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2012 Olympics belong to London: Fauja
Ninety-three-year-old marathon runner Fauja Singh has recently given London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games fresh legs.
Ninety-three-year-old marathon runner Fauja Singh has recently given London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games fresh legs.
He says that the British capital embodies the Olympic spirit above all the other contenders and he is one of many Asians who are rallying to support the Brit bid, despite the smart money being on Paris to win.
Singh may have now retired from competitive running, but he is nevertheless giving the campaign his full support. His trainer Harmander Singh is the trustee of an online campaign network, Sikhs in England, and is also adamant that the games should be held in Britain for the first time since 1948.
He thinks that London deserves to be the host and that it would be an insult to the Olympic spirit if the games went elsewhere; and by elsewhere, he means Paris.
So, why is he so against the games going to France? "I think we should be the hosts because London is a truly multicultural city and we are very lucky to live here with laws that protect our faith. This spirit of diversity which the Olympics reflects is not met by France where you are only French and not Muslim French or Sikh French or Jewish or whatever".
Harmander Singh is, of course, referring to the law passed in France last year that banned the wearing of any obvious religious insignia. Those insignia include Christian crosses, Islamic headscarves, Jewish skullcaps and Sikh turbans. And since the law was passed a number of Sikh boys have been sent home from school for wearing their turbans, not to mention a larger number of Muslim girls sent home for wearing their headscarves.
Fauja Singh himself refused to run in what would have been his final marathon last year in Berlin, because Germany has a similar law to that of France. As he says:"Even though I had a contract to run, it was more important for me to stand up for what I believe in and I won't run in a country where I can't proudly wear my turban".
Murad Qureshi, a member of London's governing body, also believes that France would be a bad idea: "Asians in Paris are now questioning their belonging there and it would not be a great environment to host this multicultural event."
The final decision on where the games will be held in 2012 will be announced this summer. Meanwhile Beijing, that bastion of human rights and multiculturalism, continues to prepare for its month in the sun in 2008.
