Brazilian fans are being "asked to behave themselves after the French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie reacted furiously to the partisan treatment he received during Monday night’s tussle with Thiago Braz da Silva," according to the PA. The 22-year-old Brazilian beat the defending champion "in a thrilling contest but it was marred by large sections of the Olympic Stadium crowd booing Lavillenie’s attempts." The "hostile atmosphere clearly unsettled the Frenchman," who likened his treatment "to the reception America's black sprinter Jesse Owens received at the notorious 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany." Lavillenie apologized but "repeated his belief that booing rivals was unacceptable at the Olympics." He said, "If you get no respect in the Olympics, where can you get respect?" Rio 2016 spokesperson Mario Andrada said, "As an organizing committee and as a citizen of Brazil and a sports fan, we don’t think booing is the right attitude, even when you’re in one-to-one competition with a young Brazilian who has a chance to be the champion." The IOC has "largely avoided saying anything critical" about Rio, Rio 2016's organizers or Brazilian fans, but IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said that Olympic chiefs would prefer it if "the passion is channeled in a good way" (PA, 8/16). The AFP reported IOC President Thomas Bach slammed the behavior as "shocking." Bach said on Twitter that it was "shocking behaviour for the crowd to boo Renaud Lavillenie on the medal podium. Unacceptable behaviour at the Olympic Games" (AFP, 8/17).
