Can Linford Christie be included in Olympic torch relay in London?
Posted by jenny3 on April 27th, 2008
On February 23rd, a Greater London Authority spokesman said that the former Britain sprinter Linford Christie was invited by mistake to carry the Beijing Olympic torch across London, and he will not be included.
Christie was the 1992 Olympic 100 meters, and he was the only Briton to win 100 meters gold medals at Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European Championship. But he was forbidden by the Games in 1999 because of the testing positive for the steroid. So as soon as the news that Christie will be included in the torch relay came out, it provoked a widely-spread controversy. The International Olympic Committee, the British Olympic Association (BOA) and opposition MPs all disagreed. Later, the statement said it had been a mistake, and an earlier statement from Christie said that Christie will not take part in the torch relay. However, the BOA also has banned him to access to the Olympic Villages or the trackside as a coach, either in Beijing or London in 2012.
I think for Linford Christie, he really can not be included in the Olympic torch relay. After all, the person who has the qualification to get involved in the torch relay must represent the spirit of the Olympic, and what Christie had done has violated this spirit. But I think he should not be forbidden to go to the Olympic as a coach. As a coach, he should have the right to the Olympic. If the BOA thinks he will have a bad effort on the athletes, why it allows him to become a coach.