Peter Norman and the 1968 Olympics

Apologies if this has been discussed already, but I can't be farked wading thru all the shit to check.



Parliement has been debating issuing an apology to the family of Peter Norman, the third man on the podium...

Norman's dignity at the time was sadly not match by the media and officials who persecuted him. Sadly Norman died a few years ago...a great Aussie.

Story

Amazing that it's taken this long. He was still officially a national disgrace during the 2000 Olympics.

The stuffed shirts at the AOC don't speak for anyone but themselves.

I don't think you needed to wade through any amount of shit to realise you were on a new thread, Zim.

Aye, it's good to hear. Quite stunning the way he was treated, by all accounts.

... the only moment of dignity in Parliament this week.

Well overdue apology for someone who dared to support the push for the removal of racism.

Good job sheethead.

Peter Norman, a very good man & an athlete who was hugely undervalued by the Australian public. His Australian record still stands, amazing.

And he looks just a smidgeon like Doug from 'The Hangover'.

Mick Sawyer wrote:Good job sheethead.

Peter Norman, a very good man & an athlete who was hugely undervalued by the Australian public. His Australian record still stands, amazing.

Amazing and more than just a little embarrassing.

JGK wrote:

Mick Sawyer wrote:Good job sheethead.

Peter Norman, a very good man & an athlete who was hugely undervalued by the Australian public. His Australian record still stands, amazing.

Amazing and more than just a little embarrassing.

I wonder what it it says about us; Dawn gets p1ssed, plays up, gets banned & everyone knows the story, Norman takes an extraordinarily brave stance, gets banned & is forgotten.

And the good judges thought he had a chance to win gold at Munich. He and Dawn Fraser seem to have paid a heavy price for falling foul of rigid officialdom.

Good to read, but why was he ignored in 2000 and why not apologise prior to 2006?

The AOC still refuse to apologise on the basis that he was never black banned and that they never had an issue with Norman.

Not sure why he didn't have a bigger role in 2000 but you can see why not - it was a controversial moment, recalling it and making a big deal out of it could have distracted from the actual games. I guess it still doesn't explain why he wasn't at least a guest for some of the events eg the 200m?! Happily, the US team did invite him to sit with them.

Carlos and Tommy Smith were his pall bearers; and Carlos still refers to Norman's Mum as his own Australian mother.

It's a shame if that's the only recognition he got.

I saw a (pre-Olympic) programme lately interviewing Tommie Smith. Didn't regret anything, though he pointed out it had not been a carefully planned protest. Someone had come up with the gloves just before the final, I think he said, and after considering it with his teammate, they won the race and decided to go for it.

He also pointed out that it was not meant as some militant declaration of war on white American society (which was the way it was represented in some of the media), but as a dignified, silent protest on behalf of those still without "a voice" in the USA.

PeterCS wrote:It's a shame if that's the only recognition he got.

I saw a (pre-Olympic) programme lately interviewing Tommie Smith. Didn't regret anything, though he pointed out it had not been a carefully planned protest. Someone had come up with the gloves just before the final, I think he said, and after considering it with his teammate, they won the race and decided to go for it.

He also pointed out that it was not meant as some militant declaration of war on white American society (which was the way it was represented in some of the media), but as a dignified, silent protest on behalf of those still without "a voice" in the USA.

yes - I think Norman actually had something to do with the gloves; and the clenched fists were a symbol of resilience and pride, not hatred

The bloke with the glove on his left hand forgot his gloves and Norman suggested he use the other guys spare

JGK wrote:The AOC still refuse to apologise on the basis that he was never black banned and that they never had an issue with Norman.

Not sure why he didn't have a bigger role in 2000 but you can see why not - it was a controversial moment, recalling it and making a big deal out of it could have distracted from the actual games. I guess it still doesn't explain why he wasn't at least a guest for some of the events eg the 200m?! Happily, the US team did invite him to sit with them.

Aye, credit where it's due and fair play to the Seppos for that.