"The assumption is, for women's sports to survive, you have to attract the real fans, which are male fans. And you have to attract them with how pretty they are and how sexy they are," Kane was quoted as saying.

"Some sports are better off because they are popular, although swimmers have a disadvantage because they compete in water. Athletics, for instance, is cool and erotic per se, with athletes showing off their bodies and skills on the Beijing track and field to rock music from Pearl Jam or Green Day blaring over the sound system. "

The reports noted that it is Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva, who has taken the art of flirting to combine the sport of pole vaulting. The 26-year-old Russian loves to flirt with the crowd. She blows kisses and smiles after world records and just loves all the attention without being arrogant. But she has not appeared naked on the cover of Playboy.

"For marketing people the Russian is the ideal athlete - sexy and successful," the reports summarized.

Jamaica's nation-building

The Jamaica Observer said it has drawn some lessons for the nation from the Olympics, calling the Jamaican people to achieve more not only in the field of sports but in academia, business and other areas.

The article said with the rewriting of athletic history that is going on in Beijing, applauses are given to the Jamaican track and field team. However, people are needed to think about more and that is why Jamaicans failed to display the same remarkable achievements in nation-building considering the country's economic and social problems.

It said Jamaica has the natural and human resources to make it one of the most attractive places on earth to live but the fact is not that and the failure is to be found in the governance, leadership and management of the country.

Patrick Robinson, the author of the book entitled Jamaican Athletics - A Model for the World, said what the Jamaicans have made of those gifted natural assets are poverty, squalor, illiteracy, ignorance, unequal distribution of wealth, injustice, crime and violence. "The man-made problems stand in stark contrast to the natural endowments. Beijing serves as a prism to burn into our consciousness the fact that we have it within us to do much better."

Patrick Robinson in his book observes that no other area in Jamaica has been as consistently successful as track and field athletics in producing a product of international standard. He asks whether the practices in track and field athletics can be emulated and used to advantage in other areas of national life.

He even suggested to hold an Olympics every four years for political leaders to see who gets gold, silver, bronze in leading the country to walk towards peace and prosperity.

The article noted that after all the glory, the country has to return to the problems and reflection on how to correct the mismatch between the first-rate global rank in athletics and Jamaica's relatively low ranking on almost every international development index.

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