Olympians turned politicians.

[mrbowie]

Re: Olympians turned politicians.

Here is a confession I am not particularly proud of: I can stomach and even like a right-wing politician if he ran track! I can still respect him. Not so of just ordinary right wingers. Don't report me!

[mrbowie]

Re: Olympians turned politicians.

What are you talking about--Alan Cranston was a liberal democrat.

It was pretty painful to watch him sprint, though, I must tell you. I liked him better as a pol than a dashman--that is, of course, before he was exposed as a thief in the saviings and loan scandal.

[R. Karlgaard]

Re: Olympians turned politicians.

Ron Clarke is mayor of the Gold Coast in Oz-land.

[lefterisp]

Re: Olympians turned politicians.

Some Greek Olympians:

Papageorgopoulos Vassilios: Minister of Sposts (in the 90s)
Koukodimos Kostantinos: Secretary of Sports (currently)
Verouli Anna: Deputy mayor of Iraklion, Athens
Bakogianni Niki: Member of the Parliament

[Whitman]

Re: Olympians turned politicians.

I think Chi Cheng was/is a member of Taiwan's
parliament.

[dj]

Re: Olympians turned politicians.

Sir Arthur Porritt was appointed Governor General of New Zealand in 1967. He was the bronze medalist at 100m in 1924.

Lord Burghley became Governor of Bermuda in the fall of 1943, a major position as Bermuda and the Azores were the two principal British naval outposts in the Atlantic. He was 400H gold medalist in '28 and 4th in '32, as well as 5th in '32 110H and 2nd in the '32 4x4.

[El Toro]

Re: Olympians turned politicians.

GH, calling an Australian State Governor a politician is somewhat misleading in that they are nothing like a US Governor. They are a vice-regal appointment ie the local representative of the Queen of Australia, otherwise known as QEII.

This means that they are above politics in the day to day headkicking sense but are part of the political process. They give royal assent to all bills passed by State parliaments and appoint ministers all pretty much a rubber stamp. They do,however, also hold "reserve powers" to sack a government amongst other things. The joy of reserve powers is that they are not actually codified and potentially have no limit other than by convention. Pretty good, huh?

Having said that, if the non-political, political position of governor is to be included, then a far better credentialled Olympian than John Landy is currently Governor of South Australian - Marjorie Jackson.

Another ex-athlete, but not Olympian, was Don Chipp the founder of the Australian Democrats, which, again, is nothing like the US version. Don was twice runner up in the Stawell Gift off a short handicap. Most runners who achieved this would have been of a standard to make Olympic teams if not for the shamateurism imposed by the IOC.

[noone]

Re: Olympians turned politicians.

Liese Prokop, star pentathlete ('67 WUG gold, '68 OG silver, '69 EC gold and WR holder) has just been named Minister of the Interior in the Austrian federal cabinet, making her one of the country's most important politicians.

[wineturtle]

Re: Olympians turned politicians.

Willy Gault isn't one but he guards one on T.V.:-)

[det]

Re: Olympians turned politicians.

Bruce Jenner was in a movie with the Village People. That was a pretty liberal politcal thing to do at the time

(I didn't see "Can't Stop the Music" on any of the 500+ iPod lists)

[trackstar]

Re: Olympians turned politicians.

>Lasse Viren, MP Finland, Conservative
Sebastion Coe, MP England,
>Conservative
Jim Ryun, Representative USA, Republican

>So far, no liberals.

Actually, although I confess I don't know a thing about Viren's politics, I wouldn't go too far out on a limb by saying "no liberals." If the Finns are anything like their other Scandinavian brethren, "conservative" doesn't necessarily carry the same connotations as here in America. I have a friend who lives in Oslo, and her descriptions of "conservatives" in Norway sound like American moderate Democrats.

[Rufus Cookie]

Re: Olympians turned politicians.

and Ron Clarke is Mayor of the Gold Coast,

Nova Peris was toying with the idea of politics at one stage.

wasnt Jeffery Archer a GB representative in the 100yds?

[gh]

Re: Olympians turned politicians.

We must not have any Aussies on the board: turns out that John Landy is the governor of the state of Victoria.

[orvilleatkins]

Re: Olympians turned politicians.

December 2, 2003 "Bill Crothers re-elected chair at the inaugural board meeting" of the York Region Board of Education.

[bird brain]

Re: Olympians turned politicians.

Menzies Campbell Liberal Democrat UK