It's been a real circus!
Pan-Ams have been the shame Games
By TERRY JONES -- Edmonton Sun
SANTO DOMINGO -- If you can't give them bread, throw them a circus.
The XIV Juegos Panamericanos aren't the first example of that throughout the course of history. But this has been one of the most flagrant of modern-day examples.
This circus has been a zoo. With five days to go Santo Domingo's bed is made.
Yesterday the president of the Dominican Republic, Hipolito Mejia, was telling the populace: "There was so little faith.''
Mejia was boasting that they've pulled this off. The Games are going on. The events are being held. They've done it!
In some ways they have done the impossible. Anybody who was here at any stage leading up to this can't believe all the events have actually been held. That is true.
But to say they've pulled this off. Whoa. No.
If these Games weren't such a tragedy, they'd be a comedy.
One thing they got right was the mascot.
A MANATEE NAMED TITO
What other Games would pick a manatee named Tito as a mascot?
"A manatee is a defenceless species that roamed the islands since the beginning of time and is now facing distinction,'' offers the official media guide.
Distinction. Nice twist.
Come to think of it, a defenceless species perfectly represents the people of the Dominican who had these $225 million US (and climbing) Games foisted on them.
The best part of Santo Domingo 2003 has been the wonderful Dominican people. We've all fallen in love with them. But not with these Games. And it's an insult to call them their Games.
Since the day these Pan-Am Games began, Rev. Rogelio Cruz has defied government bans on demonstrations by holding his own 'Torch of Hunger' Games in some of Santo Domingo's poorest neighbourhoods.
The Rev. Cruz and his followers protest the millions spent on the Games that could have been spent on food, medicine and education for this small, poor country. Soldiers have scattered the protesters with tear gas and shotgun pellets. President Mejia has gone on record as saying the good reverend should be beaten.
The International Herald Tribune quotes General Gustavo Jorge Garcia, the security head of the Games, as saying his troops would "rip the heads off'' or "break the necks'' of anyone daring to protest.
Head of security? There is no security. There are all sorts of soldiers around playing with their guns, one of whom shot himself in the foot at track practice. But no security.
Even the most unaware of athletes can't help but wonder what they're doing here competing in the world's largest multi-sport Games outside of the Olympics.
The venues are almost all going to be white elephants. Most of these facilities haven't come close to being filled for any event, save for a very few involving a competitive Dominican entry. There may be 100,000 seats at the various venues here that will not have a single, solitary posterior placed upon them now or ever.
Every day we've got something almost laughable happening here.
Like cows wading in the water at rowing.
They've got beautiful beaches here but where did they put beach volleyball? At the equestrian facility with trucked-in second-rate sand. On the practice courts, the beach volleyballers had to keep their heads up for horses and the riders had to look out for stray volleyballs.
There were no showers or toilets operational at many venues early in the Games and some of the places athletes were asked to practise were mind-boggling.
Like the Canadian women's water polo team. Canada refused to practise in the place team leader Ahmed Al-Awadi called "a slimy pool without chlorine and water too dirty for our athletes.'' The U.S. taekwando team worked out at the athletes village disco rather than the downtown dojo, which one American athlete said "smells like a wet dog.'' There are dozens of these stories.
CASES OF SICKNESS
The number of cases of sickness has been staggering. The heat in the Dominican in August is unbearable.
Scoreboards have been on and off at several venues. They didn't work when Canada's in-line hockey team showed up to open competition Monday. The facility wasn't ready and the game was delayed for more than an hour while workers pounded nails into the plywood "boards'' of the rink, which turned out to be 109 feet long instead of 185. More nails were pounded into the plywood between periods.
Garbage, plastic bottles, plastic bags and other varieties of trash, and people wandering on the course and darting across the road in front of competitors like Canada's Clara Hughes. Teammate Jean-Francois Larouche was hit by a car which cut in front of him on a practice lap of the course.
There was the delay at gymnastics as judges refused to judge until they received their expense money. Yesterday, with officials from several sports threatening similar action, organizers put $1,040,000 in trust in a bank trust account to guarantee payments to all.
You can go on and on and on. Sorry, President Mejia, you haven't done it.
These have been a shame Games.
