No one censored her. Her opinions go against what the Olympic movement stands for and expect the participants in their games to stand for. What she did and said violated the Olympic values, so the Greek committee banned her.
That's one thing to whine about individual rights, but there's no fundamental right to participate in the Olympics. The event and its organizers stand for certain basic values and they promote them (and to make it clear, those values don't exactly include xenophobia and racism). They're perfectly within their right to ask of those wishing to participate to their event to adhere to those values and rules or else abstain competing in olympic events. It's not like athletes don't know what the Olynpic movement stands for and ask them to stand for.
Freedom of expression doesn't extend to facing no consequence whatsoever for the opinions you expressed and how you did it. One might well have the right to publish articles demeaning, say, to feminist groups, but you just don't go complaining if one of them one day invoke this to refuse you a job. Try getting a job with a catholic organization if you're publicly a pro- aborption militant. One might have the right to express xenophobic views, but that person shouldn't expect an international organization that officially promote the opposite values to welcome her at one of their events with open arms... or that Greece where there's a highly xenophobic party that attracted a lot of bad international attention last spring would be too keen to risk an international scandal by letting a woman who makes xenophic jokes on Twitter represent her.
That's one thing to whine about individual rights, but there's no fundamental right to participate in the Olympics. The event and its organizers stand for certain basic values and they promote them (and to make it clear, those values don't exactly include xenophobia and racism). They're perfectly within their right to ask of those wishing to participate to their event to adhere to those values and rules or else abstain competing in olympic events. It's not like athletes don't know what the Olynpic movement stands for and ask them to stand for.
Freedom of expression doesn't extend to facing no consequence whatsoever for the opinions you expressed and how you did it. One might well have the right to publish articles demeaning, say, to feminist groups, but you just don't go complaining if one of them one day invoke this to refuse you a job. Try getting a job with a catholic organization if you're publicly a pro- aborption militant. One might have the right to express xenophobic views, but that person shouldn't expect an international organization that officially promote the opposite values to welcome her at one of their events with open arms... or that Greece where there's a highly xenophobic party that attracted a lot of bad international attention last spring would be too keen to risk an international scandal by letting a woman who makes xenophic jokes on Twitter represent her.
Am I the only one who thinks Voula Papachristou should not have been kicked out of the Olympics?
- 25/07/2012 10:55:19 PM
1447 Views
Being on a country's Olympic team is a privilege, not a right
- 25/07/2012 11:00:24 PM
911 Views
So banning blacks would be cool if it was legal in that country?
- 25/07/2012 11:08:52 PM
1055 Views
The IOC can ban nations from participating for that sort of stunt.
- 25/07/2012 11:33:23 PM
1085 Views
If Hitler could let Jesse Owens run...
- 25/07/2012 11:07:19 PM
1127 Views
Yes. Political power should not be used to enforce morals.
- 25/07/2012 11:53:19 PM
857 Views
The national Olympic Committees aren't the government.
- 26/07/2012 12:02:43 AM
843 Views
Even worse.
- 26/07/2012 12:08:05 AM
898 Views
Erm
- 26/07/2012 12:29:32 AM
931 Views
I fail to see how the whole team would be thrown out.
- 26/07/2012 12:41:16 AM
922 Views
Because the IOC throws them out if the national government interferes in the national committe. *NM*
- 26/07/2012 12:43:39 AM
491 Views
Africans != illegals
- 25/07/2012 11:19:32 PM
966 Views
Specious reasoning.
- 26/07/2012 12:07:08 AM
828 Views
Who are you to decide that?
- 26/07/2012 12:16:45 AM
992 Views
I'm not the one deciding.
- 26/07/2012 12:36:17 AM
832 Views
You stated it as a fact.
- 26/07/2012 07:49:58 PM
879 Views
Well, it is a fact that a north African could never become ethnically Greek.
- 29/07/2012 03:27:50 AM
1000 Views
I think any organisation should have the right to choose who represents them
- 25/07/2012 11:20:36 PM
901 Views
Well, but that's not the end of it.
- 26/07/2012 12:12:09 AM
967 Views
It is for me
- 26/07/2012 12:26:25 AM
885 Views
So...conformity ahead? *NM*
- 26/07/2012 12:40:03 AM
426 Views
Athletes taking responsibility for their own actions, if that is what you mean.
- 26/07/2012 12:44:56 AM
1037 Views
Is that all that happened?
- 25/07/2012 11:28:17 PM
845 Views
For me it is more than enough
- 26/07/2012 12:32:35 AM
815 Views
I thought the original ideals of the Olympics were to honor Zeus. *NM*
- 26/07/2012 12:38:32 AM
545 Views
I view the long dead Greek Olympics as seperate, despite the shared name, from the modern Olympics *NM*
- 26/07/2012 12:42:18 AM
446 Views
Difficult question - if you ask me, the key point is a question of authority.
- 25/07/2012 11:40:39 PM
945 Views
Well it seems a bit of an over-reaction, and I doubt the purity of motives of those doing it, but...
- 26/07/2012 01:49:35 AM
822 Views
Re: Am I the only one who thinks Voula Papachristou should not have been kicked out of the Olympics?
- 26/07/2012 11:14:39 AM
1274 Views
I'm going to boycott by turning off the Olympics and watching Michelle Jenneke nonstop instead. *NM*
- 26/07/2012 09:02:59 PM
495 Views
I oppose censorship even if it is not comng from the government
- 26/07/2012 10:16:30 PM
886 Views
How is it censorship?
- 27/07/2012 02:33:30 AM
992 Views
try looking up the word censorship and ask yourself would their actions supress speech
- 27/07/2012 02:59:11 AM
1106 Views
I know the definition thank you. How exactly was her communication suppressed?
- 27/07/2012 05:54:39 PM
1008 Views
you are right public punishment of political expression could never been seen as suppression
- 27/07/2012 06:20:15 PM
1120 Views
Well
- 27/07/2012 07:20:27 PM
889 Views
Where did she ever imply she wanted them to be bitten? *NM*
- 27/07/2012 08:03:05 PM
509 Views
Hello earth.... "food from home".
- 27/07/2012 08:26:15 PM
850 Views
OK I repeat my question: Where did she she WANTED them to be bit?
- 30/07/2012 09:07:01 PM
1170 Views
Um, she referred to them as food?
- 27/07/2012 08:38:22 PM
925 Views
No what is silly is inferring that she hoped they would be bitten *NM*
- 30/07/2012 09:09:18 PM
564 Views
No what is silly is inferring that she hoped they would be bitten *NM*
- 30/07/2012 09:09:27 PM
475 Views
I'm with you on this - I don't think she wanted them to be bitten.
- 27/07/2012 09:02:05 PM
925 Views
Re: I'm with you on this - I don't think she wanted them to be bitten.
- 27/07/2012 09:32:56 PM
980 Views
Do you have to go to special schools to learn how to read that much into dumb jokes?
- 30/07/2012 09:57:21 PM
1007 Views
Re: you are right public punishment of political expression could never been seen as suppression
- 27/07/2012 08:30:26 PM
869 Views
One problem.
- 27/07/2012 04:54:52 AM
885 Views
Exactly
- 27/07/2012 12:05:14 PM
888 Views
where do you people get these backasswards idea of what censorship is? PCmart?
- 27/07/2012 02:01:29 PM
953 Views
We can have this conversation w/o you being mean.
- 27/07/2012 02:57:02 PM
928 Views
I never claimed I was against repercussions and people here are denying it is censorship
- 27/07/2012 04:18:54 PM
992 Views
Re: I never claimed I was against repercussions and people here are denying it is censorship
- 27/07/2012 05:01:37 PM
910 Views
Re: I never claimed I was against repercussions and people here are denying it is censorship
- 27/07/2012 06:23:17 PM
847 Views
sorry I forgot the Olympic spirit was about banning athletes for dumb jokes they apologized for
- 27/07/2012 08:30:08 PM
825 Views
You're really not going to make sense of this if you keep mashing everything together.
- 27/07/2012 08:59:35 PM
847 Views
Re: You're really not going to make sense of this if you keep mashing everything together.
- 27/07/2012 09:18:08 PM
929 Views
I know who did the banning but the whole organization seems to infested with a certain flavor of PC
- 30/07/2012 10:11:26 PM
1001 Views
Re: sorry I forgot the Olympic spirit was about banning athletes for dumb jokes they apologized for
- 27/07/2012 09:01:07 PM
847 Views
I know you said it but do you actually believe it?
- 27/07/2012 01:56:35 PM
892 Views
It's a good question, but yes, I do.
- 27/07/2012 02:42:28 PM
916 Views
Are going to ban everyone and everyone country who says something about anyone else?
- 27/07/2012 04:47:51 PM
825 Views
i have a feeling you are being influenced by that pic they run with all the articles about her?
- 27/07/2012 02:14:13 PM
884 Views
- 27/07/2012 02:14:13 PM
884 Views
Surely you don't think...
- 27/07/2012 02:57:47 PM
788 Views
I can honestly say I would not care as much if she were a man and/or ugly
- 29/07/2012 03:29:47 AM
982 Views
And now the next incident... this time about an athlete's partner, not the athlete herself.
- 03/08/2012 09:47:27 PM
983 Views

