The Vox Box

Sun., Aug. 24, 2008

Olympic Spirit, Anyone?

Photo via Getty Images

A Cuban athlete, Angel Matos, is facing the possibility of a lifetime ban from the Olympics after kicking a referee in the face. The athlete became angry after he was disqualified for taking too much injury time, despite being ahead 3-2 in his taekwondo match. According to this article by Pat Imig, “Matos angrily questioned the call, pushed a judge, then pushed and kicked referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden. Matos then spat on the floor and was escorted out.” Matos’ coach may also be banned.

Kicking officials is obviously out of the question, but is it alright to demonstrate negative emotion at the Olympics if you think you’ve been cheated?

Posted Aug. 24, 2008, 10:21 a.m.

In 2006, then-editor Steve Smith of The Spokesman-Review had the idea of starting a publication for an often forgotten audience: teenagers. The Vox Box was a continuation of the Vox, an all-student staffed newspaper published by The Spokesman-Review. High school student journalists who staffed the Vox made all content decisions as they learn about the trade of journalism. This blog's mission was to give students an opportunity to publish their voices. The Vox Box and the Vox wrapped up in June 2009, but you can follow former staffers' new blog at http://voxxiez.blogspot.com.