With Mike Phelps being compared to Mark Spitz, where is Mark Spitz? He isn't at the Beijing olympics.

Question

Mike Phelps is tied with Mark Spitz for Gold medals. Why isn't Mark there to cheer on his countryman?

Answer 1

Mark Spitz won his medals in 1972 in Munich, over 35 years ago. He may not be alive any more, had you thought of that? If he is, he's very old now, and may not be able to travel.  

Answer 2

How old is Mark?

Answer 3

Actually, Mark is there.  He was not invited by the powers that be. But... he is there. I read about him this morning. He was asked in any official capacity to stand and be seen with the competitors. I guess he pissed someone off.

Answer 4

Ian Thorpe should be there too, both of them - these guys are all amazing swimmers and have achieved amazing feats!

Answer 5

US swim legend Mark Spitz won't be on hand in Beijing if Michael Phelps breaks his record of seven gold medals at a single Olympics -- because, he says, no one bothered to invite him.

Spitz said the International Olympic Committee, a US television network or FINA -- the international body that governs world swimming -- should have brought him to the Games this year, with Phelps making a go at his record.

"I never got invited. You don't go to the Olympics just to say, I am going to go. Especially because of who I am," Mark Spitz told AFP in Hong Kong.

Answer 6

Mark Spitz is pissed that he didn't get invited. It was on the yahoo main page yesterday.

Answer 7

I read a news article yesterday on the Internet, 8/11/08, about Mark Spitz and it said he was in Hong Kong but he was pushed out of shape because he wasn't invited to the Olympics.  Because he wasn't invited he said he wasn't going to go, he sounds really sour grapes about it all.    He is 58 years old now.  He also said he sees Phelps to be alot like himself and that he wished he could even be there to present gold medals to Phelps BUT since he wasn't invited he wouldn't be there.

Answer 8

Normally, you'd expect someone like him to be there.  If he'd been able to put his pride aside for a moment and call someone at the Olympic committee, I'm sure he would've been able to be in a place of honor, witnessing events first hand and even participating in awards ceremonies.

But he's such an egotist, he can't see beyond his own arrogance, and is hurt that there wasn't someone trying to track him down. Unfortunately, he's always been extremely arrogant.  I remember as a kid hearing him interviewed back in 1972, and even back then I remember thinking, "What an unmitigated ***."

In Mark Spitz's world, everything revolves around him.  Even someone breaking his record is all a reflection on him, and nothing more.  It's too bad he's not able to be more gracious.

Answer 9

I read an article about this.  They never asked Mark Spitz to attend the Olympics.  Mark said you just don't go to the Olympics to say your going you have to be asked to the Olympics.

He is very mad or disappointed that the Olympics Committee never  asked him to go to the Olympics to watch Michael Phelps beat his record.