By: Dr. Marcia Magnus -SFLCN Commentator
SOUTH FLORIDA – I heard a TV announcer say that at the Olympics all nations are equal. Later, I saw a sign on the TV screen for an American athlete “Hometown: St. Petersburg FL”. And that’s when I told myself, it’s time to write.
All countries may be equal during the Olympics but all countries are not equal before the Olympics.
First, some countries import athletes. Second, all countries do not have the same access to sports resources–world-class training facilities, an army of coaches, unlimited access to physical therapists, occupational therapists, orthopedic surgeons, sports nutritionists, and sports psychologists.
Let me show you in inequity. Wealthy countries have a long history of recruiting athletes from poor countries. Promising athletes from poor countries are successfully lured to compete for wealthy countries by the promise of big bucks, world-class training facilities, an army of coaches, unlimited access to physical therapists, occupational therapists, orthopedic surgeons, sports nutritionists, and sports psychologists. It is really irresistible!
Here’s the problem. Those recruited athletes are posing as citizens of the wealthy countries, and they are competing for the wealthy countries in the Olympics–under false pretenses.
A few years ago, Ben Jonson, a Jamaican sprinter—from Falmouth, Jamaica–was imported to Canada. He won two Olympic bronze medals and a gold medal for Canada and was always referred to as “Canadian Olympic star Ben Jonson”.
However, after he tested positive for illegal substances, he was instantly disinherited and repeatedly described by the Canadian media as “Jamaican-born Ben Johnson”…Mmmmm!
These imported Olympic athletes are most obvious when you see a visibly Black man running for Bahrain. So I wondered: “How many other athletes are imported on the Olympic teams of wealthy countries?”
The International Olympic Committee insists that using substances to improve performance is illegal and gives athletes an unfair advantage.
Isn’t importing promising athletes from poor countries giving rich countries an advantage? Poor countries do not have the luxury of recruiting promising athletes from wealthy countries.
I’m still wondering: What percentage of athletes are recruited from poor countries?
Since wealthy countries have the advantage of recruiting promising athletes from poor countries, the International Olympic Committee should require that all countries offer full disclosure of their imported athletes.
For the next Olympics, the viewing public needs to see where the athlete was recruited from, and the country that they are now representing.
Here’s the disclosure that the viewing public needs to see on the shirts of the athletes: “Recruited from Jamaica, representing Bahrain”
It’s time for poor countries to unite and demand full disclosure. The wealthy countries will try to block it so get ready for some pushback! Let the truth be told!
There is a VAST difference between rich and poor countries in sports resources. Rich countries have world-class fitness facilities, an army of coaches, physical therapists, occupational therapists, orthopedic surgeons, sports nutritionists, and sports psychologists. Athletes in small and poor countries don’t even know that these sports professionals exist!
I checked and there is no Contact Us link at the International Olympic Committee website. So
who’s going to start the petition for full disclosure of imported Olympic athletes at www.petitions.com?
I’m ready to sign the petition.
