Schoeman kallaði indisku áskoðararnar fyri apukattar

Suðurafrikanski Roland Schoeman verður grillaður í dag á The Times of India, fyri at hava kallað indisku áskoðararnar á Commonwealth Games svimjistevnuni fyri apukattar (“monkeys”). Á SwimNews.com verjir Craig Lord Schoeman, at tað ikki hevði nakað við húðarlitin at gera, men heldur at tey uppførdu seg sum apukattar (“monkeying around”). Trupulleikin var nevniliga, at tey ikki tagdu fyri tað um fyriskipararnir kravdu frið áðrenn startin, við tí úrsliti at millum annað Schoeman og Simon Burnett máttu upp at starta umaftur, eftir ein tjóvstart sum startarin dømdi at vera tí at áskoðararnir larmaðu ov illa.

Úr greinini á SwimNews.com:

Even when the swimmers can’t focus because the heckling from the crowd is so loud when stillness is called for on the blocks. After Roland Schoeman and Simon Burnett were called back from what looked like a false start, the starter recognised that crowd noise had sparked the problem. Schoeman targeted one man in the stand who was being a particular nuisance, no crowd-control visible to stop the heckling. The South African said: “It’s an absolute disgrace. There’s a guy in the stands just shouting, shouting, shouting. Somebody like that needs to be ejected. It’s unacceptable to be at a professional event like this and have people going on like monkeys. Someone like that doesn’t deserve to be here.”

Craig Lord nevnir sjálvur annan kritikk (afturat) um svimjistevnuna í Delhi, at trappurnar upp til fjølmiðlaplássini eru “straight off a Disney set. The kind made by a sorcerer out to trick your senses: one 10cm, the next 33cm, then one of 15cm, then 59cm, and, oops… ah, that must be the 27.5cm one … come on man, pick yourself up.” Hann er har í India, og er týðiligvís ikki imponeraður. Alt hevur verið kaos, har indarar hava runnið runt í seinastuni og kempað fyri at fáa tað at rigga, og har fólk eisini til ein vissan mun hava forsvarað indararnar, tí at teir hóast alt vóru ógvuliga høfligir og lovaðu at alt fór at koma upp á pláss. Men nú stevnan er um at vera liðug, er tað ógvuliga greitt at nei, hetta var heilt ekstremt vánaligt avrik hjá indarunum, og indarar eru tí nú heldur ‘sensitivir’.

Sensitivities are rising here, however, as India becomes ever more aware of the international criticism of its event. Make that criticism of the Commonwealth Games federation’s event, for it was that body that chose to bring the world here and was not on top of things even weeks into a years long process.

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England had a great day, the three class-apart winners backed by seven other medals, a battling spirit and perspective helping some who had trained for more, expected more but got less as circumstance leapt ahead in the dance of life in Delhi and drew them, with many from other teams, to challenging places that have no place in world-class sport.

Spofforth said she had never heard so many swimmers in the ready room talking about being homesick. Nearly time to go home.

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As chlorine counts are taken every few hours to reassure those who take to the waters, these Games took us back to Guayaquil and Cali and to Moscow world s/c in 2002, when the likes to Ashley Callus, felled by the break here, was felled by the dirty water there.

Places where excellence meets excrement. Never the twain should meet. Especially at a meet that some were banking on for future funding. Some difficult days ahead on the horizon beyond Delhi individuals but also for the very Games themselves.

Lesið her á SwimNews.com