August 19, 2008 1:34 PM
On: Privacy and Sudanese Shoppers
I saw them immediately. There were five or six of them today, dressed in red, standing in the entrance to the YaShow Market. On the back of their jackets was one word: Sudan.The Sudanese track & field team is one of the squads that will certainly draw attention during these Olympics. There's the conflict in Darfur. The Chinese hand in their country. Plus, as the quasi-swoosh on their jackets indicated, they're sponsored by China's Li Ning.
There's plenty I'd like to sit down and talk to the Sudanese about. But there's also an ethical dilemma I've been facing here at the Games.
Athletes are everywhere in Beijing. They're on the streets, in the bars and, most especially, at the markets.
Naturally, when I see an athlete, I have this tendency to want to pull out my tape recorder and start the Q&A. But so far, I haven't. At the venues, there are infinite opportunities for media to ask questions. Outside of them, I feel like the athletes should be given the freedom and the space to actually enjoy the city without having to worry about yet another reporter. Privacy, at least here in Beijing, is fleeting.
As that Sudanese runner is reaching into his pocket to buy some faux-pearls, is it really the best time to start asking him anything, from his pre-race preparations to his reaction to Liu Xiang's decision not to run?
So I just walked past those Sudanese athletes today, questions unasked. Somebody else will have the chance for that Q&A, I guess.
[Photo at top of Mustafa Abbadi, president of the Sudanese Athletic Association, by CRIENGLISH.com.]
August 19, 2008
3:08 PM
mo writes:
The ironic thing is that while the world seeks to politicise the olympics over darfur it is widely
ignored that half the sudanese Olympic team is from Darfur.