The Olympics

Reading Leah's blog about the winter olympics reminded me of something I've observed while watching the games this season.
I love the Olympics. I always look forward to them and think its fun to watch athletes show off their performances which they've been working towards almost their entire lives. It is entertainging and also inspiring to see them compete.
This year, like Leah I watched the mens figure skating competitions and was really entertained by some of the costumes. They are so theatrical and attention grabbing, and often add a lot to the performance. In particular, the Johnny Weir had some of the most attention grabbing costumes. Many of the men's skating costumes are feminine, and Wier's was over the top consisting of tassels and jewels. It was so highy ornamented and I really liked it. I think that's his style and he definitely flaunted it. It fit perfectly with his skating routing- dramatic, with lots of attitude.

While I expected he would get some criticism from olympic viewers, I was dissapointed to hear that he was strongly and inappropriately criticized by some Canadian sportscasters. While figure skating doesn't get much respect from many sports commentators, I would still expect an Olympian being one of the best in the world to be held in high regard by sports broadcasters.
During coverage of the men's figure skating competition last week, Mailhot, a sports broadcaster asked his co-host if he thought that Weir, who came in sixth, lost points because of his costume — a low-cut, pink-and-black outfit with ruffles — and his body language. His co-host replied that Weir was setting a "bad example" for other male skaters. "They'll think all the boys who skate will end up like him," he said.
The pair also wisecracked that Weir should undergo gender testing and should compete in women's events.
There is no reason or place for these comments in the olympics in the media, and it's dissapointing that the comments were heard by many fans. No one really knows if Weir is gay or not, and it doesn't matter. He's a well known hard working athlete that deserves to be judged soley on his efforts.

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