|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
COMMERCIALBANK QATAR MASTERS PRESENTED BY DOLPHIN ENERGYJanuary 26, 2008Carl LewisDOHA, QATAR Q. It's absolutely wonderful to have you here at Qatar at the Commercialbank Masters and I speak for everyone to say well done for everything you've done here. What's your take on golf and what do you know about golf? CARL LEWIS: I play a lot. I really like golf. I know golfers. It's kind of funny, he was explaining how to score and everything like that but I follow sport for a long time and know a lot of different people. I was just at an event in Florida a few weeks ago. Yeah, I've been there a long time and I'm just happy to be here. Bigger than that, I'm just happy to be here in Qatar because this is the first time I've been in this area. When I competed 20 -- well finished 10 years ago but for those 18 years, athletics wasn't around the world and I always said that I wanted to travel places I had not been. So really excited to be here. So I know that will probably drive people crazy asking all these questions. Q. Are you handicapped in golf? CARL LEWIS: Yes, I'm handicapped. Q. What do you see -- CARL LEWIS: I have not been here before, so because what's interesting, when I got here, they said that they were just a few -- a couple of 100,000 people from here, so I said, okay, this place is like a thousand years old and I said, what have they been doing? I said, pick up the pace here. It's pretty amazing. I think the biggest thing for me here is just -- and I've only been here for 12 hours, is just the excitement of the future. To be somewhere that's growing so much and has so much international appeal and so many people from all over the world come and live here; we've had people from Asia and Europe and the United States. I think that's the most amazing thing about it. And it's the future, the future where people are all coming together in places. They live together. They work together. I think it's amazing. And as a matter of fact, I have some ideas to come back already, so I've been discussing that with people that can make that happen. It was a good flight over here, Qatar Airlines, it's a great thing. I flew in first class; if everybody wants to know what's the best meals, I tried everything. Yeah Commercialbank and I, they have places to put all the money, and I want to grow that. Really, I think it's an amazing place and I think this is where the future is, because it's growing and not only growing but it's growing in a way that people all over the world are coming to one place and are living together, working together and that's what the future is. Q. How does what you've done on the golf course compare? CARL LEWIS: Well, I think Tiger has done obviously an amazing thing, and the big difference is that golf is really big behind him. The sport, they really get it. I think I was a little bit before my time in that regard. A lot of things they supported Tiger on I had to fight for. I'm so proud of him. I remember obviously when he first came in, I was with Nike still, I'm just proud of the way he handles himself not just with his golf and his foundation, and his relationship with his father. I had a very good relationship with my father and my parents. People talk about him on the golf course but I think what makes a man is how you are and what you do beyond that, because that's what's going to last. Golf is a sport you can play for the next 20, 30 years and be successful and we see that with Jack Nicklaus and these other people. But bigger than that, he's taken on responsibilities and I'm really proud of that part of it. I think he's been a tremendous person for golf, and also for our society. Q. Should he be more out spoken about social issues? CARL LEWIS: I think that's somewhat a personal thing and Tiger, it's funny, because he's like 30, 31 or something. He's so young. Right now look at myself, I'm so different at 46 than I was at 26. It is amazing. I say this all the time when I talk to -- because I just started a professional team. And, so you know, I have the coaches and managers and everybody like that and I just talk to them occasionally. And I sit there and I'm talking to him and people say, oh, God, I sound like my father. I've become my father, even look like him. I think it just takes time to morph into that and we always want people to do that, but that's something you have to evolve into. And I think as he gets older, I think he'll be more out spoken for things he'll believe in. But you have to live life in order to know what you really believe in. Good grief, I voted for Reagan once. Q. There have been a lot of show downs but if they don't compete at the world championships, do you think that's good for the sport? CARL LEWIS: See, I think that people are getting -- one of the things, because I stayed away from the sport for ten years. I needed that time off. When I came back, I came back with the idea of trying to teach what we need to do to give the sport back to where it was and then go from there, because from the time that I retired to now, probably half the athletes in the world are gone. What the athletes are paid has been cut in half. A lot of the things that we did that we carved away for, they brought that back. So to me I think that's the first round. Everybody focuses on our sport about races and competition. To me, it doesn't matter if people run 11 seconds or 100 metres. What matters if they think the race is clean and it's a good competition. That's the issue. So when I started this team, that's the first thing I told everybody. I said, it is about having honour and dignity in competition and be the best you can be and being clean. That's what it's about. So we need to step back up and let's clean that ship, because every athlete steps out there, people think they are dirty and if you don't deal with that issue, it doesn't matter what you run because they think it's dirty anyway. Once they realise that and the athletes take the stand and we get these drug pushers, like Trevor Graham and these coaches that give athletes these drugs out of it, and then we stand strong to athletes that do take drugs; and not only that, but step up what we do in the sense of when they are caught. Just someone getting caught for two years and coming back, no, they need to put them under oath, ask them what did you do, who helped you out, and if they tell the truth, then we can get to the root of that issue. They need to be that hard because it's no just about sports; it's about community. Kids are dying all the time from taking drugs, whether it's from depression, suicide, and all kinds of things are happening because it's a drug problem. It becoming America's problem and the world's problem. That's where we need to focus on it. It's about everyone coming together and getting the confidence and credibility back in the sport first and then sponsors come back and then people come back and they believe in your product. And then after that, they will go watch any race. They watch Tiger Woods because they feel he's clean, he's doing it right, that's it. You have to have credibility and you have to believe in you before they will support you and right now they don't believe in the sport and the athletes and a lot of the people in the sport don't get it and I'm telling you guys who don't get it, stop; work on your image, your credibility and make them believe what you're doing is right and what's fair. Reporters know times but the public doesn't know what a time is. People remember who won the Super Bowl but they don't remember the score. But I mean, in America, everybody knows who won last year, and no one remembers the score because it's a competition, and it was a great game. See, I remember the Colts won, they beat the Bears. See the thing in those sports people have focused on, it's not what you do; it's what they believe. I said if you're a clean sport, well then you would all use the same drug testing programme. If an athlete gets banned in football, they get four weeks for steroids. So if they really want to be -- they would step up and say, hey, we have one testing programme for everybody. And it's really to me that's what the issue is. Q. What would you do? CARL LEWIS: I have no idea. I'm not even sure I'd finish it. I know I would finish it at my own pace, because I think that matter of fact when I retire, I was ready to retire, and I've said that all the time. I don't even do as many running work outs as I should. When I retired, that was it, it was over. Like I say, a lot of people say, gosh, I wish I had your speed. And I try to give -- because I had my time. I had 18 years, I won nine gold medals and that was it. So I don't even try to time myself and I'm not really interested in the Masters and all that stuff. That's for someone that wants to do it. I have a different calling and I'm happy with my place. Q. Are you sorry for what happened to Marion Jones, and do you think the problem is with the coaches, the athletes, the system, the U.S.? CARL LEWIS: Let me go backwards. Everyone says the U.S. system. Look, let's be real. It's funny, I just read something recently where it says Jamaicans were making fun of America. Excuse me, you have this comprehensive testing programme in Jamaica? Please. At least America is standing up with a programme that is independently testing their people. No other country in the world, no country in the world has a programme as comprehensive as the United States. Now, that's the first thing. So of course we're going to catch more people because we have the toughest programme. Secondly, who is at fault? Everybody. In the past, the federations didn't do what they were supposed to. They overlooked it, especially during my years, a lot of times they overlooked it. Now I think recently, definitely the last few years, it's been -- Now Marion's situation, it was Marion and her coach, period, there's no question about it. And I said it before and I'll say it again, Trevor Graham is like a pusher and he pushed her, convincing athletes to take drugs. You know why? Because he can't coach. He cannot coach. If an athlete can be coached, why would they put their athletes on drugs? A good coach is not going to putt their athletes on drugs because they are a good coach. One of the things I do -- not sometimes, I tell them, I'm going to be totally honest with you. Everyone that joins this team has a round-trip ticket. You're going to train and you know what, I'm going to tell you, if you can go, based on the coaching because I'm not there, if someone is doing well, guy or young lady and they have a chance to make it, great. But if they say they are borderline, I'll be the first one to say, hey, you know what you need to have a job and do this as a recreation and not get on drugs. When I was 35 years old, I decided to retire because I couldn't compete at the same level. So I retired. I didn't get on drugs and go to the 2000 Olympics. I could have done that. So athletes, we need to be honest with people and be real people and understand your talent and have coaches that can coach and prepare themselves so that they know there's honour in their coaching and not just somebody who retires and they start coaching next week. What is your qualification? I'm not qualified to coach. And I know more than 99 per cent of the coaches in the world; I'm not qualified. What did I do to put myself in position to coach? I mean, people ask me, what did I do? Did I go to school or take physiology classes? And I don't understand a lot of the things you need to know to be a good coach. And a lot of these people, they just retire and coach and because they don't know that, they supplement it with drugs. The thing with Marion, America and anywhere, is always forgiving with people who come out and tell the truth because they don't have a choice. If you hold a grudge against someone, then you have a problem but the bottom line, when she comes completely 100% clean and goes out and speaks out for it and serves a hundred hours of community service to do it, it's great, it's wonderful. She's paid her price and you have to move on. But I think we can't just throw the athlete under the bus and be through with it. You have to take the coaches and find out who else was involved with it and go on down the line because most athletes are clean and most athletes do it right and it's unfair they have to be punished because of a few rogue coaches and rogue athletes; if we got rid of the rogue coaches we could get rid of 75 per cent of the problem. Q. Are you concerned about China and this year's Olympics? CARL LEWIS: I think given the spin -- you know, China is going to be great. I think it's going to be great games. The thing is that, and this is an interesting thing. Because China has spent so much money that all of the facilities are ready, right and they are ready -- because before, the last four years ago I was getting questions about security and are they going to be ready and I tell you something, security was fine, and every facility was ready in Athens, every single one. All of the stadiums were ready. Not the landscaping but all the stadiums are ready. All stadiums are ready in China and all the facilities are ready so there's nothing else to talk about, so we have to talk some the smog or whatever. It's funny to me. It's going to be great games and I think China is going to do well and America is going to do well. There has to be something to talk about -- because like it's boring, you can't say this building isn't ready or this isn't ready; it's ready. China is ready. So we have to come up with the store ice. I think it's going to be great games I think China will do very well, of course, and that's their showcase and I think it's going to be great games. Q. Where would you like to see the Olympics go? CARL LEWIS: You know, if it's Qatar against the United States, absolutely, because we have somebody named Bush. Thank goodness we only have one year left. We're counting down to the minute. Of course they do, and I think the Olympics should go different places, because it should two everywhere. It should go to South America. It should go to Africa. It should go everywhere. So I hope it goes to -- I would love for it to come here and I would love for it to go new places because it's been everywhere else. This is a global economy now. It's not just about the United States and it's not just about your country. It great to be able to go different places and see things, especially as Americans. We don't travel and we don't experience the world, so I think if Americans traveled more, we would be a totally different country. We would be more open to everything people to and open to their cultures and understanding and ideas. So I think it's a good thing. So I root for them. I'm not saying I'm rooting against Chicago and it being in the United States; I've love to have it in America. But I'm rooting for them, too. Because I think Qatar and Rio, Madrid, Peru Prague -- that's a really nice city, really pretty city. No, seriously, I just think it should go other places. Go somewhere else. Let other people experience the Olympics. People that will really, really, really appreciate it. Look at it out there, if the Olympics were next week they would be ready. It is really amazing to be here and see this and to see this tournament. We drove up here in sand and all of a sudden there's a golf course. It's amazing and it's a wonderful thing for people to see. It's incredible. And I think that the world needs to see these things and it changes their views of everything. Because a lot of Americans that are right there in America, they are sitting here thinking, what are they doing over here, oh, what's going on here. They do, it's real, they don't understand that people live lives and do other things, just like we do. They don't understand it. Or we like them or whatever, they have their own culture, they have their own religion, they do everything. America isn't about America; it's about the world. It's us and we have to learn to be like the world. It's not about the world learning to be like us. I know it because I've traveled and I love the world and when I go somewhere I try their local food. I want to see their local culture. But really, because I think that that makes it better. I think people wouldn't be afraid of the world if they understood the world, and America, we always think that it's about us and it's like, oh, you know they want us. It's not about us; it's about everybody. And if we sat down and listened and looked around the world and listened to what they believed and listened to what they think, you know what, maybe they would like us or I didn't realise I could understand you. I'm fortunate because my mother traveled out of the country when she was in college, and she went to Argentina and she said she met Eva Perón, and she said when she same back, she said: I want to make sure all kids leave the United States before they finish high school, before they turn 18. I want them to see the world and know it's not just about America and my mother was from a small little country town in Alabama. And I am so thankful for that, because I learned, you know, my learning experience was the world. I travelled, I did it a tour at 18, 19, 20 and I know the world and I tell you, I am so much smarter, no matter what the books say it is, I have world sense and it has made me such a worldly person and I understand it and I love it and I travel. I travel so much and I think that if more of us did that, things like the Olympics, it would draw these people to these places. It's not just about the hometown. They need to come and see this because people can come see this and say, wow, this is what it's like and it changes what they believe. Q. Do you remember the world championships, '87, Malta, who came in second? CARL LEWIS: You know what, I don't remember who was second. I don't remember what happened last week. I'm going to end on this. We were obviously competitors. He came to the United States and he stayed with my mother for a while. He stayed with my mother, because I believe competition is on the field and I really believe that off the field you can be friends. So Robert came and stayed with the family before, and we are all best friends. So I believe in competition and friendship. I don't believe in hating people and disliking. I don't know why you should hate your competitor. They want to win, too. So to close this, I'm very happy to be here and I'm glad I was invited here and I want to thank Commercialbank and everybody who made this possible. Because it's important for us to see the world and it's important for us to come to places like Qatar because they have so much to offer and friendships and relationships in the future -- this is where the future is. We see a country growing, that's growing with everyone around the world and that's what the future is and we as Americans have to understand that, so thank you. End of FastScripts |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|