Frazier just glad U.S.
team behaved

For the Hawaii AD, reaching
the medals goal was secondary

The Athens Olympics will be remembered by many for what didn't happen as much as what did.

And no one is more grateful for that than Herman Frazier, the Hawaii athletic director who returned to Manoa from Greece recently after serving as the U.S. chef de mission.

No terrorism.

No U.S. athletes testing positive for banned substances.

One of the few controversies involving the U.S., a gymnastics scoring fiasco in which American Paul Hamm was asked to return his gold medal, seems to have concluded with most of the world agreeing that Hamm is in the right.

The image of the ugly American was greatly dispelled, as U.S. athletes -- per instruction from Frazier and other USOC officials -- conducted themselves with dignity and humility, Frazier said. The fact that the Americans met their goal of at least 100 medals was almost a side note.

There was only one widely reported negative incident involving an American, and that technically happened after the Games ended. It was an unfortunate coincidence for Frazier that it involved a former UH athlete, volleyball player Clay Stanley. Stanley was arrested the morning after the closing ceremonies and was later dealt a 15-month suspended sentence for assaulting an officer and resisting arrest.

"It was sad, one of those things. But it can't take away from what a wonderful event it was, and the great overall display of competition and behavior by our team," said Frazier, a former U.S. track and field Olympian. "We were absolutely thrilled we were able to obtain 103 medals, but more than anything we were proud of the way our team conducted itself."

Some questioned whether the U.S. could reach the medal-count goal after the track and field team lost some of its top contenders before the Games for involvement with banned performance enhancers.

But a new generation of young athletes, including decathlon silver medalist Bryan Clay, a 24-year-old Castle High School alumnus, rose to the occasion.

"Every Olympiad has a story like Bryan Clay, someone humble and family-oriented who does a great job," Frazier said.

Frazier especially enjoyed the U.S. sweep of the men's 400 meters. It is the event in which he won a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, along with a gold in the 4x400 relay.

Baylor student Jeremy Wariner took the gold in Athens.

"Twenty years old and in the Olympics, facing that kind of pressure," Frazier said. "Not only calm, but he had to run a great race to win it, and he pulled everyone along with him. A wonderful race."

Such events only took Frazier's mind off terrorism briefly.

"It was always there, the possibilities" he said. "But we never did have to meet to discuss anything, other than when the two Russian planes went down (on Aug. 24, in what are believed to be simultaneous hijackings). We got together (with security officials) and talked about that and if there might be implications."

Police with automatic weapons were everywhere, Frazier said, especially when he was invited to a reception for President Bush Sr., who was there to throw out the first pitch at the softball competition.

"You couldn't forget about it if you tried," he said.

Frazier and other officials were briefed on security issues prior to the Games by Deputy National Security Adviser Fran Townsend, who reports directly to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.

He is no longer a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, but Frazier was recently appointed to a joint NCAA and Olympic Committee task force to explore common issues.

Frazier, who started at UH in Aug. 2002, recently entered the final year of a three-year contract. He has repeatedly said he has no plans to leave.