Sports, Politics and Protest with sports journalist and author Dave Zirin, Wednesday January 20, 2010, Maritime Labour Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

From vancouver.mediacoop.ca;

"Acclaimed Sports Illustrated and The Nation sportswriter Dave Zirin was in Vancouver from Jan 20-21 2010 to speak about activism, sports and the Olympics as part of a series entitled "Politics in the Ring."

Zirin talked about the idea of activist athletes, what they've fought for, and what they've opposed. From feminist uprisings against wearing corsets in tennis, to Muhammad Ali's activist conversion after his Olympic win, Zirin showed that sports has the power to extend beyond just spectacle.

Versed in the history of sports, Zirin was critical of the hypocritical stance the International Olympic Committee has taken on several issues over the past century."

I think he hits it on the head with "What will people say about us (Olympic resistance network), are we anti-sport? The IOC is anti-sport, The IOC is taking billions of dollars that is getting sucked away from physical education programmes in Vancouver and the surrounding areas, it is taking billions of dollars away from high school sports, so it in practice is preventing young people from playing sports, and it is sending a message that is some people, the olympians, get to play, and the rest of you get to watch. And that is about privileging sports, not reclaiming sports".

Anyways, watch the videos.

Labels: protest, vancouver