Team USA has chosen its flag bearer for Friday's Olympic opening ceremonies, and it's an athlete who's only been an American for 13 months.Lopez Lomong, a 1,500-meter runner who was born in Sudan but became an American citizen last year, will carry the stars and stripes into the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing. He was chosen after a vote of American team captains.
"It's more than a dream," Lomong said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I keep saying, I'm not sure if this is true or not true. I'm making the team and now I'm the first guy coming to the stadium and the whole world will be watching me carry the flag. There are no words to describe it."
Lomong was separated from his family in Sudan at age 6, lived in a refugee camp in Kenya, and came to America in 2001. His selection as the flag bearer is a powerful statement that, no matter how hard China may try to cover up the atrocities in Darfur, the people of Sudan must not be forgotten.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-07-2008 @ 12:19AM
jo said...
I read a book entitled "The lost boys of Sudan" and am familar with there story--very sad
I also saw this young man on Byrant Gummbels show--while this young mans story of survival truly inspired me, I cant help but wonder why he would partake in the games that will further fund the killing in his country.......
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10-18-2008 @ 7:52PM
Marie said...
He's living his dream as an American citizen, and has made all of us in the central New York region ... very, very proud.
Enjoy the moment, Lopez. We'll be cheering you on!!
God Bless.
8-09-2008 @ 3:38PM
Taylor said...
I think that this was beyond stupid. Other countries used their flagbearer positions to foster pride and celebrate achievement. In contrast, the USA used its flagbearer position in the Olympics to make a political statement that no one knew about or understood other than, possibly, the Chinese in whose country we were being hosted.
When are we going to stop squandering our clout and our resouces to fight the battles of the weak, while separating ourselves further from the superpowers who are able to kick our butts (or foreclose on our loans)? Korea...Vietnam...Rwanda....Iraq.....what has this gotten us other than disillusionment, debt and death?
We need to stop "making statements" and start minding our own store before we become one of the broke, defenseless countries we're trying to protect.
We need to
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8-10-2008 @ 5:14PM
jackie lamb said...
I think that chosing this young man to carry the US flag is minding our business. In a democracy we do try to help those who need help. We do stand up against oppressors. We value hard work and overcoming hardships. Remember, we are a nation of immigrants. I think Taylor's statement is shameful, and is an indication of what is narcissistic and worrisome in our society. "Me first" and to hell with the rest is not what we should aspire to. Hurrah for the Olympic captains. They have made me proud.