BLADES OF GLORY
THE 2018 WINTER OLYMPICS in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and global diplomacy as demonstrated by current world leaders have a lot in common – nations jockeying for victory, around-the-clock media coverage and even some dope(s).
Case in point – all eyes are already on n Korea as U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lob verbal barbs across the ocean, possibly one Twitter spat away from allout nuclear war. In the meantime, North and South Korea, which have technically been at war for decades, are at press time pondering a deal to allow the North to compete in the games – a feat on the ice rink that they’ve been unable to attain on the global stage.
Russia, meanwhile, faces few re- percussions for interfering in global elections, but the International Olympic Committee is “Putin” their foot down by banning the country for systematic doping. And also not attending the Pyeongchang Games: NHL NH players, , who are barred from m playingaying playing foor for their coun- tries, igniting a fury not seen in some hockey fans since the Edmonton Oilers sold Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles.
Of course, geopolitical strife can cast a pall over an event that supposedly symbolizes inclusivity and unity (the 1936 Berlin Olympics, anyone?) though sports can get ugly, too. Take the film I, Tonya, about the Tonya HardingNancy Kerrigan 1994 leg-whacking controversy. The victim, Kerrigan, recovered enough to eventually win silver that year, but now the film that documents the 24-year-old Olympic scandal, named after Kerrigan’s nemesis, is expected to triple axel right into Oscar contention. Tonya Harding might land herself a gold (statuette), after all. Ain’t that a kick in the leg. —MC