The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games being held in London had still to take place and already the event was stirring controversy – the first because of a mistake by the organisers and the second because of comments made by US Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.
In the first instance, the South Korean national flag was displayed alongside the North Korean women’s football team on Wednesday, the day the football competition started (the football competition starts two days before the official opening).
In the second incident, Romney on Thursday questioned whether Britain was prepared for the Olympic Games, triggering a negative response that threatened to undermine his first international tour as the man who could replace Democratic President Barack Obama, apart from raising questions about his diplomatic skills.
Response from Britain did not take long to arrive, with British Prime Minister David Cameron saying that the country was “ready to deliver” while London mayor Boris Johnson was even more vociferous when he addressed tens of thousands in Hyde Park on Thursday, during a party held on the eve of the opening ceremony.
The flag dispute was described as an “honest mistake” by Cameron, and we have no reason to believe otherwise. But this incident exposed two things – that no matter what preparations are made, mistakes are bound to happen and, secondly, that politics unfortunately can override the fraternal elements that sport is known to sustain.
With North Korea still technically at war with its southern counterparts, the flag incident was deemed as an insult by the reclusive nation. Other countries would have reacted differently in the same circumstances; many would have laughed it off. But North Korea did not, and the match started an hour late because the team did not want to play the game.
The organisers should be more careful to avoid a repetition of this and other mistakes that could cause diplomatic rifts.
And Romney should have been more careful in his choice of words. He should have steered clear from making comments like he did on the eve of the manifestation.
He may have ended up straining his own relationship with the British – and embarrassing them – by questioning whether the country could host a flawless Olympics after years of preparation.
Shortly after arriving in London on Thursday, Romney told NBC News that it was unclear whether issues that have dogged the final preparations could be overcome, saying: “It’s hard to know just how well it will turn out.” By the next morning, Cameron was standing outside Olympic Park responding to questions about Romney’s comments.
“We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world. Of course it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere,” Cameron added. His aides said that was not intended as a jibe at Romney or Salt Lake City. But that didn’t stop people on the Internet and elsewhere from suggesting it was.
As criticism of Romney’s comments mounted, he suggested it’s impossible for any Olympic Games to go off without a hitch. That is why he should have refrained from making his initial comment in the first place.