Loving the Olympic losers

2004-08-25 10:38

Toronto - To the Olympic victors go the spoils, the gold medals and the lucrative shoe contracts, but no one remembers who came in last.

Until now.

A Canadian writer, web designer, snake breeder and self confessed "professional smartass" has dedicated himself to immortalising the gallant Athens loser in cyberspace, in a celebration of true Olympic spirit.

"I worry that we're adopting a patronising attitude towards last-place finishers, especially if they're from little countries," said Jonathan Crowe, 32.

The world is guilty of "patting them on the head for participating and not taking them seriously, even though most of us couldn't even come close to doing what they just did," he said.

Crowe, from Shawville, Quebec, who glorifies in the online name of mcwetboy, trawls through Olympic results for two hours a day pinpointing last-place finishers in each event.

His losers hall of fame is then posted on his web log or blog on the Internet (www.mcwetboy.net).

Those who do not finish their event are disqualified or exposed as drugs cheats are excluded: only true last place finishers need apply.

From Monday's competition, he lauded Greek triple-jumper Athanasia Perra who had the shortest best leap in the qualifying rounds of 13.19m.

"Greece seems determined not to let the most last-place finishes crown slip through its fingers. Results from Palestinian and Somalian competitors are rather distressing," the weblog notes.

Leading the last place finishers, as well as riding high in the medals table, is China, according to a list collated by Crowe. But Greece, Kyrgystan, Switzerland and Poland are close behind.

Crowe said he does not believe "last-place finishers are losers.

"They just happened to come in last. They aren't the worst, either, because there are millions if not billions of people who are even worse than they are - they're just not at the Games."

The site also celebrates the endeavour of gallant losers from Olympics past, including British 400m runner Derek Redmond who hobbled around the track supported by his father after tearing a hamstring at Barcelona 1992.

Special mention is reserved for A Baser Wasiqi of Afghanistan who trailed in last, an hour and half behind the previous finisher in the marathon at Atlanta in 1996.

Lest anyone should think Crowe's site is sniping at losers who might rather be left alone - its masthead has a message for those who would mock the afflicted : "Because they're there, and you're not."

- AFP