Sixty-six-year old IOC president Jacques Rogge has presented the Grumpy Old Man view of the post-race celebrations of Jamaica's 100-meter and 200-meter gold-medal winner Usain Bolt. As the AP reported:
"I have no problem with him doing a show," Rogge said in an interview with three international news agency reporters. "I think he should show more respect for his competitors and shake hands, give a tap on the shoulder to the other ones immediately after the finish and not make gestures like the one he made in the 100 meters." Having built a huge lead in Saturday's 100 final, Bolt slowed, glanced around with arms outstretched and pounded his chest before crossing the finish line in a world record time of 9.69 seconds. "I understand the joy," Rogge said. "He might have interpreted that in another way, but the way it was perceived was 'catch me if you can.' You don't do that. But he'll learn. He's still a young man."
Well, for one thing, Bolt isn't as young as he was yesterday--he turns 22 today. (Happy birthday, my man!)...But to me, Bolt's celebrations (including his dances) were not out of bounds. He just seemed like an athete reveling in the moment. (Moreover, there was nothing vulgar in his display.)
You gotta wonder what Rogge would say about Chad Johnson...
But how do you feel? Do you agree with Rogge?
Tracy Burns
Danica Patrck
Championship Game Fans
BCS National Championship Game
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Bolt's performance was more impressive. In swimming, the records seem too easy to break. The records that Bolt set were considered untouchable. Bolt's performance was better by far!
AntRob1
Chicago , IL
Total Comments (1)
For showing off you get reprimanded. For cheating, silence.
TheWookiee
Lithonia , GA
Total Comments (3)
What a hipocrit .China trots out 12 and 13 year old girls and he has nothing to say .As soon as a black athlete celebrates winning gold without cheating, he runs to the press to bash him .This man needs to be replaced as head of the ioc.
Aldonjor
Dallas , TX
Total Comments (25)
Rogge has totally missed the positive impact of Bolt's presence in these games, which doesn't surprise me based on the fact that there was no need for Jacques to compete for his own job heading up the IOC. So obviously he doesn't truly understand the competitive mind of a real athlete. Many competitors and sports announcers alike have been commenting on the surprising camaraderie exhibited among these sprinters - which is unusual compared to the stare downs, intentional false starts, and trash talk that have plagued this event for so long. Being a former sprinter who competed at the international level I know this to be true. To a person, everyone agrees that the leadership to adopt this positive change in attitude among the competitors this year is attributed to Bolt's light-hearted playfulness. He is not only the best among them, they take their cues from him. These guys all like and respect each other and Bolt has brought about this change. Rogge, who represents one of the most corrupt organizations in the world should just shut his yap. He got to where he is because he was born into it - not because he earned it. You can't win gold medals and set new world records just by having a Dad that used to run the show - Bolt earned the right to celebrate his victory. Never once did he disparage those he competed against, he simply stated a fact: that he IS number one. And he had some fun with the fans while he was at it. There is no rule that states that a winner needs to be dour and serious. And everyone who has met Bolt really like him. And the crowd at the bird's nest seemed to feel the same way. Rogge needs to keep quiet. This has been the best thing to happen to track for a long time.
Objectivity
Total Comments (2)
Rogge needs to retire. A definite hypocrite...you reprimand someone for showing poor joy and gamesmanship yet you award the games to a country that has exhibited heinous human rights violations and parades 12/13yr gymnasts as 16yr olds...
BruceWayne
Boston , MA
Total Comments (6)
Rogge needs to retire. A definite hypocrite...you reprimand someone for showing poor joy and gamesmanship yet you award the games to a country that has exhibited heinous human rights violations and parades 12/13yr gymnasts as 16yr olds...
BruceWayne
Boston , MA
Total Comments (6)
I think Rogge is way off base here! Yes, you can criticize bolt for beginning to celebrate his victory in the 100m before the end of the race instead of giving all to the end, but to say his celebration disrected the other athletes is going way too far. He made no statements, signs or gestures that in anyway can be labeled as taunting or in your face...the guy was purely celebrating. If you look at how he conducted himself before and after races you get the sense that just how this guy is. Rogge needs to lay off this young man and let him and the world enjoy a remarkable moment.
yardee4830
Snellville , GA
Total Comments (1)
Rogge should focus his criticism on the obviously underage Chinese gymnasts and the suspect scoring of the same gymnasts. IMO, there's nothing wrong or disrespectful about Bolt's behaviour. In fact, I find his relaxed attitude and honest celebrations to be quite refreshing!
Mike Hinton
Saint Helena , CA
Total Comments (2)
He's worried about some celebrating? I am not a big fan of over the top, stupid antics by athletes or anyone else especially at the expense of others. I thought Bolt wasn't too bad. He hammed it up on camera, but seemed more humble when actually around the other sprinters.
Meanwhile, Rogge has consistently reminded us that the IOC stands by corruption in sports. I wish I could say he was the exception, but really, the IOC needs complete disbanding. They consistently play politics with the events they allow in the games and the ones they remove. The corruption amongst judges has become a comedic sideshow.
MJBAZ
Total Comments (41)
Rogge should focus his criticism on the obviously underage Chinese gymnasts and the suspect scoring of the same gymnasts. IMO, there's nothing wrong or disrespectful about Bolt's behaviour. In fact, I find his relaxed attitude and honest celebrations to be quite refreshing!
Mike Hinton
Saint Helena , CA
Total Comments (2)
Bolt's celebration may have been a little over the top, but hey, he just won a gold medal and broke a world record. I guess he has the right to be over the top.
But Rogge doesn't seem to be cocerned with giving the games to a country that has major human rights issues, pollution issues, spends $40 billion to impress the world while people in the country are starving, and doctoring passports to make 14 year girls look 16. I think the man needs to get his priorities straight.
longtime_yankee_fan
Raleigh , NC
Total Comments (3)
Bolts "celebration" after the 100m was too much but he seemed to tone it down for the 200m - good, he's learning. He set two very impressive records and that certainly is a momentous achievment but better than Phelps? Not even close....sorry all you Bolt supportters but Phelps did his in serveral different events including team events. When Bolt adds medals in hurdles relays and 400's to his repertoire I'll think about it.
arjay13
Bayport , NY
Total Comments (5)
Who should be respecting who...this is the fastest man to ever live...and he has the right to be excited about it... The old man needs to get over himself!
BlueVienna
Draper , UT
Total Comments (1)
Chief Jacques Rogge,
In the spirit of the Games I assume that the winner is the one that should be congratulated by the other competitors and not the other way around.
Usain is an exuberant young man. Nothing he did was disrespectful to the Games or his fellow competitors. He was just celebrating as any other 21 year old Jamaican would, we have a serious love for music & dance which is dated back to the days of slavery. He brought a tremendous spark to the Games which I think you should be grateful for after all the drug scandals that have tarnished previous Olympics Games.
You Mr. Rogge should concentrate on cleaning up the Games and getting the Americans, the only ones that had a problem with Usain???s celebration to stop using PED to outdo other fellow competitors.
Brendajamaica
Total Comments (2)
What do you expect from Rogge? After all he is just following in the footsteps of his predecessors Brundage and Samaranch. Both of those had a sweet spot for totalitarian regimes and weren't particular fond of liberty and freedom.
Hador
Total Comments (76)
Rogge is a joker.
If the other athletes didn't like the celebration. There's only one thing to do, come first next time.
Guys like Bolt work their tails off to get to where they are, I would be worried if he didn't celebrate the way he did after doing what he did. The only thing Bolt did wrong was he made it look to easy for these haters like Rogge. Keep celebrating Bolt, I know I would if I ran 9.69 in the hundred to take the Gold. And whomever says they wouldn't celebrate like Bolt under the circumstances is either lying to themselves or doesn't deserve to run for their country.
StGeorge
Total Comments (2)
Rogge is a joke,
If the other competitors didn't like Bolt's celebration, they should come in first so that they don't have to watch him celebrate.
Bolt's celebration was befitting of the occasion. Who can tell me with a straight face that they wouldn't celebrate winning the hundred in 9.69 for the Gold at the Olympics. I thought so, no one.
These guys work way way too hard to reach where they are. Keep on celebrating Bolt.
The haters like Rogge are just going to keep on hating. It's in peoples culture to celebrate when they have done something unique and special.
Rogge is a hater, instead of worrying about the Chinese obviously using pre-teens, and how these swimmers keep on breaking world records in every race, he decides to hate on the most watched race of the Olympics.
Rogge is a joke
StGeorge
Total Comments (2)
The host country and the largest country in the world can cheat, but an athlete from a small island can't celebrate his amazing victories?
Rogge is a hypocrite, weak and laughable.
ChinaSucks
Total Comments (247)
Let me add on...
The host country can cheat, lie for 10 years about the things it will do for the Olympics, can put a 77 & 78 year old elderly couple in jail for a year for filing to protest their losing their home for an Olympic garden, but Bolt, who broke two world records, a feat no one thought would be broken, can't celebrate even though these types of celebrations are common in T&F?
The IOC needs an overhaul, starting with its "fearless" leader.
ChinaSucks
Total Comments (247)
Rogge says nothing about US, Russia and Georgia breaking the Olympic truce , launching attacks Aug 7 and killing thousands while fake doves were flying in the opening ceremony.
Yet he tkes a break from shopping long enough to diss Jamaica, which is small but has always been the most exciting team at the Olympics. Doesn't it top the medals per population table too?
Rogge swaps vile commercialism and kow-towing to authoritarian regimes for true Olympic spirit, thats why he's the head of IOC.
tinka
Total Comments (61)
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