On the day of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, a short thread. 30 years ago in 1992, I was very proud to be walking in the opening ceremony of the Albertville Olympics. No, that's not me carrying the flag, I was only a mid-ranked moguls skier.
OK, since you asked...
Here's another one. Yes, that is me. No, it's not a one-piece. And no, we didn't wear helmets.
Opening ceremonies are great for the athletes. It's like four years of work is finally over. You don't know what the next two weeks is going to bring (Glory? Injury?) but the excitement is at fever pitch. OK, yes, those were one-pieces. In 1992 Team GB had the worst uniforms.
Opening ceremonies are very inspiring. All that symbolism! Trigger alert: this is where the thread takes a bit of a darker turn.
You know where all that symbolism in the Olympic opening ceremony comes from? The torch relay, the flags, the oath, the bell, the doves? All introduced in 1936 at the Nazi Olympics, lifted straight from the Nuremberg Rallies. Watch and learn: dailymotion.com/video/x6uajey
In 1992, there was another stark reminder of the dark past of the Olympics. President of the International Olympic Committee at the time was an old fascist, Juan-Antonio Samaranch, who dropped in to declare the Games open. Nice work, if you can get it, right?
When I say he was an old fascist, it's not a figure of speech. He was old, and had been the de-facto sports minister under the Franco regime. The Olympics was never de-nazified after WWII, unlike most public bodies. Here he is, giving the fascist salute.
opendemocracy.net/en/shine-a-lig…
"Let's keep the politics out of sport," said every demagogue in history. irishtimes.com/news/world/asi…
If you have not listened to or watched my conversation with Ban Ki Moon on @MLCleaningUp, I strongly recommend it. He stunned me by saying we need deal with climate change first and human rights later. And he's the chair of the IOC's ethics committee!
cleaningup.live/ep70-ban-ki-mo…
Despite being an Olympic athlete, I support the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Games by the US, UK, Canada, Australia, India and Denmark. Japan is sending no senior officials. Let the athletes go and compete, that's all.
If you need to ask why a diplomatic boycott is justified, you need to read more news. Tibet, Hong Kong, Uyghurs, Covid, threats to Taiwan, Peng Shuai, labour rights... we cannot turn a blind eye. And I speak as someone well aware of the West's history and present-day failings.
Anyway, you're all asking, how did I get on 30 years ago? Olympic Gold went to @edgar_grospiron, who kept his cool despite skiing through a hellish snow shower. His look of concentration at the start is everything: he was born to win this and he knew it.
@edgar_grospiron I didn't medal. In fact I came 32nd. Out of how many, you ask? Oh, about 5.5 billion, and the top-placed management consultant! But seriously, I put in some good turns, hit a few problems. Would have liked to make top 20. But can't complain - what a day! olympics.com/en/athletes/mi…
And I did get an Olympic Participation Medal. A bit like school, everyone gets some sort of prize, but a cool bit of merch nevertheless. Not everyone can get one of these!
(unless you go on ebay, obvs)
ebay.co.uk/itm/3939048873…
I mustn't forget the pin. Four years of my life, and I got a medal you can buy on eBay and a lapel pin. Oh, and I get to use the letters OLY after my name, should I so desire (I don't).
But what an experience! What a joy to push your body to its limits! What stories! What friendships! What fun! So, back to the opening ceremony. Here's me, preparing to march into the stadium as part of the British Olympic Team, Albertville 1992. The whole thing was like a dream.
Coda. Already quite a few have asked how my knees are. Not great to be honest, but then I am 58. Having said that, this was me skiing icy bumps over New Year. Good genes: my mum is about to turn 91, she skied until the start of the Covid pandemic!
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