Following Australian sprinter Cathy Freeman's Gold
medal win in the women's 400-meter Monday night, the OTTAWA
SUN's Terry Jones writes, "How could you improve on the
Olympic moments of Cathy Freeman?" (OTTAWA SUN, 9/26). In
Milwaukee, Gary D'Amato writes on the atmosphere in Stadium
Australia during Freeman's run: "In 23 years of covering
sports, I have never heard, have never felt, anything like
it" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 9/26). In AZ, Dan Bickley
writes Monday night was a "night when sport was a powerful,
unifying force" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 9/26). One Australian
newspaper wrote of Freeman, "She had lit the cauldron in one
act of reconciliation. Last night we saw another such act"
(DETROIT FREE PRESS, 9/26). In N.Y., Jere Longman writes
Freeman "has managed the difficult balance of being an
exceedingly talented and popular athlete, as well as a
political symbol who has forced Australia to publicly face
the marginalizing of its Aboriginal people" (N.Y. TIMES,
9/26). In DC, Michael Wilbon writes that fans should
"celebrate a woman who, whether she knows it or not, has
conducted herself and achieved in a way that makes Games
like these absolutely Olympic" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/26).
MORE DAYS, LESS CONFUSED? IMG Founder & Chair Mark
McCormack "wants to add more sports, expand the TV coverage
and extend the duration" of the Olympic Games. McCormack:
"I very strongly believe it's got to go for three weeks and
eventually four weeks." Also, McCormack advised Olympians
"to cash in quick" on their Games success: "Unless you have
done something so remarkable, like Mark Spitz winning seven
gold medals ... I think it's very difficult to get great
commercial benefit from Olympic medals" (AFR, 9/26).
NOTES: U.S. women's pole vaulter and gold medal winner
Stacy Dragila, on the "babe quotient" around her sport: "If
it's just the sex thing bringing fans to our sport, that's
all right. They'll see it's a great sport. But I don't
want anyone stalking me or anything" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY
NEWS, 9/26)....U.S. men's basketball team member Ray Allen,
on criticism of the Dream Team: "I think it's a travesty if
anyone thinks we shouldn't be playing. The international
people want to see the NBA guys, just like anybody else.
And, like I said, a lot of guys we play against are grown
men. They've been around forever. If everybody can send
their best, why can't we?" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 9/26).
...AOC President John Coates, on a story suggesting that the
organization was asking athletes not to take pictures with
unofficial Games mascot "Fatso The Wombat": "We are not
banning Fatso. ... It is impossible to stop and we would
look stupid if we tried" (SYDNEY MORN. HERALD, 9/26).
