European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 12, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse February 12, 1992 the stars and stripes c Page 29winter olympics Ham or ultimate human Triumph by Michael Hill when John Hoberman looks at the olympics he sees hypocrisy a totally commercial Endeavor that a Slickly packaged and sold to the highest bidder at a Cost that sacrifices the health of its athletes and the Basic morality of its heritage. When Bud Greenspan looks at the olympics he sees the ultimate in human performance a spectacle of stories of risk and achievement of Triumph and tragedy. Whose View is right Well that All depends on your viewpoint. Hoberman an olympics scholar who has has written books on the subject will spend the next two weeks at Home in Texas. But he has no plans to be glued to his television set for cd so coverage of the rest of the Winter olympics. A the More you learn about the olympics the less appealing it becomes a Hoberman contends. A professor in the germanic studies department at the University of Texas and author of the 1986 Book a the olympic crisis sport politics and the moral order a Hoberman says that the state of the current olympics betrays the heritage the games Are supposed to be nurturing. A a they be already killed the sport As we once knew it certainly the track and Field that i came to love As a boy a he said Over the phone from his office in Austin Texas claiming that the olympic ideals of International participation and Competition have been replaced by a nationalist driven Fervour for medals that is bereft of morals and full of illegal chemicals. A a it a hard to make people believe that because of the Strong Public relations efforts to convince them that this is not the Case. You can see How the olympics Are sold to the american people. You know How lbs will sell it. Well learn about Little Debbie who a been skating or skiing since she was 3 years old and is just a bundle of self sacrifice and hard work and dedication to her sport. A a it a such a Bunch of Malarkey i done to see How they can get away with it. But they need these Little myths the Little ideological contests and other stories to mediate Between the fans who want and need an olympic mystique to consume and the commercialized spectacle they Are there is probably no More esteemed or skilled purveyor of that olympic mystique than Greenspan whose television series and films on the games have been widely praised and honoured with awards. But Greenspan had no apologies for what he does. A i think its just a question of what you focus on a he said. A a it a axiomatic with the olympics and of Many sports that 100 percent of the time they will be 90 percent Good. And 100 percent of the time they common try. A Lane Spina takes picture of fellow Ballet skiers Fabrice Becker Center and Rune Kristianson. Will be 10 percent no Good. A so its More a matter of How you look at life. Is the Glass half empty or half full you la have 10,000 athletes at an olympic games. So maybe five 10 or 20 Are on steroids 5 or 6 percent. Why talk about them a but Hoberman contends that the drug problem is much More widespread than that. He is just finishing up a Book on the problem a mortal engines olympic sport and the great Experiment on the human organism a a which will be published this summer. There s a doping plague in the olympics a Hoberman said. A i pay very close attention to the situation in Germany which is the most interesting place in the world to follow these kinds of As revelations about the extent of steroid use in East Germany come out Hoberman has found that instead of shunning the members of the East German medical sports establishment the West germans and other european countries have been recruiting these doctors and scientists. A a they be been treated like the nazi rocket experts after world War ii a he said. A a it a 1945 All Over again. The use of steroids actually does no to bother me As much As the Hoberman said the doping comes directly from the corruption of the original olympic movement. A the olympics were one of a number of International movements that began in the late 19th and Early 20th centuries such As the red Cross the boy scouts esperanto Wagner ism even zionism a he said. These soon divided into two types a those that retained their International orientation and others like the olympics that became battlegrounds for nationalism he said. A nationalism is the engine that drives the whole thing a he said. A there is intense political pressure in Many of these countries to bring Back a Harvest of medals. So the performance principle becomes the ultimate value not the original olympic it is this drive for performance this pressure to win that drives athletes and National federations to illegal doping Hoberman argues. A when the . Olympic committee which is the custodian of the olympic ideals in this country sends out its Appeal for donations the Only thing it talks about is How Many medals the . Is going to win a a a he pointed out. A a there is nothing about the Joys of International but he contends it is necessary to keep that olympic myth alive a for marketing purposes. A the olympic rings Are a very valuable commodity. A lot of companies like coca cola and Kodak will pay a lot of Money to put them on their packages. Their prestige value is taken for granted. But Over time i think the rampant commercialism and the doping will gradually erode that but Greenspan said sometimes it is possible to know too much about the inner Workings of such events. A i done to see what the Point is of always peeling Back the layers taking apart tearing Down a he said. A a it a always easier to criticize than to Praise. In a trying to give Young people heroes. Look there a nobody better than Santa Claus but of course he does no to exist. Is anything wrong with that a Greenspan said that the Appeal of the olympics is that they Are the a ultimate a they decide who is the Best in the world not the Best in your City or county or state or even your country but the Best on Earth on that particular Day a he said. A but remember we done to just focus on the Winner. We often find our heroes finishing fifth or ninth. You can certainly find the kind of dedication and Faith we Are trying to show Young people in someone who is the fourth Best in the world by a few one thousands of a the Baltimore Sun Blair reaches another skating Peak Albertville France up a american Speed skater Bonnie Blair has spent much of the last 25 years circling smooth tracks of ice faster then any other woman and mondays olympic Gold medal May have been her greatest achievement. But Blair a career of great successes also has been countered by devastating personal tragedies. The 27-year-old world record Holder reached another Peak monday when she became the first american woman in history to win two olympic Speed skating Gold medals. She also is the first woman of any nationality to Complete a successful defense of a Speed skate title. In front of a contingent of nearly 50 relatives and fiends who travelled about 6,000 Miles to showcase their support Blair captured the women a 500-meter title in 40.33 seconds. She then dedicated the win to her father. A my dad passed away two years ago a said Blair. A i think to begin with it was More his 1992 Winter olympic medals a it through mondays events g s b t Austria 2 2 3 7 Germany 2 1 1 4 Norway 1 1 1 3 unified team 1 0 1 3 Finland 0 1 1 2 United states 1 0 0 1 France 0 1 0 1 China 0 1 0 1 a is if s does not include demonstration sports aps amps dream that i be in the olympics before it was Ever my dream to be in the Blair competing in her third Winter games will try for her third Gold medal wednesday in the 1,500 meters. A the win definitely takes everything the pressure off a said Blair. A to become the first woman to win Back to Back Means a great Blair was undecided about racing in the 1,500 until last Friday when coach Peter Mueller announced she would skate in three events. Blair was fourth in the 1,500 four years ago in Calgary and third at 1,000. The 1989 sprint world Champion will conclude her racing schedule Friday in the 1,000, when she will be among the top favourites. A i just Hope she a satisfied with her performance a Eleanor Blair Bonnier a 73-year-old Mother said prior to the 500. A i done to think she will be satisfied if she does no twin but she would put up with it. A but that a what she a been working so hard for and naturally that a what she wants to do. It no matter what happens in a going to love her As much maybe twice As in addition to Blair smother the support clan includes handfuls of cousins and friends 79-year-old Uncle Lenny and 4-month-old Niece Lily. Blair lives in Champaign 111. The entire contingent wore purple and White jackets with Blair a name across the Back. The family also plastered several banners on grandstand railings and waved american flags. A a we re just one big Happy family and 1 Hope it stays that Way said Eleanor Blair. Blair a tenure in the sport dates to the Story her family has repeatedly told. The youngest of Charlie and Eleanor Blair a six children Bonnier a birth was announced by a race commentator during a Speed skating meet. Hours earlier her father had dropped his wife off at the Hospital and then left for the meet with three other children. With her siblings As role models Blair first experienced the sport at age two with a pair of hand me Down skates. She quickly advanced propelled by her family a heritage in the sport. But despite the sporting Success Blair s life has included its share of personal tragedies. Her father died on Christmas Day in 1989 of pneumonia after battling lung cancer. Blair a 36-year-Ola brother Rob is suffering from an inoperable brain tumor. Regardless of her achievements Blair can still walk Down the main Street of most american cities and remain Anonymous. But her sport has served her Well and she now has seven corporate sponsors according to parses Brittain the vice president of her marketing and management Agency. But Blair is not yet worrying about things like sponsorship commitments and whether or not to stay around for the 1994 Winter games. A i have two More races to go a said Blair. A after that ill decide about the
