Torch, No Torch

convicted drug cheat linford christie is invited
then uninvited to run Olympic torch in London

Linford Christie who was banned by the British Olympics Association was invited by radical London Mayor Ken Livingstone to carry the Olympic Torch. This set off a firestorm of protest and outrage. The Mayor is no stranger to either.

What ban?

Linford Christie’s invitation has caused an uproar in the UK, and Olympic circles.

Christie, banned by the British Olympic Association after failing a drugs test, was invited by Mayor Ken Livingstone.

A Greater London Authority spokesperson denied the Mayor himself had taken the decision to contact Christie.

Ken Livingstone — radical mayor of London

Well now the London Mayor said the invitation was sent by mistake. Bullcrap. Christie will NOT carry the torch.

But Christie’s agent Sue Barrett told BBC Radio 5 Live that she had a letter signed by Livingstone inviting Christie to be one of 80 torch bearers.

‘I would be delighted if you would consider being one of our torch bearers, joining with us and up to 80 other well known personalities, who will each carry the torch for 250m.’

London’s Mayor is crack-pot, and I have no doubt that he did invite him. The “authorities” of course are ‘circling the wagons’.

Confusion now surrounds the issue with the GLA - which is organising the London leg of the torch relay - maintaining that Livingstone did not invite Christie.

“The decision to invite Linford Christie to be a torchbearer was not taken by the Mayor,” said a GLA spokesman.

“The Mayor only had the right to nominate five torchbearers and Christie was not one of them.”

Linford Christie Dropped After Pressure. Why did it take pressure?

Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, bowed to pressure from Olympic leaders yesterday by ditching Linford Christie, a convicted drug cheat, as a member of the official torch relay team in London during the build-up to the Beijing Games.

But there was confusion about who had invited the disgraced British sprinter after the Mayor’s office first denied that he had ever been asked and then blamed the fiasco on a “mistake” by unnamed officials.

Interesting. The Mayor removes him, after pressure; but he was not responsible for him being on there? Why didn’t the selection committee do that?

With a political storm brewing, the Greater London Authority (GLA) initially denied the story, citing “inaccurate” reports and denying that the Mayor had invited Christie, a 100m runner who won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. But within an hour, after Christie’s agent had distributed copies to the media of the November 15 invitation letter signed by Mr Livingstone, another statement had been released clarifying the position.

Busted!

Hypocrisy Abounds

Seems the BOA is unconcerned about Christie when it means money in their pockets. Typical politicians.

Under a BOA by-law he is banned from the Olympics both as an athlete and a coach.

But the BOA have regularly invited Christie — 100 metres champion in the 1992 Barcelona Games — to their annual Gold Ball attended by its president, the Princess Royal, and Lord Coe, chairman of the London 2012 Games.

It gets better.

Christie, who has always turned down the invitation, was also recently asked to help the BOA with other fund-raising activities in preparation for this year’s Beijing Games.

His pals insist the British body’s stance is hypocritical. One said: “On one hand they don’t want him to run with the Olympic flame but on the other they invite him to their events and want him to help raise funds.”

Yep, I agree.

More Coverage

• Christie torch relay role sparks uproar
• Proof of taking drugs should be point of no return
• Christie invited to Princess Anne Fund Raiser for Games
• Oh wait, no more invites for you — since we have been caught
• Boo-Hoo ‘give him a break’
• if he can’t run, he should not coach — maybe
• Drug convict? No prob, run the torch
• The PM says: not much

Tags: olympics, torch, london, linford christie, ken livingstone