U.S. Olympic athletes are being told it wouldn't be such a great idea.
American athletes have been warned not to wave the U.S. flag during their medal celebrations at this summer's Olympic Games in Athens, for fear of provoking crowd hostility and harming the country's already-battered public image.
The spectacle of victorious athletes grabbing a national flag and parading it around the stadium is a familiar part of international sporting competition, but U.S. Olympic officials have ordered their 550-strong team to exercise restraint and avoid any jingoistic behavior.
Washington Times article
The spectacle of victorious athletes grabbing a national flag and parading it around the stadium is a familiar part of international sporting competition, but U.S. Olympic officials have ordered their 550-strong team to exercise restraint and avoid any jingoistic behavior.
That ought to piss off some big mouth nationalists (like say, for instance, Oklahoma senator Jerk M. Inhofe), who get all puffed up and tough from the safety of their mainland seats. (Expect lots of rhetorical rubbish on your local sports boards.)
Come to think of it, I haven't seen many made in China plastic flags flying from car windows around here in quite a while either. Surely it's not because it isn't safe.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
