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We could not allow the London Olympics to draw to a close without at least one Olympic-themed post.
Professor Haggard suggested a sober piece discussing the negotiations over broadcasting television coverage in North Korea, observing that the broadcasts include footage of South Korean athletes receiving medals, and concluding with congratulating the athletes from both Koreas.
Alex suggested a retrospective on the battling North Korean women’s soccer team and volunteered to dig up You Tube footage of one of the North Korean players punching out Abby Wambach. (If there was someone on the US side I would think twice before punching, it would be Abby Wambach.)
But those two are indisposed, so it was left to me to actually do the post. And in this regard, I have been bailed out by Morris Jones, a loyal reader from Down Under who brought to my attention this curious piece of Olympic detritus. As many of you know, Australia is not having its best Olympics. Not only are Aussie athletes not meeting expectations, they are getting whacked by competitors trained by Australian coaches. Ouch! But no one foresaw what would happen when in its published medal rankings an apparently obscure newspaper chain listed the two Koreas, which were contiguous in the rankings that day, as Naughty Korea and Nice Korea. The offending table is reproduced here.
And offended KCNA was:
“The Australian newspaper Brisbane Metro behaved so sordid as to describe the DPRK as "Naughty Korea" when carrying the news of London Olympics standings.
This is a bullying act little short of insulting the Olympic spirit of solidarity, friendship and progress and politicizing sports.
Media are obliged to lead the public in today's highly-civilized world where mental and cultural level of mankind is being displayed at the highest level. Brisbane Metro deserves criticism for what it has done.
The paper behaved so foolish as to use the London Olympics that has caught the world interest for degrading itself.
The paper hardly known in the world must have thought of making its existence known to the world by joining other media in reporting the Olympic news.
Then it should have presented its right appearance to the world.
Editors of the paper were so incompetent as to tarnish the reputation of the paper by themselves by producing the article like that.
There is a saying "A straw may show which way the wind blows". A single article may exhibit the level of the paper.
Many people were unanimous in denouncing the small paper for defaming the mental and moral aspects of the players of the DPRK who earned recognition from several appreciative world famous media.
Even hostile forces toward the DPRK heaped praises on its players' successful performance at the London Olympics, saying that "Koreawhirlwind" sweeps the world.
The Australian paper cooked up the way of moneymaking, challenging the authority of the dignified sovereign state. The paper deserves a trifle sum of dirty money.
As already known, it was reported that a lot of petty thieves sneaked into the London Olympics together with tourists. Players fight to the finish in the stadium, but those petty thieves demonstrate their "skills" outside the stadium.
The paper Brisbane Metro is little different from those petty thieves. In a word, the paper discredited itself. How pitiful it is.
The Brisbane Metro will remain as a symbol of rogue paper for its misdeed to be cursed long in Olympic history. The infamy is the self-product of the naughty paper Brisbane Metro which dared challenge the spirit of Olympic, common desire and unanimous will of mankind.”
Take that, mX.
But we don’t want to conclude on such a sour note. So to all the Olympians: Usain Bolt, Air Maroney, Oscar Pistorius, the incomparable Allyson Felix, the lady from Australia who dunked, the 39 year old gymnast from Bulgaria, the history making lady from Saudi Arabia, the babes on the French women’s soccer team, the platform divers who inspired my daughter to attempt a forward roll off the coffee table, the people who compete unaffiliated, the doubles ping-pongers, the blind archer, Ann Romney’s horse—all the Olympians, naughty or nice—thanks for the memories. We salute you with this anthem from Australia’s second greatest musical export!
