Sport: Dampening the Olympic Torch

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Another, and decidedly more controversial decision by the IOC involved U.S. Runners Vincent Matthews and Wayne Collett, both black. After capturing the gold and silver medals, respectively, in the 400-meter race, the pair stood together on the gold-medal winner's pedestal, slouching, talking, fidgeting and pointedly turning away from the U.S. flag while the national anthem was played. As they left the platform the crowd whistled and booed its disapproval. Matthews responded by twirling his medal with studied nonchalance, while Collett raised a clenched fist to the crowd in the Black Power salute. Their behavior recalled the deliberate Black Power salutes made by Medalists John Carlos and Tommie Smith in Mexico City in 1968. The irreverence of Matthews and Collett cost them—and the U.S.—dearly. Although both runners denied that they had had any particular protest in mind, the I.O.C. executive committee acted harshly; it termed their behavior "disgusting" and barred them from any future Olympic competition. That action in effect eliminated the U.S. team from the 1,600-meter relay, in which both were scheduled to run.

Although there was resentment among American athletes over the I.O.C. decisions, even more anger was directed against U.S. staff-level bungling of the kind that led to DeMont's disqualification and the failure of two top 100-meter dashmen, Rey Robinson and Eddie Hart, to get to their qualifying heats on time (TIME, Sept. 11). The disillusionment and dissension were most notable among U.S. track and field stars. Since the modern Olympiad began in 1896, Americans have won 13 of 17 100-meter dashes, twelve of 15 200-meter sprints and all but one pole vault contest. This year, they missed gold medals in every one of those events. Said Jackie Thompson of San Diego, 200-meter sprinter on the women's track team that performed disastrously (two bronzes in Munich v. three golds and a silver in Mexico City): "It's the coaches who aren't together. They don't know what they're doing or what's going on." Added Hammer Thrower George Frenn of San Fernando, Calif., "We ought to ask Congress to disband the U.S. Olympic Committee and start all over again."

Confiscated. Whatever the merit of the charges, no coach nor I.O.C. official was to blame for the travesty of justice that befell Pole Vaulter Bob Seagren, the handsome 1968 Gold Medalist from Monterey Park, Calif. Using a light, flexible (but regulation) new pole, Seagren set a new world record in the Olympic trials with a prodigious leap of 18 ft. 5¾ in. Throughout the qualification rounds in Munich he had to keep switching poles while the International Amateur Athletic Federation officials banned, unbanned and rebanned his pole. The I.A.A.F. was allegedly under pressure from East German vaulters, who felt that Seagren was capitalizing on a capitalist product. The night before the final, someone, presumably an I.A.A.F. official, entered Seagren's room while he was absent and confiscated eight poles, including several of the new ones that he had brought to Munich.