|
New around here? If so, subscribe to the RSS feed and follow on Twitter |
This just caught my eye on ESPN amidst all of the March Madness hoopla. This is likely the first and last time I’m writing a post relating to Swimming, but it sparked something inside me and I felt it warranted mentioning.
Apparently, they swim in Europe this time of year. Beyond this, swimming competitions are even organized. In the Netherlands. Oh, I’m just receiving word that this is done indoors and is thus more feasible. Scratch that… I once swam as well. I should know this.
So the stage is set: the European Swimming Championships are set. A dapper young Milorad Cavic of Serbia steps up on the podium to receive the gold for the 50 meter butterfly. He unveils a t-shirt that reads: “Kosovo is Serbia”
Hmmm…. touchy…
For those of you with your heads up your philistine asses, shit is going down again in the Balkans. Seeing as how they are terribly nationalistic and have a proclivity for killing each other, this public display is slightly problematic.
I’m not trying to take one side over another on this. I recognize Balkan relations are fragile and whatnot, but this incident really is a bit silly.
With the unveiling of his t-shirt, Cavic was banned from further competition at the event. The Serbian Swimming Federation was also fined $10,800.
I don’t get it.
It’s not like the kid was a shady looking character carrying some rocks while walking up and down the Kosovo border adorned in this garb. He’s a swimmer. In the Netherlands. Hell, he was born in ANAHEIM.
Cavic said that he was “devastated” by the outcome and was merely trying to send “positive energy” to his country. Fair enough, no?
Call off the hounds and reinstate the kid. This is totally harmless and they definitely made it a bigger deal than need be by taking such actions. Just let it go.
