[08 .4 .9 美国 cnn] 政治应与奥运选手分开

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【08 .4 .9 美国 cnn】

【媒体出处】http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/04/08/oly.athletes.ap/index.html
【中文翻译】 未翻译
【全文内容】

Politics divides Olympic athletes

• Story Highlights
  
• Olympic charter bans demonstrations tied to political, religious, racial issues
  
• Top athletes such as Roger Federer unsure it's their place to protest at Olympics
  
• Some athletes believe Olympics offers rare global stage to air opinions
  

PARIS, France (AP) -- Around the globe, athletes are plodding on lonely training runs, sweating in gyms and straining in pools, united by a common goal: to be faster, higher and stronger at the Beijing Olympics.
But there's no unity when it comes to protests, boycotts and political demonstrations -- over Tibet or other human rights issues in China.
Some argue the Olympics should be free of politics, while others say athletes with a conscience must speak out. And still others are unsure how to react or seem uncomfortable with the whole thing.
Asked if he would wear a ribbon for Tibet or boycott the opening ceremony, top-ranked tennis star Roger Federer said: "No, not so far. I don't think I will."
"Honestly, I don't know enough about the situation. I don't know how much we athletes should be involved in this," said Federer, of Switzerland. "It should be a celebration of sport and not using it for political reasons."
Fellow player James Blake believes any protest should not be an individual call.
"I don't feel like it's my decision to go and say, 'I know what's best for the entire country of China, I know what's best for the entire Olympic team,"' the American said. "I think it should be a joint decision, kind of all-for-one decision, whether every Olympic team boycotts or we all go and we represent our country with pride."
"I've worked hard. I would love to be there. I'm proud to be a part of the U.S. Olympic team," he added. "If they tell me it's the right thing to do to go over there, I'll go over there. If they tell me it's the right thing to do to stay home, then I'll stay home. I would be disappointed, because I want to compete in the Olympics and I want to be there."
Weighing on athletes' decision-making is Rule 51, subsection 3, of the Olympic Charter, which says: "No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas."
In short, athletes who pull out "Free Tibet" banners in Beijing could be sent home.
The U.S. Olympic Committee has asked its athletes to comply with Olympic rules, and said no extra measures would be imposed.
French athletes consider options
For the moment, athletes pushing for a more activist approach seem to be in the minority. French pole vaulter Romain Mesnil, who rejects the "activist" label, has recently been sounding out others about ways to show their commitment to human rights.
He says China's action in Tibet was a turning point for him. Initially, he suggested athletes wear a green ribbon or other symbol -- something both discreet and visible -- when competing.
That evolved into a badge, marked "For a better world," that Mesnil and nearly two dozen current and former French athletes unveiled last week. They want the International Olympic Committee to let them wear it in Beijing, a request that could come up in Olympic officials' discussions this week on how to interpret and apply Rule 51 at the games.
Mesnil says an athlete boycott of the opening ceremony also "is very interesting" and "can be one of the possibilities."
German fencer Imke Duplitzer has said she will not take part in the ceremony if she qualifies. Cyclist Thor Hushovd of Norway told his country's Faderlandsvennen newspaper that he, too, could join such a protest.
"As actors at the games, we have to make ourselves heard. As athletes, we have to display Olympic values and human values," Mesnil told The Associated Press. "We don't want to be mere pawns. In the current debates, we get a little bit of the impression that we are being told, 'You athletes do what you have to do, and let us take care of the rest. It is not your problem.' I say no."
Another sign that France's delegation might be one to watch for protests in Beijing came from a survey last week in Sport magazine.
The magazine said it asked 126 athletes who either qualified or who could qualify for the Olympics and Paralympics, and that nearly half said they were ready to skip the opening ceremony. A third said they'd be willing to wear a Tibet flag **** at the games, three-fourths supported Mesnil's campaign, and nearly half expressed hope that French President Nicolas Sarkozy will make good on his threats to boycott the opening ceremony.
Mesnil said that if enough athletes wear the same symbol in Beijing, the IOC could not throw them all out.
He also added that despite the charter's ban on propaganda and demonstrations, "there's already a degree of tolerance toward religious signs: at the minimum, athletes who wear crosses, but also athletes who make the sign of the cross at the start of a race or who get down on their knees and pray at the end of the race."
"That's already tolerated, so why not tolerance toward a symbol showing the value of human rights?" Mesnil said.
'Politics and sports should always be separate'
But there are many who have no plans to speak out, saying it is not their role, that they are too busy training, or that they want to keep the games focused on sports. Even though there is no momentum internationally for a boycott of the entire games, athletes are concerned their years of toil could go to waste.
U.S. softball player Stacey Nuveman said she hopes there is no boycott.
"I have my own concerns from a personal standpoint, and I don't like what's happening necessarily (in China). But I also don't believe it's my place as an individual to take that next step," she said.
"I know there has been a lot going on with the torch process and it moving from Athens to Beijing and the possibility of protests. God bless them. People have a right to do that (protest), especially in the U.S.," the La Verne, California, catcher said.
"At the same time, I am a softball player, my goal is to win a gold medal and I hope there is nothing to distract me from that end. I think that is true of all athletes."
U.S. sprinter Sanya Richards said "politics and sports should always be separate."
"Anytime you mix sports and politics, the athletes usually lose out," said Richards, who won gold in the 2004 Athens Olympics in the 1,600 relay. "That's what happened in 1980 when we boycotted and nothing came out of it."
'I think there are other ways to help'
Olympic floor gymnastics gold medalist Kyle Shewfelt of Canada said on his Web site that the games should be about the athletes.
"Why is it OK to even consider sacrificing athletes' dreams on behalf of making a statement?" he wrote.
"I know that there are some human rights violations taking place in Tibet and the Dalai Lama is speaking out. This sounds so naive and jaded, but there is only so much time in the day and I have been spending most of mine preparing myself to be at my peak in August," Shewfelt said.
Italian world champion swimmer Filippo Magnini noted that there have been thousands of deaths since 1959 in Tibet and China.
"I don't see why there should be protests only now. Just because of the Olympics? There should have always been protests," Magnini told the AP. "They used to stop wars for the Olympics and now they want to stop the Olympics, it doesn't seem right."
Two-time taekwondo Olympic gold medalist Steven Lopez of Sugar Land, Texas, sees a boycott of the opening ceremony as "a negative."
"As an individual, I take great pride in representing my country, to be able to wear USA on my back," he said. "I don't think that would help the situation. I think there are other ways to help the crisis in Sudan, Darfur or Tibet."
Amelie Mauresmo said the IOC shares some blame for giving the Olympics to China.
"It gets on my nerves that we athletes are the ones who are going to have to do something about the human rights and things in Tibet," the 2006 Wimbledon and Australian Open champion said. "The people in the IOC should have never let Beijing in these conditions be the host city for the Olympics. Or make sure things are going to be right."
[ 本帖最后由 Truth-home 于 2008-4-15 02:00 编辑 ]

立倒

美联社 - 法国巴黎报道
放眼世界，运动员们各个默默地、不辞辛苦地常年在训练场备战，体操馆内、游泳池边汗水淋漓的他们，为了一个共同的目标而凝聚在一起，那就是：在今年北京奥运会上，让自己跑得更快、跳得更高、变得更强。

当一系列针对西藏事件和中国人权问题上引发的种种抗议、抵制行为和政治游行扑面而来的时候，团结凝聚力不再。

有人说奥运应该和政治分开，有人则说任何一个有良知的运动员都必须出来讲话，也有一些人不知如何选择，有的似乎对整个事件都不自在。

当试问顶尖网球明星罗杰·费德勒（Roger Federer）是否会佩戴缎带为自由西藏拉喊助威，或是抵制出席奥运开幕式时，他的回答是：“不，不会。我认为我不会那样做。”“说实话，我对整个事件不是很了解。我不清楚我们的运动员参与事件的程度有多少，”这位来自瑞士的网球明星继续说，“奥运会是体育盛事，而不应该用于政治目的。”

同行的网球手詹姆斯·布雷克（James Blake）则表示任何抗议都应该是集体的行动，而不是个人的选择。“什么对整个中国最有利，什么对整个奥林匹克代表队最有利，这事我做不了主，”这位美国运动员说，“我认为应该让大家一起来做决定，为了一个共同的目的，不管每个参赛队去还是不去，我们都为代表国家参赛而自豪。”“我一直刻苦训练，我当然乐意去北京。我为自己是美国奥林匹克代表团的一员而自豪”，他补充道，“如果他们告诉我，去北京是正确的，我就去；如果他们通知我呆在家，那我就呆在家里，当然我会失望，因为我一直想在奥运会上一搏，我想去那里。”大家如何决定得看奥林匹克宪章第三章第五十一条，“在奥林匹克竞赛场地、会场和其他任何地方都不允许政治、宗教和种族性质的任何示威游行。”简短而言，在北京挥动“自由西藏”的条幅的运动员都会被遣送回家。美国奥林匹克委员会已经要求本国运动员遵守奥林匹克章程，除此之外没有其他的要求。

法国运动员
此刻，要求采取更激进的手段抗议的运动员似乎还是在少数。法国撑杆跳高运动员罗梅·梅斯尼勒（Romain Mesnil），拒绝称自己是“激进派”，最近却异常活跃，呼吁其他人一起为维护人权而努力。他说中国在西藏问题上的举措让他改变。最初，他建议其他运动员在比赛时佩戴绿色缎带或其他显眼但又不招摇的标志。接着他和其他24位现役和退役的法国运动员们上周把缎带换成了带有“让世界更美好”字样的徽章。他们希望国际奥委会能够允许他们在北京佩戴这种徽章，此项请求会在本周即将举行的奥林匹克官员讨论会上提交，会议上将商讨如何在本届奥运会上诠释和执行奥林匹克宪章第五十一条。梅斯尼勒还说运动员葛杯奥运开幕式同样“有看头”，也许成为一种可能。德国击剑运动员依姆克·杜普里泽尔（Imke Duplitzer）已经表示如果她有资格参赛的话会拒绝参加开幕式。来自挪威的自行车选手胡舒福德（Thor Hushovd）则在该国Federlandsevnnen新闻报纸称他也会参加这类示威。“作为比赛的主角，必须让别人听到我们的心声。我们不仅展示奥林匹克精神，还有人类价值，” 梅斯尼勒告诉美联社，“我们不想成为棋子。在最近的争吵中，我得到的感觉是他们叫我做应该做的事情，剩下的事情他们来管，这不关你的事，对此我说‘不’。”从上周体坛杂志的一项调查来看，法国代表团不会眼睁睁在北京对抗议示威只看不做。这份杂志采访了126位有资格或有可能有资格参加奥运会和残奥会的运动员，近半的人表示他们准备不参加开幕式。三分之一的人表示更愿意身穿西藏旗帜的T恤衫参加比赛，四分之三的人支持梅斯尼勒的号召，近半数人则表示对法国总统萨克奇表示可能抵制出席开幕式的言论表示支持。梅斯尼勒说如果有足够多的运动员在北京佩戴同样的象征标志，国际奥委会不可能把他们全踢出局。他继续补充说尽管奥林匹克宪章禁止各类性质的宣传和示威游行，奥运已经一定程度上对某些带宗教色彩的种种表示了容忍，起码最低程度允许运动员佩戴十字架，开赛前在胸口划十字，或是赛后双膝跪下祈祷等等。这些都已经得到一定的认可，那为什么要对佩戴象征维护人权意义的徽章而不满呢？

立倒

政治和体育必须分开

并没有意思抵制奥运的大有人在，他们则表示这不关他们的事，训练很忙碌，他们只想全心全力把精力放在比赛上。尽管国际上并没有抵制奥运的趋势，运动员们还是比较担心自己多年的努力会付之东流。

美国垒球运动员斯达瑟·努温满（Stacey Nuveman）说希望看到没人对奥运进行抵制。“从个人角度讲，我有自己的担忧。我对中国发生的一切并不喜欢，同样地，接下来葛杯奥运的事，就我个人而言，我不会做。”这位来自加州La Verne市的垒球捕手说，“我知道随着奥运火炬的传递，接下来会发生很多事情。从雅典到北京，示威游行随时随地都可能发生。愿上帝保佑。人人都有权利抗议示威，特别是在美国。”“同时，我是一名垒球选手，我的目标是获得金牌。什么事情都不能阻止我实现这个目标。”美国短跑选桑娅·理查兹（Sanya Richards）说政治和体育应该分开。“任何时候只要体育和政治搅在一块，运动员经常被踢出局”，这位在雅典奥运会上获1600米接力赛金牌的选手说，“1980年我们也抵制奥运，结果什么效果也没有。”

“我认为还有其他方法可以解决”
来自加拿大的奥运自由体操金牌得主凯勒·舒费特（Kyle Shewfelt）在他的主页上写道：比赛应当属于运动参赛者。“牺牲运动员的梦想而去声讨，难道这也行？”“我知道在西藏发生了一些违反人权的行为，dl喇嘛也正在呼吁。这都老生常谈了，天真幼稚。一天仅有的时间不多，我每天花大部分的时间准备，为了就是让自己在今天八月达到最佳状态。”

意大利游泳世界冠军意大利人费里坡·马尼尼（Filippo Magnini）指出自从1959年以来在西藏和中国已经有成千上万的人死亡。“我不知道为什么只是在现在这段时间人们才出来抗议，是冲着奥运会的吗？要不应该早会有很多抗议，”马尼尼告诉美联社，“他们过去为了奥运会而停止战争，现在却全反过来，这似乎不正常。”

来自德克萨斯州的Sugar Land, 两次奥运夺冠的跆拳道选手斯蒂芬·洛佩兹（Steven Lopez）说抵制奥运开幕式是消极的举动。“个人而言，我为代表国家参赛而自豪，背负祖国的荣誉，”他说，“抵制对整个事件一点用处也没有。 我认为我们可以从其他方面帮助解决苏丹、达尔富或西藏问题。”

网球手阿曼尼·毛瑞斯莫（Amelie Mauresmo）表示国际奥委会将主办权交给中国要承担一定的责任。“这真令我心烦，我们运动员还得站出来对人权和西藏问题做些什么”，这位2006温网和澳网公开赛的冠军说，“北京有这些问题存在，国际奥委会的人就不应该把奥运会的主办权交给北京。要不就保证一切进展顺利。”

【中文翻译】立倒

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