The Tragedy of a Bloody and Deadly Beijing Olympic -- Talk is of peace
and harmony, but violent world lurks nearby

International Herald Tribune
Talk is of peace and harmony, but violent world lurks nearby
By Harvey Araton
Sunday, August 10, 2008

BEIJING: The grieving coach called his players Saturday night. They were
in the athletes' village, their Olympic lives turned upside down on the
first weekend of the Games. Hugh McCutcheon somehow found a few minutes
to think about volleyball, to refocus his team, before returning to the
insanity that has enveloped his life.

On the day after McCutcheon's father-in-law was murdered in central
Beijing and his mother-in-law was gravely wounded while his wife looked
on, the United States men's volleyball team had to go five sets before
defeating Venezuela in a preliminary-round game. The team leader, Rob
Browning, said before the game that there was no talk of postponement,
only the team going forward, one sad step and spike at a time.