By Lauren Akselrod
Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
While the commencement of the 2002 Olympic games in Salt Lake City last Friday brought the world together, the traditional torch lighting sparked controversy.
Among the words of the 100 pages of the Olympics' charter, it states that the host country is responsible for making each and every participant and visitor feel respected and comfortable.
And no moment holds more significance in light of this charter than the symbolic commencement of the games.
In past opening ceremonies, participants in neutral clothes have performed the torch lighting. This year, however, things took a turn from the ordinary when United States 1980 Olympic men's hockey team captain Mike Eruzione led his former teammates into Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium.
The team wore replicas of the red, white and blue uniforms they wore 12 years ago when they beat the Soviet Union and went on to win the gold medal.
The team's non-traditional attire this year - which lead to chants of "USA! USA!" - caused other countries to rate the ceremony as too "politicized," the Associated Press reported.
First-year College student Abby Pittman also felt that the ceremony was out of place.
"If another country had done that to us we would make a big deal about it," Pittman said. "We used the Olympics to promote ourselves."
In addition, the presence of the World Trade Center flag caused countries such as Sweden, Japan and Kuwait to say that the Sept. 11 attacks should not be linked to the Olympics.
"I understand that they want to commemorate the attack, but I think that it's important that they respect the fact that the Olympics is a world event," said first-year College student Misuko Aelvoet, an international student from Japan.
On the other hand, second-year College student Gary Woods said people are looking at the ceremony in the wrong way.
"The 1980 team was just reminding us of an amazing event that shows what people can do one day if they give it their all," Woods said.
Despite the controversy of the outset of the events, several students agreed that the red, white and blue display was not intended to cast a shadow on the torch lighting.
"We were just showing our patriotism and welcoming the rest of the world," first-year Engineering student Ryan Chorazy said.
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