Absurdity, Allegory and China

If you follow this blog you know I am not a fan of Jacques Rogge, the current president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He is seen by many – this blogger included – as a CCP lapdog and a free agent who, under the charade of officialdom, always goes to the highest bidder. In mid-July 2008 Count Rogge (yes, he really is a count ) infamously proclaimed, “For the first time, foreign media will be able to report freely and publish their work freely in China. There will be no censorship on the Internet.” We all know how high that one flew.

Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports is also not a fan. In his listing of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics winners and losers: Canadians steal the show, he does a fair skewering of the Russian figure skating silver medalist Evgeni Plushenko for his low-ball comments aimed at U.S. gold medalist Evan Lysacek. But Wetzel saved his best for Plushenko’s apologist, the good Count Jacques:

Plushenko’s comments showed zero respect for his opponents. At the Beijing Olympics, Rogge, the IOC president, ripped Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt for just such a thing when Bolt threw up his hands in celebration before crossing the finish line. “That’s not the way we perceive being a champion,” Rogge attacked.

When asked for comment about Plushenko’s antics, Rogge defended the skater to the Los Angeles Times. “I think he was very disappointed, obviously, and sometimes in disappointment, you express things you wouldn’t express at another time.”

There is one difference in these cases. Plushenko hails from a wealthy, powerful country. Bolt doesn’t. Rogge would never attack a Russian (or American or Chinese) athlete the way he did with Bolt. With the stuffy, elitist IOC, it’s always the same game. Power protects power, and when a suit like Jacques Rogge needs to act tough, you know who is going to get called out.

Actually there are two differences, though Wetzel only pointed out one.