Masked US cyclists apologize to Olympic organizers

[villager]

Source: AFP

Masked US cyclists apologize to Olympic organizers

by Jim Slater

BEIJING (AFP) - Four US cyclists who wore masks over their nose and mouths over pollution fears when arriving in Beijing apologized Wednesday to Olympic organizers, US Olympic Committee chief executive Jim Scherr said.

Mike Friedman, Bobby Lea, Sarah Hammer and Jennie Reed were among about 200 athletes from an American delegation of 596 who were issued masks by their US sport governing body to combat pollution in Beijing.

"They've now seen how their actions have been perceived," Scherr said, after footage of the four arriving on Tuesday was run prominently by international news channels.

"They were very eager to take the right action, which was to apologize to their hosts."

But US officials said they would not ban US athletes from using masks to combat pollution, whether in sports events or not, if they felt it was needed because of air quality conditions.

<snip>




Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080806/sp_afp/oly2008usapollutionapologycycling

---

is this like the guy apologizing to Cheney for getting shot in the face?

[mrreowwr_kittty]

1. "We're sorry your country is polluted" WTF??

Bass ackwards logic if I've ever seen it.

[otohara]

13. Makes Sense To Me

after all the manufacturing jobs American corporations has shipped to China, we should apologize! All those jobs do contribute to China's pollution problem - and poor working conditions for China's workers. American corporations have increased pollution and the demand for more energy all over the world.

[Regret My New Name]

14. Yeah, it's not like the Chinese have brains or anything...

The Chinese government is totally being taking advantage of by American companies... I mean, China clearly isn't smart enough to know affects of what they're doing, or regulate those corporations... *rollseyes*

[otohara]

15. Money Trumps Regulations

happens all over the world, including here.

[phantom power]

2. They're apologizing???

Fuck that. China should be apologizing to the athletes.

[Aviation Pro]

3. So....

...our athletes are expected to injure their lungs in the polluted atmosphere of Beijing and be grateful for it? I say each athlete should make their own decision as to whether to go maskless, wear a mask, or just say fuck it and wait until the next Olympics to compete.

[cliffordu]

4. You couldn't pay me enough to ride my bicycle there.

[The Croquist]

8. I bet not too many people would be willing to pay you either

KInd of like paying me to wear a speedo!

[ohio2007]

30. Somebody has a yen for punishment

[hisownpetard]

5. That's like the guy with the buckshot in his face apologizing to Cheney...

[Democrats_win]

6. Never thought I'd see the day when Americans apologized to Tiananmen Square China.

Maybe our "olympic" athletes fear they'll lose their Visa Credit Card contracts.

[skooooo]

9. Isn't that the truth?

Total BS.

[otohara]

19. Really

American corporations have been send manufacturing jobs to Tiananmen Square China for many, many years now. These athletes were toddlers when TS happened, all they know is everything they wear is Made in China.

[Lifetimedem]

7. The Chinese should

be apologizing to them, not the other way around. Obviously there was governmental pressure to "apologize"

I hope they wear them during competition.

[otohara]

11. We're Sorry America Shipped All Manufacturing Jobs to China

thus contributing your horrific pollution problem.

Hows that?

[Lifetimedem]

16. we could add

that we are sorry we have a new competitor for energy now driving our prices through the roof

[otohara]

17. Yep

see my post #13

[Codeine]

21. Last time I checked

the Chinese were actively angling for those jobs. It's not as if we forced them to take the jobs or forced the Chinese government to allow its oligarchs to operate their factories in an unregulated fashion.

[benld74]

10. When in Beijing in 2002 I wish I had a mask,,,

Went for adoption, not only could you smell the pollution you could taste it as well!

[bullwinkle428]

12. The USOC DESIGNED THE MASKS and distributed them to the athletes!!

Then, they felt the need to throw the athletes under the bus when they actually decided to, you know, USE THEM!!

[MadHound]

18. I really have a bad feeling, like this is going to be a disastorous Olympics

They really shouldn't have picked China as a host, for reasons ranging from human rights and a free press to the poor air and water quality. The Chinese have been brutal about ramming this Olympics through, dispossessing people, gagging people, etc.

I think that this is but the start of an ugly, ugly Olympics.

[yorgatron]

23. it'll be a public relations disaster,that's for sure.

you have journalists from around the world getting to see all this up close for the first time,you can't get them ALL to toe the party line.

[Javaman]

20. And so it goes...

Either you appologize or you don't ride.

Simple really.

[DS1]

22. Must be Democrats

[Ian David]

24. The proper response is:

是性交

Which is either "Go Fuck Yourself" or "Is the sexual intercourse" depending on how good a job AltaVista Translator does.


Go: 去

Sexual Intercourse: 性交

Yourself: 你自己

去 性交 你自己

[ret5hd]

25. THESE guys had the balls to not apologize:

[ohio2007]

26. But China doesn't allow freedom of assembly or protest

or even ;

24 January 2006



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Google Agrees to Censor Results in China," Associated Press, January 24, 2006.

Online search engine leader Google Inc. has agreed to censor its results in China, adhering to the country's free-speech restrictions in return for better access in the Internet's fastest growing market. Although China has loosened some of its controls in recent years, some topics, such as Taiwan's independence and 1989's Tiananmen Square massacre, remain forbidden subjects.
Tiananmen Square, 1989 The Declassified History


http://www.cryptome.cn/tk/tiananmen-kill.htm

No apologies needed since nothing ever happened

[alphafemale]

27. Wanna bet that the masks were Made in China?

Apologize Hell!

:mad:

[ohio2007]

29. video

http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=145613

[ohio2007]

28. Lomong chosen as US flagbearer for Beijing Games (one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, )

DALIAN, China (AP)—Eight years ago, Lopez Lomong didn’t even have a country. Now he’ll be carrying the flag for his adopted nation, leading the U.S. Olympic team at opening ceremonies Friday night.

Lomong, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, won a vote of team captains Wednesday to earn the honor of leading America’s contingent into the 90,000-seat Bird’s Nest Stadium.

The 1,500-meter track runner will be the flagbearer only 13 months after becoming a U.S. citizen.



snip
He was born in Sudan, separated from his parents at the point of a gun at age 6, and with the help of friends, he escaped confinement and made it to a refugee camp in Kenya. In 2001, he was brought to America as part of a program to relocate lost children from war-torn Sudan.

Earlier this week, the 23-year-old Lomong said he was mounting a campaign to be nominated by the track and field team for the flagbearer’s position. He said the honor would be memorable, but he also was thrilled to be part of the democratic process that might get him there.

snip

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=ap-usflagbearer&prov=ap&type=lgns

Bet he won't dip the US flag passing the Chinese podium.