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South African swimmer says 'monkey' remark was not racist

South African swimmer Roland Schoeman on Saturday admitted calling a noisy Indian spectator "monkey" but said his remark was not racist in nature.

Updated on: Oct 09, 2010 10:25 PM IST
Reuters | By , New Delhi
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South African swimmer Roland Schoeman on Saturday admitted calling a noisy Indian spectator "monkey" but said his remark was not racist in nature.

HT Image
HT Image

"It wasn't meant to be a racist remark -- in South Africa when someone calls you a monkey they mean hooligan," the Pretoria-born swimmer said after winning the 50 metre freestyle silver.

After Friday's semi-final at the Dr SP Mukherjee Aquatic Complex, Schoeman had criticised the behaviour of a spectator.

"You know it's an absolute disgrace. There's a guy in the stands just shouting, shouting, shouting. Someone like that needs to be ejected from this place," he said. It's unacceptable to be at a professional event like this and have the stand and have people going on like monkeys. That's not acceptable. Someone like that does not deserve to be here."

Schoeman said his remark was not a general comment on the crowd as a whole.

"The comment was aimed at only one individual who was acting like a hooligan," he said. The incident has prompted the organisers to monitor crowd behaviour at the venues.

"Volunteers at the spectators' gallery are also being advised to monitor the spectators' behaviour."

English archer Amy Oliver had earlier criticised an "unsporting" home crowd after her team lost to India in the final of the women's team recurve event on Friday.

"I was nervous, the crowd was not good. They were pretty loud and it was not good sportsmanship for archery," she said.

 
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Stay updated with the latest sports news, including latest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, where Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all the action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favourite football teams and players with the latest match results, and get the latest on international hockey tournaments and series.
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