A controversy-free Olympics

Or at least we hope so. With coverage of the Olympic games making regular detours into doping scandals, corrupt organisers and judges, and huge sums of money being paid by NBC for the right to deprive Americans of live coverage, we think Ireland is going to have an excellent time avoiding such issues while in the spotlight over the next few weeks as host of the Special Olympics. It already received a blessing from the only voice in international diplomacy that matters: Tom Friedman, Op-Ed Columnist for the New York Times. Friedman led off his most recent column approvingly reporting that:

An Irish businessman sent his private jet to Baghdad where it picked up eight Iraqi mentally handicapped athletes who wanted to take part in the Special Olympics, which open this week in Ireland.

The businessman in question is Irish mobile phone magnate, Denis O'Brien. Indeed, there's been a recurring theme that the general enthusiaism of the Irish people towards the games (even those without private jets) has outweighed the churlish attitude of the government. This was clearest when the government imposed a hysterical ban on athletes from SARS countries, which was in no way synchronised with its general policy towards travellers from those countries (let alone with what the World Health Organisation recommended they should do). But in the resulting barrage of domestic critcism, the policy has now been watered down to the point where few if any athletes will be affected. Among the many reasons that people seem so positive about the games is the Kennedy connection. Co-founder and JFK sister Eunice Shriver is in the Kennedy ancestral hometown of New Ross in Wexford, to be joined by her husband Sargent and son Tom later this weekend. Sadly, Al Hunt reports in his (subscription required) Wall Street Journal column that Sargent has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, although it must be said that he did pretty well to get to 87 before problems emerged.

Our favourite competitive sport in the games: Bocce!