peter norman deserved better

I've never been a great fan of the Olympic Games, but I take an interest in the fortunes of Australians who compete. And so I can remember the silver medal won by Peter Norman in the 200m sprint in the 1968 games. And of course I can remember the "scandal" of him standing on the dias with two black American athletes giving what was said to be a black power salute. But I didn't know the rest of the story until now.

Photo from Wikipedia

Norman died two years ago, and the two black athletes in the picture, Tommy Smith and John Carlos, flew to Australia to be pall bearers. Why? The story has now become public with the release this year of the award-winning film "Salute", made by Norman's nephew Matt Norman.

Before the games, Norman was not expected to earn a medal, but he qualified for the final in world record time, and followed this up with a run half a second faster than his previous best to win silver. Amazingly, it is still, thirty years later, the fastest 200m time by an Australian, and would have been fast enough to win gold at many subsequent Olympics. So Norman proved to be a wonderful athlete.

But Norman proved to be more than that. The two US runners told Norman before the presentation that they were going to protest against racism in the US, and Norman offered to support them by wearing a badge for the "Olympic Project for Human Rights". Then when Carlos realised he had forgotten his black gloves, it was Norman who suggested they wear one each (thus explaining what had always puzzled me, why the two Americans raised different hands!).

Smith and Carlos were sent home, and Norman, who also expressed public criticism of the then "White Australia Policy", was disciplined. But worse followed, when Norman, still 5th fastest in the world four years later, was not even picked in the Australian team for the 1972 Olympics, and he dropped out of athletics and public view. The Australian Olympics Committee has often been accused of being hidebound and out-of-touch, and this appears to be an example.

When the 2000 Olympics were held in Sydney, Norman was the only surviving Aussie Olympian not to be invited to participate in a lap of honour. But Norman was something of a hero to black US athletes, who did not expect a white man from another country to support them, and champions such as Ed Moses and Michael Johnson welcomed Norman to their quarters.

Photo taken from Youtube.

Smith and Carlos had remained in contact with Norman over the years and appeared in the movie. And so it was that they were keen to attend his funeral and act as pall-bearers, as a last opportunity to express their respect for Norman.

Norman's stand, and the price he ultimately paid for it, were not a surprise to those who knew him. He was a committed christian with a Salvation Army background, and had a strong belief in equality and human rights.

Norman was a fine sportsman, a good bloke, he supported the underdog, clashed with the authorities and stuck to his beliefs. This should qualify him as a genuine Aussie "hero".

Read media reports about Norman in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age (which includes a photo of Smith and Carlos carrying Norman's coffin) and BBC News, and a review of the film.

it's just not cricket?

Photo: Morguefile. The Australian team at a Sydney match in happier times.

Cricket has been one of Australia's most popular summer sports for more than a century. It is supposed to be a polite game, played in the spirit of English gentlemen, but over the years it has had its share of controversies.

It began as a pastime for gentlemen, who played for fun and honour, not money, but money and gambling have long been part of cricket. And in the past few decades, it has become increasingly professional. Although players cannot earn nearly as much as professional golfers and tennis players, cricket provides a good income for the select few, and in many countries an escape from poverty.

Unfortunately, with increasing professionalism has come a deterioration in behaviour. Sledging (abusing the opponent, often in an attempt to gain a psychological advantage - I think sometimes called "trash talking" in the US) has become common, and the occasional source of confrontation between players.

For the past decade or more, Australia's cricket team has been pretty much the best in the world - and pretty much the worst at sledging.

It's no surprise therefore that things came to a head in the recent match in Sydney against India, a side not far behind Australia in ability and with a bit of form in sledging. Some poor umpiring decisions, some sledging by both sides, a close result (Australia won a five day match in the last 10 minutes) and some bad sportsmanship almost led to India cancelling the rest of the tour.

Interestingly, and perhaps surprisingly, the Australian sporting public seemed to agree with the Indians that the Aussie team had lost its way and had developed an unsportsmanlike culture.

Defence of the team, by some noted former players and the team captain was based on the concept that Australia play it hard but fair, and there was nothing to criticise in that. But critics feel that the team has failed to see the difference between playing hard and being unpleasant. The first is in the spirit of cricket, but the second is not.

Competitiveness, abuse, bending the rules (including illegal drug-taking) and ego are all unfortunate parts of modern sport, but most Australians feel that cricket should rise above most of this. If the players can't help succumbing, probably the rules will have to be amended to legislate a better standard of personal behaviour - a pity, but better than the alternative.

Is the world of 2008 a better place than the world of 1958? Hard to say, but it's doubtful that the world of sport is better mannered. And it seems likely that the stars' bad behaviour rubs off on the kids who are such avid fans.

Read about the cricket "crisis" from respected journalist and former English county captain Peter Roebuck, plus previous columns on the bad taste left by the match and his calls for the Australian captain to be sacked.