The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1960-09-16
SPORTS of TIMES
Did Russia
Win Olympics?
BY LOU FABRo
Times Sports Editor

Did Russia win the Olympic Games?
Nope.
But, you might say, 81 read in the paper
Okay, so you did. But the International Olympic
Committee QOC), the organization that runs the
Olympic Games and awards the medals, doesn't re-
cognize Russia as the winner. BY the anne token, the
IOC doesn't recognize the US. or Kenya as losers.
FROM THE VERY BEGINNING of the modern
Games, the IOC stressed that only individuals are re-
c~ognized as winners. In other words, no country is re-
cogniZed as a winner.
Yet. YOU would hardly know such a policy exists
since reporters place particular stress on rlvalrles be-
tween countries = particularly between the US ana
Russia.
Writers use a formula to determine Olympic
standings. A country is awarded SO many points Wnen
one of its athletes places first; so many for second, etc;
Stories describing these standings always are qualltleo
by the word unofficial. And indeed they are for
they aren't recognized by the lOC.
THE WORD "UNoFFIciAL", however, has a way
of getting lost among the hundreds of other words
which tell how one country "leads" another.
It's easy to argue that after all, the 300 atnletes
who went to Rome from the United States are mem
bers of the official us. Olympic Team.
But then there's this to consider. While II may
be fair to compare the us. team with RusslaS squad
is if fair to compare these two teams with those from
the smaller countries like Trinidad, New Zealand, Ice
land or Mexico? -, :.
= E MANY medals as Russia or the us, it doent mean
Sweden "Iost' the Olympics. After all, Sweden didn't
have half a many athletes as the us. or Russia com
peting. uooa
With all this in mind, it was a bit amusing TO read
about "Black Thursday the day the Oo. supposedly
Suffered stunning humiliation" because a couple OIL
its athletes were upset. .
II also was amusing to read about the lnVeSu'
cation which was conducted to find out II U.S. athleteS
were losing because they were breaking training rules
ALSO AMUSING WAS the solemn declaration
that the us. has become a second rate sports power
This last comment almost goads a citizen INTO Wrltns
his congressman. Or it makes you wonder Il maybe
we should abandon the missile race" and launch d
crash program on the 100-meter race.
It's amusing but it's also sad because the prIaclce
of playing up country standings" tends to oVershaooW
the briliance of individual athletes.
Certainly there is reflected glory III a country
when one of its athletes wins. But it shouldn't be car
ried to extremes.
We noted with particular s%atifaction the com.
ments of us. Olympic track coach Larry Snyder OF
Ohio State University and his assistant, George East
man. after the "hullabaloo' raised when us. athletes
were upset.
SNYDER PolNTED OUT that the entire world has
become athletic-conscious and US. athletes were
beaten by world champions in world champion per-
formanceS.
Comented Eastman:
'We're not a race of supermen and it's about
time we realized that the rest of the world can pro-
duce great athletes, too"
And we might add for emphGcis that q man or
woman isn't a champion because he o. s.c c~.ne from
a certain country.
IT'S QUITE ALL light to note what country a
champion lives in, but it's unfair to 60 any further.