to unite in peace Los Angeles. before a holocaust descends.” After boycotting the 1984 Los But Soviet-bloc athletes did not attend Angeles Games along with most of the the 1984 games, the Kremlin explaining Soviet Bloc countries, the East Ger­ that Los Angeles was not safe. U.S. mans are sending a squad to Seoul athletes claimed 174 medals, 83 of them that is expected to rival the Americans gold. and Soviets. “ The fact is,” said hurdler Edwin Moses, heading to Seoul for his third Drechsler is expected to be the main Olympics, “ they give out the medals on challenger to the Americans in the wo­ one particular day and whoever’s there is men’s sprints and long jump. She is a there. I wasn’t there in 1980 and I was dis­ co-holder of the world record in the 200 appointed as much as the Soviets who metres. weren’t in Los Angeles.” Schoenlebe, the 400-metre world Added Moses: “ Most athletes — and champion, is another track contender. this is true everywhere — could care less Otto is the 100- and 200-metre freestyle about the political content of the world. swimming world champion. But the one thing all of us learned is that Becoming an East German cham­ politics are part of the Games and if poli­ pion doesn’t guarantee a spot on the ticians say you don’t go, you don’t go.’’ Olympic team. Sports official set tough In some ways, the Montreal Games re­ norms and only athletes believed to C hinese hoping fo r 30 m edals flected the chaos and intrigue of super­ have a shot at medals or the potential power relations of the era. Within days of the start of the Games, to reach at least the finals are selected BEIJING (AP) — For more than three decades, Chinaweightlifting, fencing, volleyball and women’s archery. Several Chinese women swimmers will be medal contend­ Soviet pentathlete Boris Onischenko, a sil­ for the Olympic squads. watched. When it came to play, it won. Now it looks to repeat ver medallist at Munich in 1972, was The extensive talent search, whichits stunning performance of 1984. ers, the diving team is overflowing with talent and table ten­ nis, a sport in which China is unrivalled, will be an Olympiccaught with an illegal epee and sent pack­ East German officials say includes ev­ China returned to the Olympics at the Summer Games in ing. ery second child, begins in state-runLos Angeles and emerged as a world sports power by captur­event for the first time. Then the manager of the U.S. diving kindergartens. ing 32 medals, 15 of them gold. Only the United States, Roma­South Korea may put up a challenge in table tennis,team but said a Soviet had approached him Promising talents are sent to one nia of and West Germany did better. China could sweep the medals in this sport, which has a andwide offered favorable scores for American 21 sports schools across the country,Despite the return in Seoul of the Eastern Bloc countriesfollowing in Asia. China is led by men’s world champion JiangPhil Boggs in exchange for U.S. support of where a rigorous program finds poten­that boycotted the 1984 Games, China feels it can nearlyJialiang and women’s world champion He Zhili. Irina Kalinina. tial champions. match its effort in Los Angeles. China is still weak in track and field, but it has some of the And 17-year-old diver Sergei Nemtsanov “ Only 10 per cent to 20 per cent stay The Chinese look to be strong in gymnastics, diving, best table women walkers in the world. disappeared, the Canadians saving he had defected, the Soviets charging he had been through to the end of their trainingtennis, weightlifting and swimming. China’s rise to sports prominence comes only a dozen years program,” says Gerhard Roessler, di­ “ We are hoping to get as many (medals) as last time,” said brainwashed and everybody whispering he after the end of the decade-long Cultural Revolution, whenhad the been smitten by a young American rector of the Jena sports school. Wang “ But Li, an official of the China Olympic Committee. leftists in power linked sports to bourgeois decadence and the they become super-athletes.” In gymnastics, “ the men’s team is strong and promising woman. Nemtsanov went home after the national sports program collapsed. Games. Programs stress athletic training butand we think it can compete with the Soviets,” she said. After the rise of pragmatic leader Deng Xiaoping in the late As for this year’s Olympics, “ Many regular subjects are also taught, with The official Xinhua News Agency estimated the 301 Chinese1970s, China came to see sports as a vehicle for winning inter­have waited 10 years or more for this heavy emphasis on Marxism. Pupilsathletes, up from 225 in Los Angeles, will gamer aboutnational 30 prestige and promoting national spirit. opportunity,” says Anatoly Kolesov, a So­ take athletic performance tests every medals in Seoul, with eight to 12 golds. China will compete“ in Most Chinese are interested in the Olympics and it is very viet deputy sports minister. “ We are look­ two months. Those unable to keep20 of up 23 events. important to us,” Wang said. ing forward to closer and more friendly are sent back to regular schools. Still, the Chinese may surprise themselves, and their com­ contacts among the athletes in Seoul.” East German officials say the key to petition. While China may lose ground in gymnastics China and will not announce who will go to the Seoul GamesMoses expects a high calibre of competi­ the country’s remarkable athletic suc-shooting, it will field strong medal-winning teams in diving,until just before the Games begin. tion from the Soviets — and a higher qual­ ity of presentation than in the past. Olympics weren't always so darn serious by PETE McMARTIN Rope climbing, for example. It was anWilliam Dickey of the U.S. won it with marteau a asked for a leave of absenceshooting. Live pigeon shooting (held in Vancouver Sun Olympic gymnastic sport between 1896plunge of 19.05 metres. from the Montreal police force. DeniedParis the in 1900). Ana for the real sportsman, leave, he left anyway and was fired. After duelling pistols. It was held only once, in VANCOUVER — In the good old days,and 1932. First guy up the rope wins. Pret­The 1900 Paris Olympics saw two quaint before they allowed bowling as an Olym­ty straightforward, no points given for he won the gold medal, the dismissal1906. Lack of competitors, you guess? swimming events: the obstacle race andorder was conveniently misplaced. pic exhibition sport, there was the tug-of-style. Not much you can do hangingunderwater from swimming. In the obstacle Up until 1952, the Olympics used to sta­ war. a rope, after all. Unless you’re guilty. race, contestants had to climb over a pole,Stockholm in 1912 saw events in ge shot art competitions. They were bona fide Teams of big, belly-laden beer drinkers, Club swinging. (Yes, club swinging. No,then scramble over a row of boats, thenput, discus and javelin — with both hands.medal events in architecture, town plan­ shod in army boots, pulling like Percher-I don’t know how it was done.) It wasswim held under a row of boats. In underwaterYou threw left handed, then you ning, threw sculpture, medal design, painting, ons. It must nave been glorious. twice, in 1904 in St. Louis, and in 1932swimming, in two points were awarded forright. Not at the same time. drawings and water colors, applied graph­ The tug-of-war pulled its weight as anLos Angeles. It must have been peculiareach metre swum and one point for each ics, lithographs, literature, lyrics, dramat­ Olympic sport from 1900 to 1920, beforeto the U.S., because American athletes What else we got here? Cricket. Cro­ic works, epic literary works, music, and second the swimmer was able to stay un­quet. Roque (the American form of cro­ church picnics and the like broughtswept it the medals. Perhaps they had morederwater. Charles de Vendeville, a musical composition. down to the level of horseshoes. A sadclubs day to swing in than other countries, and quet). Golf (won by Canadian George Sey­ Frenchman, won with a length of 60 mourme­ Lyon in 1904). Lacrosse (wonOnly by two Canadians ever won art med­ it was. The tug-of-war would still make amore people who liked to swing. tres and a time of 1:08.4. great Olympic sport. Better than bowling.The Plunge for Distance. A water sport. Canada in 1904 and 1908). Motor boating.als: Vancouver’s Robert Tait Mackenzie, But tastes change. The tug-of-war dis­Contestants began with a standing dive,The 56-pound weight throw. WhyHorse 56 polo. Rackets, a squash-like gamewho won a bronze medal in the medal de appeared: bowling gees global. then glided motionless for 60 secondspounds? or Good question. The eventwon was by a British team in 1908 that sign in­ catego|7 , and Jean Weinzweig, who The history of the Olympics is littereduntil their heads broke the surface ofneld the twice, in 1904 and 1920. Etienne Des-cluded John Jacob Astor. Jeu de Paume,won silver in London in 1948 for musical with discontinued sports. Some seemwater, whichever came first. Then themarteau, of Montreal, won gold for Cana­an obscure and extremely complicatedcomposition. arcane in today’s high-calibre Olympics,length of their dive was measured. It wasda in 1904 and became a Quebecois hero.form of tennis, played only in the 1908 some seem just damn silly. held only once, in St. Louis in 1904,Wanting and to compete in the Olympics, Des-London Olympics. Rugby. Running (Distributed deer by Southam News.)

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