VOA标准英语2008年-Gabon's Olympic Delegation Draws Low Marks for

The four athletes Gabon sent to this year's Olympic Games in Beijing were accompanied by a delegation¹ reported to be comprised of over 60 officials. The athletes won no medals. Brent Latham reports from our West and Central Africa bureau in Dakar, some in Gabon have criticized the size and cost of the large delegation.
　
Melanie Engoang (C) Gabon's flag bearer parades in front of her delegation during 2008 Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony at the National Stadium in Beijing, 08 Aug. 2008

A newspaper in Gabon is reporting with derision that the country's Olympic delegation has broken several records, despite completing the Beijing games without winning a medal.

The four athletes representing the country did not make headlines in China, but the delegation is bringing attention to the small Central African nation for its sheer size.

The number of officials was disproportionate to the athletic² representation, says a journalist in Gabon, Lionel Kwatsi.

"There were few athletes and lots of people in the delegation of Gabon," he said. "Unfortunately they did poorly during the competition, and even the president denounced that there were many people in the delegation and not many athletes. "

The Gabonese publication Le Messager says more than 60 government officials traveled to China with the athletes.

The exact size could not be confirmed the day after the games. No one answered phones at the Gabon Ministry³ of Sport or the Olympic committee offices. A representative of the national television station said no one was available to speak about the Olympic team because the sports department and management had not yet returned from Beijing.

The officials in the delegation have been accused of using the trip to shop and sightsee at public expense, Kwatsi says.

"I think most of the people think they went there only to do shopping," he said. "They have bought a lot of things and they went there only for shopping. That is why there were a lot of officials in the delegation."

Kwatsi says officials could potentially profit from buying consumer goods in China and reselling them in Gabon. He adds that Gabon's Olympic athletes suffered because funds that could have been spent on training were used to pay for the officials' trips. Gabon was represented in Beijing in track and field, judo⁴, and taekwondo. While three of the athletes were eliminated in the first rounds of their respective competitions, sprinter⁵ Paulette Zang-Milama made it to the second round of the women's 100-meter competition, and managed a 33rd place finish overall.

 

1 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

2 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 judo   

n.柔道

参考例句：

• The judo is a kind of fighting sport.柔道是一种对抗性体育活动。
• Which is more important in judo, strength or techniques?柔道运动中，力量和技术哪个更重要？

5 sprinter   

n.短跑运动员，短距离全速奔跑者

参考例句：

• He is more a sprinter than a swimmer. 他是短跑健将，而不是游泳选手。 来自辞典例句
• The sprinter himself thinks he can run the race at 9.4 seconds. 这位短跑运动员自认为可以用9.4秒跑完比赛。 来自互联网