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American Morning
Gold Medalists Bonnie Blair, Carl Lewis Discuss Winter Games
Aired February 08, 2002 - 08:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: And as the opening ceremony draws near, I had the opportunity to talk with two Olympic gold medalists about this year's games. Carl Lewis, who received nine gold medals before retiring; and speed skater Bonnie Blair, who received five, and is on our short list for lighting the cauldron.
I talked with them about the flag controversy. You might remember, the International Olympic Committee originally opposed letting U.S. athletes carry in the tattered flag recovered from the World Trade Center. Well, finally, they agreed to have the flag brought into the Olympic stadium in a separate procession. And I asked Bonnie Blair about her reaction to that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BONNIE BLAIR, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: I don't know all the specifics; granted, I wasn't there. But I guess the outcome, from what I understand, they are going to have the flag there. And I think it will be a fitting tribute to 9-11. You know, I don't think the idea is to forget 9-11, but we also have to remember that this is the Olympic games and that's also got to be the main focus.
So you want to respect them and pay tribute, but you have to remember that this is the Olympic games, which includes the whole entire world.
ZAHN: Carl, though, are you happy that the IOC changed its mind to allow a delegation to actually carry this flag in for the opening ceremonies?
CARL LEWIS, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: Well, my thing is that I assume and I'm sure the other companies are comfortable with that. And as long as they are, then everyone's happy. And it seems like the situation worked out the best. It became a little bit of a debate so the other countries could voice their opinions. They're obviously happy with it. America wanted to do it. So I think everyone's happy, and that's the best situation.
ZAHN: Bonnie, what impact do you think September 11 ultimately will have on these games? I know you said it shouldn't be the primary focus, but clearly this is a nation very, very much still, in many cases, in a state of shock.
BLAIR: Right, exactly. And, you know, that is one of the main points. But I think the Olympic games, which is something that happens, you now, every now two years with the split, it's always something that brings countries together and unifies them. And I think that that's what's really going to happen over these next couple of weeks.
I think it's also going to show the rest of the world that America is strong, we're standing tall, and we're resilient. And I think another thing, it's going to bring a lot of patriotism, because we hope that American flag's going to go up quite a few times on the ceremonies, and that's going to be a great thing for the American public.
ZAHN: Carl, how is the hunt for gold going for the United States?
LEWIS: Well from everything I've seen it's great. It seems like this could be the best Olympic year ever for the United States. I've seen reports where they're talking about 20 to 30 medals, so it should be a lot of fun. But I think it's important that people have an opportunity to see the games in their country.
And years ago, everyone said, "Oh, it's going to be in Utah." You always have people that are for it and people that are against it. But when you get here in this environment, then everyone's for it. Because the Olympics ultimately is about the volunteers and the athletes, because they're the ones that make it work and that's what's great for them to be a part of it.
ZAHN: And for any of us who have ever gone through them -- you, as athletes and those of us that covered the Olympics -- there's nothing like it. Bonnie, we have focused a lot on the security that's in place during this Olympics. How well aware are you of it as you walk about?
BLAIR: Yeah, well -- and, actually, I've been living here almost since May. And, you know, it's been talked about quiet a bit. I've already been to the Oval a couple of times in the last couple of weeks, where you can just tell the security is getting higher and higher. And, you know, any time you've gone to an Olympic games -- I'm sure Carl knows, too, with the summer -- it's always at its highest. And I think now they've even raised that notch a little bit higher.
ZAHN: And, Carl, a final thought on how all this affects the athletes and the athlete's village, which was always one of my favorite places to visit as a journalist?
LEWIS: Well, fortunately, for all the athletes in the village, they're used to that type of security. Of course it's going to step up this time, but the ones that are new will not even know the difference. And a lot of the other ones are experienced enough to respect that. So the village is such a great experience, because there's so many different things happening in there. You can have all types of Americana. McDonald's stores there and all kind of shopping and everything. So you can feel right at home in the village, and I think people won't even feel the difference in all the security. ZAHN: Well Bonnie Blair, Carl Lewis, great to see the two of you. You represented our country so well with such great pride and strength and made some of our athletes repeat some of your records.
LEWIS: We hope so.
BLAIR: That's right.
LEWIS: Thank you.
ZAHN: Enjoy the games.
BLAIR: OK, thanks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
