Olympic Spirits

Sport is interesting to me largely because of how it crystallizes the best and the worst of human behavior. In this week of Quailgate, Washington corruption, and strife in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Olympics have delivered both. Thursday saw the Torino Games' first doping-related disqualification, of the Russian biathlete Olga Pyleva. She has been stripped of the silver medal she won earlier in the week. The Russians had been burned so badly at Salt Lake City - a bevy of skier DQ'ed and multiple medals lost - that it's kind of surprising that they would screw up so badly again.

More happily, the Olympic spirit is still alive and well in the form of Bjoernar Haakensmoen. A Norwegian cross-country skiing coach, he followed that sport's unwritten rule by giving Canadian Sara Renner a new pole when hers snapped midway through the team sprint event on Tuesday. Renner was able to stay in the race and win the silver medal; the Norwegian women finished in fourth, out of the medals. Haakensmoen said later, "Some countries don't give poles to their opposition. That is bullshit. Our policy in Norway is that we should give poles or skis to everyone. We talked about it at our team meeting the night before. We are a country which believes in fair play. I like to be somebody of fair sportsmanship." With an attitude like that, Haakensmoen is rightfully the toast of Canada. A silly ski race in northern Italy isn't that important, but it's wonderful to see something good and fair and decent happen there anyhow.