Saturday, October 10, 2009

Hello, Pot? This is the Kettle...

...you're black.
The pot in the title is Jacques Rogge who, along with other IOC members, are engaging in "quiet diplomacy" with three countries who the IOC does not feel is doing a suitable job supporting Olympic female athletes. Part of the quiet is the refusal to name the countries in question but it is not that difficult to figure out given that the IOC names the barriers as religious, cultural, and political. Two apparently are working with the IOC but the third, most likely Saudi Arabia which has never sent a female athlete to the Olympics, is refusing to engage. This country will face Olympic sanctions if there is no progress in the near future.
Anyway the hypocrisy I see, of course, is Rogge standing up for gender equity for some women, and then denying other women the opportunity to participate a la female ski jumpers. Makes it seem like he is reifying the whole backwards Muslim stereotype that is so prevalent in the western world. He is definitely supporting the hypocritical, patriarchal male stereotype.
And speaking of the ski jumpers: their appeal is coming in November. Unfortunately for the American jumpers, money is tight and some jumpers will be limiting their competitive travel this season because the US Ski Federation dropped their funding of the team. But their plight is getting more exposure with a new documentary narrated by soccer player Brandi Chastain.

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