Page 24 - Unlikely Stories 2

Asian Games

foreigner to do so. No Chinese present would want to publicize what
had happened, so it was up to Whiteman to handle his own citizen.
And what was this official but off-the-record version? Simply this:
one of the Chinese runners had eaten some tainted shellfish prior to
the race, and was seized by terrible cramps toward the middle of the
race. China did not want any bad publicity. So, according to Avery—
we were already on a first name basis; he’s quite a charmer when he
wants something—the Chinese had allowed that runner to bail out at
some point past the middle of the course without anyone noticing,
right where I was standing. It was that or have him collapse in the
street and become an object of scrutiny—along with the food being
served in the Olympic village. The stricken athlete had been treated at
a local hospital and sent home. After it was over, and Whiteman
began to wonder about the missing runner, the Chinese
representative had come to him with this explanation and the appeal
to hush it up. They counted on his long-standing desire to protect the
Games from any scandal. They knew their man. The Chinese took all
responsibility to keep the whole thing quiet. After all, it didn’t involve
any medalists, as it had in 1936; and no one was killed, as in 1972.
Avery only had to deal with me.
Despite my disbelief in what he was saying, I knew I had the
chance of a snowball in hell against the IOC and the Chinese
government. So I agreed that it was all for the best to forget about it
and move on with my life. I had an inkling of what would happen if I
pursued my inquiries, but kept those opinions to myself. After the
closing ceremonies, I packed my suitcase and came home. The real
choice, as I saw it, was either to accept that my mind had been
playing tricks on me or to find out the truth. So I started doing
research, looking for an explanation to fit my perceptions.
Yes, yes, I’m getting to the point. Just be patient. Here: I don’t
want to finish this bottle. You have it. It became clear to me from
this incident that sports, religion and politics are all driven by power,
real or imaginary. At the Olympic Games, it’s usually politicians
jostling with the athletes to be winners. That makes for enough
tension and conflict—but add religion, and it’s dynamite. You know
that drug testing is mandatory now, as it has become in professional
sports—yes, I know, the distinction between pro and amateur is a bit

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