Unsporting bastards: Olympic committee crushes a young orchestra
mainThe national Olympic Committee of France has taken legal action to force an orchestra to change its name.
According to le Canard enchaîné, the Olympic committee objected to the name ‘Le Concert de La Loge Olympique’, a title that has its origins in the series of Paris concerts played by Joseph Haydn in 1783.
But the sporting bullies were deaf to reason and history. They gave the orchestra’s founder Julien Chauvin until February 11 to abandon the name or face court proceedings. Yesterday, he surrendered.
It is indeed preposterous. But saying that the orchestra has been “crushed” is a bit exaggerated, don’t you think? The orchestra will continue to exist but under a new name. As stupid as the olympic committee was, this is hardly the end of the world…
Although arguably Chauvin was somewhat naive not to think it would be a problem. It looks like the orchestra was founded in 2015, so there’s no historical connection going back to 1783.
But obviously in general the Olympics committee of any country or the IOC itself is a nasty aggressive body more interested in making money for itself than promoting sport. The question is why any musician would want a name which connects it to such an amoral corrupt organisation.
The timing rather suggests a willingness to cash in on the association with the Games. Coupled with the appealing historic resonance. But the IOC and the national committees have proven aggressively protectionist in the past. You are absolutely right about their motives. Once whoever it is has finished dissecting FIFA and its nefarious doings, they ought to start on the IOC, which makes FIFA look like beginners.