Over the years, the Olympics have become almost as much about making political statements as they are about winning medals. Choosing a site is just the first step. This morning, the IOC revealed the five finalists for the 2012 games. The finalists include: Moscow, Paris, London, Madrid and NYC. Apparently, Paris is the front-runner. Cities that got cut in this wave include: Havana, Istanbul, Rio de Janero and Leipzig. IOC president Jaques Rogge said that this trimming of the field was about "separating the boys from the men."
"Separating the boys from the men" is an interesting choice of phrase from the IOC president since the IOC also decided on Tuesday morning that they are unable to separate the men from the women when it comes to the athletes who will be competing in the Athens games this year. The IOC has cleared transsexuals to compete in the 2004 games, provided that the athlete's new gender has been legally recognized and the athlete has undergone two years of post-op hormone replacement therapy.
Unbelievable. This decision by the IOC basically makes the IOC's rules a farce. Now, the IOC will strip a man of a gold medal in the 100 meter dash if he is taking anabolic steroids, but we will allow a person who has lived 25 years as a man to win a gold medal in the women's 100 meter butterfly.
Is this bizarre to anyone else?
