Finally...common ground for the Olympics

The build up to the Sochi Olympics has been a roller coaster ride. Last week, world leaders were still condemning Russia’s anti-gay laws that seem made to be broken. With the Sochi games approaching the final stretch, I have again been asked to provide advice to the local organizers, as I have for the Beijing, Vancouver and London Games among others.  The conference calls I have been on since last summer have had a very strong ideological bent. The anti-gay issue has been vilified universally by most of the free world and the preparations for demonstrations, boycotts and law enforcement responses have been the focus.

These games have President Putin’s name stamped all over them and it’s easy to see how his ego is speeding down the slopes.  He wants to make Sochi a welcoming city for travelers, easily reached from Turkey across the Black Sea.  It’s a picturesque town like many of the Winter Olympic venues have been. The skiing and snowboarding events will take place on a mountain that is about 50 miles from the city and a high-speed train track is being built at a speed that would make the transcontinental race across our country over a century ago feel like a tortoise derby. Mr. Putin wants to be the winner here. In Beijing, it was the country that had something to prove. Here it’s the leader’s show.

But over the weekend the effort has taken an important turn. At the cost of at least 30 deaths and countless others injured, two suicide bombers have narrowed the focus dramatically 400 miles from Sochi in the city formerly known as Stalingrad.  No group has stepped up to take responsibility.  There is no obvious reason that these two incidents have anything to do with Sochi. But there is definitely common ground between the western world and Russia when it comes to fighting Islamic terrorists. It’s going to be hard now to be welcoming to the world but, like London, law enforcement will be the key to the effort. It already requires a special pass to even enter the city and the venues are being tightly restricted at every level.

Mr. Putin has already spent a reported $48 billion on these games and, now, money will be no object to make every aspect of this event safe and sound.  Unless the objections come from outside agitators, I doubt the issue of sexual preference will be a stumbling block to make these games successful. As I have in past situations, I will counsel swift and thorough efforts to deal with problems. And just as importantly, transparency of all actions taken is essential to gain the confidence and respect of all those watching.

Each time these world games are held, my heart is with the athletes.  If only they could compete without the stress of politics, corporate maneuvering and the threat of terrorism.  These are games not wars. Here’s a wish for a safe, exciting and rewarding competition between the world’s best athletes.  They deserve it.

A true friend of man

South Africa has made an indelible impression on my life over the past 25 years.  I've written about it several times in this blog and given my reaction to the ground-breaking World Cup event that was held there in 2010.  Several times, Jane and I have been able to "live" there for extended periods of time since 1990. And I was working there when Nelson Mandela was elected president in 1994.

South Africans seem to view life from a high plateau.  They have a different set of values than most of us and their world revolves on a slightly slower axis.  Nelson Mandela was South African through and through.

I was fortunate to encounter the great man on a number of occasions. The first time is as clear to me today as when it happened.  In the movie “Invictus”, Matt Damon’s character is summoned to the Capital in Pretoria to meet the new president.  He pulls up in a dated automobile and enters through a grand set of doors.  When I was producing and promoting a solo yacht race around the world, we were the first international event to come to South Africa after Mandela’s election. Through our major sponsor, I received a similar invitation to come to the Capital and we drove in a slightly more upscale car to the very spot where Matt arrived in the movie.

The Jacaranda that Pretoria is known for were in full bloom.  The air was sweet with their aroma. When we entered the building, there was a definitive lack of hustle and bustle. We walked down a long hallway to the office of the minister of sport and talked for a while about the impact and global attention that our event would bring to Cape Town and the country. Midway in our meeting, the door opened and, without ceremony, Nelson Mandela entered the room.  He was dressed casually, wearing loafer-style shoes that looked like slippers.  We were introduced and he was told why we were there.

When I had the opportunity, I told him I was from Seattle and that I was president of the board of the Seattle Central Community College Foundation, because I knew he was acquainted with my good friend Charles Mitchell.  He said had been there to see Charles, who was president of the college at that time.

Our yacht race was a bit controversial down there because of the elitist reputation of big events like the America’s Cup.  I spent some time explaining  that our race was a “Corinthian” endeavor which anyone with the right skills could enter.  Some of our entrants sold their houses and cars to become a part of it and others saved their money for years just to compete.  He smiled and said “That is good.”

His presence was powerful and calming.  He spoke quietly and succinctly. When it was clear he was leaving, I realized that without my camera, I had no way of commemorating this extraordinary connection.  The entire meeting was very unceremonious.  But I couldn't resist so I opened my reporter’s notebook that I used to chronicle the meeting and asked him if he would autograph one of the pages for me.  His face lit up with that familiar big grin and he said, “You don’t want my signature.  I’m not special.  Ask the next person you see on the street to sign. It is those people who are important to this country.”  Wow! What else can I say.

He said he hoped to see me again and that someday we might meet in Seattle. We did have that meeting years later at Seattle Central Community College on a very heartwarming occasion that was all about children and education...two of his and my favorite subjects. And he convincingly said he remembered me.

Cape Town is such a beautiful and magical city. After the meeting, he cleared the way to make our event there successful, thanks primarily to the wonderful group of South Africans who made up our local committee.  They are great friends to this day and have taught me so much about their country that it feels like home.

Nelson Mandela is gone now.  We have lost a great leader.  I have lost a hero who gave me a new vision of what our world could be. His aura has influenced my approach to the problems faced by our society on so many occasions.  We have all changed a great deal since he was released from prison.  We’ll never be the same.  I just hope we can be better.  He wanted that desperately. I am so fortunate to have met him along the way.  I will never forget "Madiba".

Just what do you mean by that?

Misleading, misconstrued, untruthful. No matter what you call it, it wasn’t right. Former University of Washington head football coach Steve Sarkisian said, in his attempt to apologize for misleading comments about being interviewed for the head coaching position at USC, “Hindsight’s 20-20. I probably should have said it was an interview. Semantics are semantics. If I could do it all over again, I probably would have just said exactly what the conversation was that Pat (USC Athletic Director Hadon) and I had.”

First of all, if we’re being picky…and he was…it’s not “Semantics are semantics”. It’s “Semantics is semantics”. Semantics is about the meaning of words and, frankly it’s a dangerous business.  Ask Bill Clinton, OJ Simpson’s lawyer, Lance Armstrong, Britney Spears, Seattle's last mayor and any of a myriad other high profile individuals who have tried to worm their way out of misstatements or what some of us call lies.

I’ve spent my professional life in a world overrun with semantics. Saying what you mean seems sometimes to be very difficult for people. I tell my students that their communications should be simple, truthful, matter-of-fact and direct.  Daily communications are not creative exercises.  You want other people to understand very clearly what you’re saying. If you have to ask what someone means then they’re not telling you the whole story.

Sarkisian had an interview and told his players and others that he didn’t.  That’s not semantics.  It’s a lie. And “white” so he wouldn’t upset people or not, his hindsight was indeed 20-20.  He should have said that it was an interview for a new job. I think most adults could deal with that.

Many people have been credited with saying “The truth is overrated.” However, I believe it’s much easier to keep track of the truth than it is to remember what you said instead. I guess that’s enough of this short rant. Now I’ll go back to trying to say what my client doesn’t want to say without saying it.  My head hurts.