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Disgraced US Olympians |
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By Stephen Lendman |
| Six-time US Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ryan Loche’s claim about being
robbed at gunpoint in Rio with three of his teammates (Jack Conger, Gunnar
Bentz and Jimmy Feigen) was proved false by evidence showing he lied. Their behavior earned them gold medals in deceitfulness, dishonor and disgrace - another black mark against Olympism, this year especially tainted by the unprecedented banishment of Russian athletes deserving to participate, excluded solely for political reasons. Why I refused to watch a moment of the contests unfit to be called sport - Russia bashing this year’s featured event, many of its talented athletes deprived of their right to compete, shaming the entire Olympic movement more than already. On Thursday, Brazilian police chief Fernando Veloso said Roche lied about being robbed. The US Olympic Committee (USOC) acknowledged no robbery occurred. On August 14, video and eyewitness evidence showed the four swimmers vandalized a suburban Rio gas station. They broke down a locked bathroom door, smashed mirrors, damaged other fixtures and urinated on the premises. They paid for damage done and left in a taxi. According to police, “(t)here was no evidence of physical violence” or robbery as claimed. The athletes were clearly intoxicated at the time. Conger and Bentz were pulled off a flight before departing Rio for America. Roche left before a judge ordered passports of all four swimmers seized. It’s unlikely they’ll be charged with a crime. US pressure won’t let their Olympians be further disgraced. The USOC wants the whole ugly business forgotten - the kind of “American exceptionalism” tarnishing Olympism more than already. It reflects how “the indispensable nation” operates in all respects at home and abroad, forcing its will on humanity. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. |
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