stop it! why blame the australian government? he wasn't just treated like trash by the Australian government... but his own FAMILY forgot about him after he did what he did at the Olympics... It was also impossible for him to find a job after those Olympics... Sir, you're wrong... you should condemn the whole Australian society... don't take the easy way out and blame the "government"... I strongly believe that Australia is the most racist nation in the world.. Which is weird when you consider that "white Australians" are descendant of IMMIGRANTS..
New it’s up to leaders to lead and they rarely do in Australia (a few obvious exceptions eg PM Bob Hawke on the international divestment movement of Apartheid South Africa, when Thatcher and Reagan refused). Australia calls itself “the lucky country” but this has been taken from a critique in the 60’s (basically half of the country of Australia’s existence ago) In ‘62 Donald Horne wrote “Australia is a lucky country run mainly by second rate people who share its luck. It lives on other people's ideas, and, although its ordinary people are adaptable, most of its leaders (in all fields) so lack curiosity about the events that surround them that they are often taken by surprise”. It was true 60 years ago and it’s true today.
From what I understand, that was at his request. He wanted people to understand how he felt to stand with Tommie and John, to stand against inequality.
He sure was too. Norman's point to decline to have his likeness on the 2nd place spot on the statue I guess symbolizes a deeper point of all of us should stand of human rights. The curiosity must grow on why that spot was empty which add how humble and great Norman was.
Actually the Australian Olympic body of the time should hang their heads in shame. He probably would have won gold at the next Olympics being our fastest runner in time trials but was never selected! White Australia policy still alive and.well at that time
Peter Norman is truly a brother from another mother. Saw in a video how great a sprinter he was, a world record 200 meter sprinter in 1968 Olympics even for one day still a great feat, the fastest Australian and highest medaled sprinter for his country to this day, and most of all a man who lived his life of determination in standing up for what is right against the powers that be in his home country and USA
I'm from India and I can't stop tearing up, especially John Carlos saying, "If Peter's statute is not there, take mine down" and then Peter Norman saying, "There's no need for my statue, anybody standing in my place will stand for human rights". RIP Peter Norman, a true hero. (Problem now is that I can't wholeheartedly hate the the Aussies in cricket though!) And let's please not forget the "four rowers, white kids, from Harvard University" who supported them.
Good on you, you get it. These humans are rare. Especially when you cross it over with pure athletic ability. However that is not the point, this is a launchpad for those who are decent humanitarians.
Peter Norman’s sister and niece worked at my high school.... in Frankston North Melbourne Monterey secondary college when I was in year 11 in 2008 we went and watch the documentary salute which was one of the best docs I’ve ever seen and knowing his family members made it all that special....
BigImaginationDoll16 Did you know that when the games were held in Sydney , for the opening ceremony, the australian olympic committee invited all previous australian medal winners to do a lap of honour...ALL were invited....EXCEPT , yes, you've guessed it , Peter Norman , and you claim that australian society had drastically changed ??!?! When the americans heard about this, they were shocked , and invited Peter Norman to be a guest of honour in their TV studio at the games, where athletes like Ed Moses and Michael Johnson were honoured to shake his hand. Furthermore, it wasn't until after Peter died that the aussie government decided to take their heads out of their arses and grant him of formal apology for the way he was treated after 1968 until the day he died. Yes , Cathy Freeman was a worthy candidate to light the torch....but when you consider that Peter Norman still holds the Australian record for the 200m , a record that has now stood for 47 years , and he stood up for what he believed in , I think he was a worthier candidate. That's just my opinion, for what it's worth.
That's not true about the 2000 Olympics. He was invited and he was not the only athlete to choose not to attend. The IOC were not fully funding flights and accommodation for former athletes. Norman was offered the same deal as everyone else. olympics.com.au/news/peter-norman-not-shunned-by-aoc
I dont think your article did much to exonerate the AOC, the excuse of them not affording tickets for former medalists does not hold water, I mean how much would it have cost to fly or bus someone into Sydney from Melbourne. I dont know Australia geography too well but the distance between both cities cannot be more than 1000km, point is they could have made greater effort considering how much they poured into the Olympics, heck the Australian government could have sponsored him. Also his family claimed he qualified a few times for the 100m and 200m, their story is more believable considering how that ties up with him not being at the Olympics as an Australian invitee. The US had to be the ones inviting him....Im sorry, even if your story is somewhat accurate, it is still a disgrace that the Australian government did not honor one if its sons. The fact that they had to apologize posthumously spoke volumes
As an Aussie, i've always felt like we lacked truly great heroes. Most of our 'heroes' are sportsmen etc.. since yeah. We do have a pretty fucked up history, from our treatment of Aboriginals to White Australia policy vs chinese even. This story alone puts him as my top/most respected Australian of all time.. no competition.
His pretty well known in track and field circles and in Victoria. They have the Peter Norman classic in Mooney Valley a major event in track. He still holds the Australian record for 200m set in 1968.
Peter Norman should be on that statue along with Tommie and John. I know he disagreed but to me, he represents the fact that it wasn't about black vs. white or anything like that, it's about equality for everybody and the people that represent those ideals. I know that's what Tommie Smith and John Carlos were saying too but he was a physical representation of it in a time when it was unheard of for people from different nations to sympathize with each other's causes. I hear he thought of himself as someone who was simply another person who believed in what they believed in, but to me he is and always will be, along with Tommie Smith and John Carlos, heroes.
Apparently Peter didn't want the statute, instead he wanted the spot vacant so that others could stand in his place and support them as he did all those years ago. Truely remarkable.
He has his own statue now, in Australia. Maybe its fitting that Smith and Carlos stand together in US with their statue, Norman stands alone in Australia, just as he did when he returned home from those games.
+AllenOption8 Did you not watch the entire video? Peter DIDN'T want to be there, he wanted it to be a vacant space so that it symbolized people in general standing up for human rights.
My uncle Ray Strath ( Australian ) refereed the 1956 Olympic games final in basketball between USA v USSR and he was invited to the Sydney Olympics to be honoured for his achievement and even he would admit that what he achieved is small fry compared to the great Peter Norman. This is so embarrassing to our nation the disgraceful treatment of this great man.
if he had been an american I think we would now respect him as much as we honor Martin Luther king.. I guess the difference between the United States and Australia is that the racist population in the U.S. has always been very small.... most people in the U.S. have always hated racism but many have been afraid to publicly condemn such evil... now, in Australia it seems like most people are racist... so for them a guy like Peter Normal doesn't deserve any respect..
Peter Norman is a real Australian. We believe in the "fair go". Everyone should have the same opportunity, independent of race, religion or origin. I'm so proud of him and appreciate how strongly his spirit is honoured by Tommie and John, brilliant athletes that they are. Thank you both.
As an Australian, I will forever be ashamed of how my country treated Peter Norman. As a person who has a long lineage in the Salvation Army (my father's side), I am proud to think myself as big a believer in human rights. And in my home, with my Mum, it's kind of kickarse that that's the first way I defied that woman. Arguing at 5yrs old that I can be friends with anyone I like & she's not at school so she can't stop me. Can you guess why? Yep, day 1 of Year 1, the first friend I made was a boy named Wayne. That's who he was to me. A hilarious boy in my class that I wanted to be mates with. All Mum could focus on was that he was Indigenous. To see her with her neighbours now... who are Indigenous, you'd never know. They don't. But I do. Makes me want to vomit. And slap her tbh.
We are all human! We should all get along! 7 billion strong! We should come together as the human race, despite our nationality our skin colour and religion,
Imagine coming home to a nation after winning a medal and they Treat your like you’re nothing 😢 Rip Peter Norman Olympic medal winner Humanitarian❤💜💛🤍🇦🇺
Sadly in some places racism still exists (and not just white discriminating black)... if we all unite out of love the world would be a better place.... if we stick together then no one could touch us, haters, governments, nobody...
I'm sorry but when Dr. Carlos mentions the 2000 Olympics, Australian society had drastically changed since then. The one who DID light the torch was one of our best sprinters, Cathy Freeman, a woman who also happened to be Indigenous Australian.
BigImaginationDoll16 ONE of our best sprinters. Peter Norman, who was and still is the best Olympic sprinter in the history of Australia, was not even invited. They issued a formal apology years later. That tells you all you need to know about the Australian government.
I wasn't around in the late 60's/early 70's, i was born in 1979. What I would like to say is that it wasn't the Aussie public that were racists, the Aussie public were not against human rights & equality. Yes of course there were some racist Aussie's back then, like there are racists still today not just in Australia but all over the world. I'm not saying the Aussie public are perfect in any way, shape or form but u can't call out an entire nation as being racists but u can call out the Aussie Govt at that time aswell as the Aussie Olympic Committee as the racists.
These are elite Human Beings, who will whizz past the Earth.Achieve, teach and depart. They are not bothered about losing it, like you and me. It's Not their objective or the purpose of birth. They will create a greatness and use it to attain a specific goal. Then they will consider it won and leave. Their yardsticks are different. Don't even try to measure it, grasp the meaning and try to be a better Human being. That is their exact message.
