Commissioner Bartvold at the IOC General Assembly held in India last month./Commissioner Bartvold social media
A Mongolian couple was kidnapped in Paris, France. At first glance, it seems like a common occurrence in international tourist cities. However, if you look inside, there is an unusual story intertwined.
Batusig Batvold and his wife were on their way from France’s De Gaulle Airport to their hotel on the 11th of last month. Near a tunnel that is always heavily clogged. Taking advantage of the slow movement of the car, two people on a motorcycle broke the rear window, snatched the bag, and ran away.
■ IOC member with a golden spoon from a poor country
This incident revived an old question that haunts every Olympics. “Will the 2024 Paris Olympics be safe?” This is because Paris is suffering from severe crime and protests.
Coincidentally, Bartvold is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). I was on my way to attend the IOC meeting regarding safety at the Paris Olympics. Did the criminals know that he was a high-ranking safety figure at the IOC and targeted him? Although this is unlikely, it cannot but be an incident that mocks the lax Olympic security in Paris.
What attracted more attention was the amount of damage the couple suffered. Jewelry worth a whopping 600,000 euros (about 850 million won) was stolen. Inside was a diamond earring worth 165,000 euros (about 230 million won).
European media said, “Mongolia is a poor country, but a couple can live well.” However, he sarcastically said, “I paid the price of carrying such expensive jewelry with me while traveling.” Furthermore, there were suspicions of bribery, a chronic problem among IOC members regarding Olympic hosting rights and various contracts.
Looking at Bartvold’s background and career, we once again realize that the country’s poverty has nothing to do with personal luxury. He is now 37 years old. However, he has been the head of a conglomerate and a big name in the world of international sports for a long time. The son of a former prime minister, he studied abroad in the United States from middle and high school. He majored in economics at the University of Chicago and received a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University. He is the chairman who inherited his father’s telecommunications company and securities company after working in the financial sector in London, England.
Chairman Bartvold at the opening ceremony of E-Mart in Mongolia./Commissioner Bartvold social media
He was a basketball player in high school, but became president of the Mongolian Badminton Association in 2015 at the age of 29. At the age of 31, he became Director of the World Badminton Federation and Senior Vice-Chairman of the Mongolian National Olympic Committee. At the age of 32, he became a member of the IOC Marketing Committee and then an IOC member at the age of 34. At the age of 36, in 22, he rose to the position of Chairman of the Mongolian Olympic Committee. Even though he has built a brilliant career, he seems to be in the dark about the situation in his country. Mongolia’s per capita income is about $4,000. In a poor country that receives economic aid from South Korea, Bartvold’s spending is at the highest level in the world.
About a month later, on November 2nd. The case and Batvold’s identity were revealed for the first time when Paris police announced the arrest of three suspected snatchers. A few days before committing the crime against the Batvold couple, they stole 500,000 euros worth of money from Saudi Arabian tourists. Police arrested them in a Muslim-populated area.
How did the public react after the Batvolds returned to Mongolia and their crimes were made public? Because the media is controlled, most people may not know.
■ Olympics in a ‘hotbed of crime’
A series of snatching incidents is not surprising in Paris. Paris is called a ‘hotbed of crime’. The police announced a strong crackdown to ensure Olympic safety in December of last year, as charlatans and pickpockets swarmed around the Eiffel Tower and a series of assaults by street vendors occurred. A crime-fighting operation has been underway for nearly a year, but to no avail. Over the past year, crimes involving stealing money from vehicles in Paris have increased by 30% and theft by 14%. The Bartvold couple’s incident has once again raised awareness of Olympic security issues.
It’s not just crime. Various protests by refugees and others, not only in Paris but throughout France, are bringing about a national crisis. Since the war between Israel and Hamas, assaults against Jews have continued and protests have continued. On the 12th, 180,000 people staged an anti-Jewish protest in downtown Paris. There is a possibility that the aftermath of the war will reach the Olympics.
The Olympics symbolize the triumph of sports spirit. It is considered one of the beautiful ways to achieve world peace and harmony. However, although the ideal is beautiful, the reality of the Olympics has been marred by crime, corruption, and even massacre. People are so busy praising the proud medal that they often overlook the dark side. We are so caught up in the athletes’ strong physical charm, fierce competition, and patriotism that we cannot see the ugliness of the Olympics.
During the 1972 Munich Olympics, the Palestinian armed organization ‘Black September’ murdered 11 Israeli coaches and athletes in the athletes’ village. It was the worst tragedy in Olympic history. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, city security was so bad that 85,000 police and soldiers were mobilized.
At the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, IOC members were investigated for accepting bribes, including cash, ahead of selecting the host site. In the end, six committee members were kicked out and several others resigned. Brazil’s Olympic president was sentenced to 30 years in prison on charges including bribing $2 million to IOC members to host the Rio Olympics. The Tokyo Olympics also ran into trouble over bribery of IOC members. Last June, French police searched the headquarters of the Paris Olympic organizing committee. It was because of contract-related corruption.
The IOC and the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) are strongholds of dark dealings that exploit sports.
The Batvold snatching incident was caused by ‘dangerous flies’. However, it became a big issue due to Olympic safety and IOC corruption. Because of the golden spoon couple, the people of Mongolia, a ‘poor country’, were upset and their pride was lost.
◆Professor Tae-gyu Son is currently serving as a special professor at Seoul Graduate School of Foreign Studies. He is a former reporter for the Hankook Ilbo and is very interested in sports, especially American sports. In the future, he plans to deliver extensive knowledge through My Daily every week.
– ⓒMy Daily (www.mydaily.co.kr). Reproduction and redistribution prohibited –
2023-11-16 23:18:20
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