|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Lance Armstrong against France
Translation by fdelangre - 5:45 AM ET September 1, 2005 (#12328 of 12335) Forum : Wester Europe - NYT Lance armstrong against France here a French specialist on international affairs comments the political exploitation of the case : http://fr.news.yahoo.com/050901/295/4k9w2.html IRIS (Paris) - the revelations concerning doping with EPO of the American cycling champion ance Armstrong, seven times winner of the Tour def France, are agitating for now several days not only the sports world, sport, as one would have exepected it in such a case, but also, and that is more surprising, the polirical world. In blaming the French laboratories and media, Lance Armstrong suddenly revived the resentment between France and the United States appeared with the begining of the military operations in Iraq in spring 2003,. The American media, CNN and Fox News at fist, seized the case to point out the "clinical" animosity of the French towards the United States and the most famous of its champions. In a talk show of the most famous American TV broadcast in the world, that of Larry King, diffused in the whole world, Armstrong pointed the jealousy of Europeans, the French in particular, toward America and of its boys. This issue is also the occasion for the amateurs of "french-bashing" to start again their attacks. The blog website "f**kfrance.com" is delighted by the case, proposing new messages of insults as stupid as unbearable. The American champion would be thus victim of a plot fomented by the French authorities... From the "freedom fries" to the case " Lance against France ", the level frankly does not seem to have been raised higher. The "French alibi", so useful in the difficult moments (the war against Iraq, the accusations during the election campaign 2004, or the Newsweek scandal), made its great come back, and recalls thus, if that was necessary, that animosity toward France remains very deep in the American conservative media, ready to use the least occasion to make disappear all critics on their actions, and to focus the attention on their favourite enemy. The American media are the brightest proof of this trouble, which is not with their advantage. On a more sportive level (but is it about sport?), the accusations of Lance Armstrong against those who question his honesty are, if not founded, at least understandable from a sportsman on the defensive. On the other hand, the fact of wanting to attack France in a general way seems to be as ridiculous as unappropriate. Should it be recalled here that the other victorious American runner of the Tour de France, Greg Lemond, which had moreover was well known for having defeated in 1989 by eight seconds the French champion Laurent Fignon, is cherished by the French public, which never had any resentment against him. But, on the contrary with the champion of the 80's, Lance Armstrong recently declared to have some political ambitions. This case is thus not only the occasion for him to show his political opinions (he was seen with George W. Bush at Crawford), and to cut the sport links which seemed to link him with France, to join this category of political agitators who, on both sides of the Atlantic, disappoint much more than they gather, and poison the relations between Paris and Washington. One would undoubtedly have hoped better from a former sportsman. Barthélémy Courmont is a researcher of the IRIS (Institute of International and Strategic Research). He recently wrote "the wounded empire : Washington facing with asymmetry", Montreal, PUQ, 2005 and "America of Bush: stakes of a reelection", Paris, CVMag, 2005. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Lance Armstrong hates Plano Texas | explorer | Racing | 25 | August 3rd 04 02:18 AM |
Simeoni and Lance situation | Ronde Champ | Racing | 4 | July 24th 04 12:21 AM |
LANCE ARMSTRONG'S BID FOR COVETED SIXTH TOUR DE FRANCE FOILED | Richard Longwood | Racing | 6 | June 28th 04 03:06 AM |
Armstrong's Solicitors Visit Emma | B. Lafferty | Racing | 5 | June 19th 04 05:27 AM |
Wins in Grand Tours? | Isidor Gunsberg | Racing | 11 | July 31st 03 07:32 PM |