What is the IOCs Problem With The Kangaroo?

[deja vu]

AUSTRALIA'S Winter Olympics team was last night continuing to channel the fighting spirit of the boxing kangaroo and defying a verbal International Olympic Committee request to remove a huge version of the iconic flag from the athletes' village in Vancouver.

''The flag is still up, and we don't intend to take it down until we get an official letter from the IOC telling us to do so,'' Australian Olympic Committee spokesman Mike Tancred declared yesterday to smh.com.au.


http://www.smh.com.au/sport/flying-the- ... -nimr.html

The IOC believed the flag represented an inappropriate commercial trademark,

?????? Not advertising a product of any kind. Guess the IOC is clueless about the fact all know the Kangaroo is from Australia, so what is the big deal? Will the IOC ask the Condo owners next to the village to remove their Canadian flags? TV news said the protest has gone world wide and the IOC has zero support on this issue. Vancouver has a lot of Aussies living there full time and they took over a downtown bridge to protest and Canadians are overwhelmingly supporting the Aussies.

With the crap the IOC pulled in China they should find an issue that is important, not attack a flag with a boxing kangaroo on it.

[alohasand]

Two issues are visible in the picture-1-the banner hangs over 4 balcony units and actually encroaches on 2 more at the bottom>encroachment of other units' space is mostly like the reason, even if the occupants are all Australians. Apartments and dormitories usually have rules that your unit's activities cannot encroach on another unit's space/light/outdoor area. 2-the bottom of the banner is not anchored-wouldn't want to be there when bad winds or weather strike.

[deja vu]

The flag is hanging at the Olympic Village and according to TV news the Aussies do have the rooms that the flag covers. IOC is using the excuse that it is a commercial banner but it is clearly not advertising a product. If it was for an Aussie beer or food then I can see the issue but it is just a symbol that the world recognizes as Australian.

The news also reported all at the village like it. The IOC should be concerning themselves with important issues. A boxing kangaroo flag is definately not an important issue.

Apparently there is no rule at the village about it, the only rule the IOC seems to have is one that covers commercial banners. The IOC has an issue where there should be none. Let the games be fun and free, unlike China where free speech, press freedom and human rights were ignored. Those are real issues, not a boxing kangaroo flag that is a hit with everyone.

[deja vu]

Vancouver mayor backs Aussies flying boxing-kangaroo flag on athletes' condo. Surrey mayor also offers to fly flag if it's ordered removed. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson has come out in support of the Australian team at the centre of a flag flap with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The Australian Olympic team has vowed to defy a verbal order from the IOC to remove its cheeky boxing-kangaroo flag from the front of their athletes' condominium in downtown Vancouver. Mayor Gregor Robertson said Friday he wants the banner to continue to fly in Vancouver, and if the Aussies have to take it down at the athletes' village, he pledged to find somewhere else for it. Vancouver Olympic CEO John Furlong said the IOC is looking into the matter and no decision has been made. He said local organizers are awaiting that decision before taking action.


http://www.theprovince.com/sports/2010w ... story.html


It looks like the IOC really picked the wrong battle. The Swiss and Israelis have hung flags on the balconies of their Olympic Village rooms to show support for the Aussies.

I would bet that VANOC pushed this issue and asked the IOC to order it's removal. VANOC has not learned it's lesson after so many wrong decisions. Canadians pick their international issues carefully (sometimes too carefully), and this is one issue the country has embraced. Can't keep a good flag
down, eh?

[guitarblues]

Hope to see this energy used in the events. At least the athletes can take the flag down when they go home. They had the Green Games in 2000--or did they forget? No littering.

[deja vu]

Australia’s boxing kangaroo won a TKO over the International Olympic Committee Sunday after the IOC’s executive board agreed to let the unofficial flag of the Australian Olympic Committee hang from a balcony at the Vancouver athletes’ village. But in future, the Australian Olympic Committee, which owns the trademarked yellow ’roo with red boxing gloves, will have to register the flag with the IOC if it wants to use it at the Olympics.

The flag flap, as it has come to be known, became a mini-scandal last week when IOC officials told the Australians to remove a two-storey tall flag from an eighth-floor balcony.


http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2010 ... story.html


The IOC thought they would cooperate and that would be the end of it. They really had no choice but to cave, or risk looking like a bully. Guess they didn't count on the public backing the Aussies.

[Smitty]

Interesting thing is that the Aussies won this won especially when so much is a no-no to just one way to go to more red tape ways when it comes the the Olympics.

Surprised that no other countries with many competitors in the dorms did not choose something of their country or mind.

[burnt fare]

The bad public relations over visiting athletes' flag probably swung in their (Australians') favor. The committees don't want to be singled out for spoiling the fun and spirit of the event. If the athletes have t-shirts to trade, we'll likely see them at the closing ceremonies.