European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 10, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 32 the stars and stripes Winter olympics thursday february 10,1994file ".a. A v Scott Hamilton left was a Gold medallist and Steve Mahre Center a slalom runner up at Sarajevo. Ten years later the olympic flame Toner right is framed in wreckage. Recon by Bill Glauber the Baltimore Sun Lillehammer Norway Scott Hamilton remembers the smell of cigarettes and fresh paint the disco at the holi Day inn and the smog that Hung Over the ancient City like a Blanket. And the Snow goodness who could forget the Snow. First there was t enough. And then there was too much. And finally the skies cleared and Hamilton the Gold medallist in men s figure skating walked around the cobblestones streets of Sarajevo. You realized this was one of the most Beautiful places you had Ever seen he said. The people there put their hearts and souls into those now Sarajevo Bosnia Herzegovina is a City under siege the Winter olympics of 1984 nothing More than a Distant memory. Gould it be ten years Torville and Dean sealing a Gold with a kiss. The skiing Mahre Brothers sharing a Victory podium. Dill Johnson careening downhill and into history. The first olympics held in a communist country had somehow turned Beautiful. There were brownouts in the rest of Yugoslavia but Sarajevo was illuminated. Soldiers patrolled the streets the first few Days armed and ready. By the Sec Ond week they had Flowers in their rifles. Now there is an Ever present rumble of artillery in Sarajevo. The olympic venues Are destroyed. Another Winter of War Rolls on. You look at the pictures of the place now and it s like this face less void Hamilton said. Here in one place you experienced one of the greatest times of your life and you see what it turned into. You Don t know Why you feel so bad. But you the zetra ice rink that was a second Home Cooper to Hamilton. He was there Over thanks giving in 1983, skating in a pre olympic Competition sharing a meal with a family he had never met before the zetra was so new then he said. Fresh paint. Big rooms. Empty rooms. You think Back on that and then to real ize that the zetra was bombed out that it was used As a skier Christin Cooper can t shake the memory of Sarajevo either. It feels like a big Black Hole she said. She remembers the cab Drivers who would take detours but no tips just because they wanted to show off the mos ques the Bridge where an Archduke was snot and world War i was ignited the simple greatness of a City. She remembers the sweaters and Silver and food Laid out on tables in the old town markets. Flags were flying she said. People were Happy. They were so proud. And now. To see the contrast is really disillusioning. Violence is no answer. That is what hurts the most. Ten years ago we were at the olympics on a Mission of peace and this Cooper has tried to do something for Sarajevo. With sportscaster Greg Lewis she co founded the spirit of Hope humanitarian olympians for All they have now is list of olympians some Money in the Bank and goal of some How making a difference in Sarajevo. Maybe when the siege ends they can go to Sarajevo with some sporting equip ment. It is such a Small gesture they know. But they want to make difference. As a group we can at least go in and build a gymnasium for the kids she said. Is that too much to ask but we can t do anything until they Stop killing each there is a Story that Cooper keeps com ing Back to that tells the sweetness that was Sarajevo in Winter 1984. The . Women s ski team rented a House in Pale at the top of the giant slalom course. After the first run Cooper was first and her teammate Debbie Armstrong was fifth and together they went to the House. There the Sarajlic family prominent mus lims greeted the skiers with plates of pastry and baked apples. That family wanted us to be Strong for the second run Armstrong said. Our stomachs were turning inside out. I decided to have a bite of the Apple. Debbie did t. She ended up winning the race Andi was Cooper and the others who skied in Sarajevo have tried to find the Sarajlic family without Success. You have no idea whether they Are dead or alive she said. Ill never forget that family she said. And i la never forget the bosnian bobsled Der doubts olympics truce will work Lillehammer Norway a a bobsled Der from Sarajevo said tuesday he has Little Hope the shooting in his Homeland will Stop despite the Call fora truce during the 1994 Winter olympics. The idea of stopping the War when the games Start sounds very Beautiful. But when you re aware of the kind of aggressor there is around Sarajevo there is no Point said Nizar Zacira Gic. The bosnian serbs Don t respect anything from this world he said. There Are muslims croats and serbs on the 10 member Bosnia Herzegovina olympic team. Zacira Gic said he was not optimistic that International olympic committee president Juan Antonio Sama ranch s plan to visit Sarajevo during the games in a show of Solidarity would have much Impact. The City has been visited by Many famous persons he said. The bombing saturday of a Sarajevo marketplace left 68 people dead and about 200 injured. There is no civil War. It is a War against civilians said Stjepan Kljaic president of Bosnia Herzegovina s olympic committee after a ceremony to show Solidarity for Sarajevo where the 1984 Winter games opened 10 years ago tuesday. Ten years ago to the Day Sarajevo was the sporting capital of the world Kljaic said. Today it s the big Gest concentration Camp in the the olympic and Sarajevo games flags were raised and then lowered to half staff at the beginning of the International olympic committee s session Here. Training for the games in Sarajevo has not been easy Zacira Gic said. Sometimes we had to go into shelters because of heavy shelling and concern about snipers he said and the athletes Don t have enough food essential food for Normal he made a plea for assistance perhaps in the form of sports Camps for his country s Young athletes Many of whom have suspended their schooling to train even Here we have kind of pressure on our mind. We can t relax Zacira Gic said. The team members All have relatives in Sarajevo and it is sometimes very difficult to get Ioc to reduce list of bidders for 2002 Lillehammer Norway a vowing to separate the men from the boys the Ioc will reduce the record list of 10 candidates for the 2002 Winter games to a group of four finalists. People spend too much Money on really hopeless candidates Jacques Rogge an inter National olympic committee member from Bel Gium said tuesday. You feel sorry for the Ioc executive Board recommended cutting the list to two but the full session voted for four a special panel will select the Short list by january of 1995 five months before the final vote. Members argued that selecting Only two finalists would have eliminated dark horse Candi dates with a real Chance. Lillehammer for exam ple might not have made the Cut a few years ago. Salt Lake City which lost in the final round to Nagano Japan in the vote for the 1998 Winter games is considered a Strong favorite for 2002. Others Given the Best Chance of making the final Cut Are Quebec Osterlund Sweden Graz Austria and Sion Switzerland. The other bidders Are Alma Ata Kazakhstan Jaca Spain Sochi Russia Po-Prad-1 atry Slovakia and Tarcisio Italy. I
