Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands have Olympic teams; so do Hong Kong and Palestine. Now a group of DC voting-rights proponents is trying to get the same International Olympic Committee recognition and with it an Olympic team to call the Distri
DC “shadow representative” Mike Panetta realized US territories could have their own Olympic teams in 2004 when he saw Puerto Rico beat the United States in basketball. For the 2006 Torino winter games he helped field a DC curling team, which, although it didn’t compete in Italy, did land a sponsorship from Labatt Breweries.
For the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Panetta and his medal wannabes are organizing a race-walking team.
The International Olympic Committee does not recognize the DC Olympic Committee (DCOC), nor has the DCOC officially petitioned to compete. But more than 10,000 people filled out the “Join the DCOC Team” form online at Dcolympicteam.org.
“We knew we were being silly,” says Panetta. “It was just a bunch of guys in their thirties who said, ‘Yeah, we’re an Olympic team, too.’ ”
This article appears in the June 2008 issue of Washingtonian. To see more articles in this issue, click here.
We Can’t Vote, But We Can Curl
Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands have Olympic teams; so do Hong Kong and Palestine. Now a group of DC voting-rights proponents is trying to get the same International Olympic Committee recognition and with it an Olympic team to call the Distri
DC “shadow representative” Mike Panetta realized US territories could have their own Olympic teams in 2004 when he saw Puerto Rico beat the United States in basketball. For the 2006 Torino winter games he helped field a DC curling team, which, although it didn’t compete in Italy, did land a sponsorship from Labatt Breweries.
For the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Panetta and his medal wannabes are organizing a race-walking team.
The International Olympic Committee does not recognize the DC Olympic Committee (DCOC), nor has the DCOC officially petitioned to compete. But more than 10,000 people filled out the “Join the DCOC Team” form online at Dcolympicteam.org.
“We knew we were being silly,” says Panetta. “It was just a bunch of guys in their thirties who said, ‘Yeah, we’re an Olympic team, too.’ ”
This article appears in the June 2008 issue of Washingtonian. To see more articles in this issue, click here.
More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Society Photos
Most Popular in News & Politics
Slugging Makes a Comeback for DC Area Commuters
Please Stop Joking That JD Vance Killed the Pope
“I’m Angry at Elon Musk”: Former US Digital Service Workers on DOGE, the “Fork in the Road,” and Trump’s First 100 Days
DC and Commanders Will Announce Stadium Deal Today, Virginia GOP Candidate Accuses Virginia Governor’s Team of Extortion, and Trump Says He Runs the Entire World
“She Developed A Culture of Madness”: Inside the Casa Ruby Scandal
Washingtonian Magazine
May Issue: 52 Perfect Saturdays
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
Viral DC-Area Food Truck Flavor Hive Has It in the Bag
Slugging Makes a Comeback for DC Area Commuters
The Smithsonian’s Surprisingly Dangerous Early Days
An Unusual DC Novel Turns Out to Have an Interesting Explanation
More from News & Politics
At Arena Stage Gala, Rutter Dances and Norton Falters
Ed Martin’s Nomination Is in Trouble, Trump Wants to Rename Veterans Day, and Political Drama Continues in Virginia
Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This May
Trump’s DC Prosecutor, a Former J6 Defense Lawyer, Holds Meeting to Address Crime on Capitol Hill
“Absolute Despair”: An NIH Worker on Job and Budget Cuts, RFK Jr., and Trump’s First 100 Days
Tesla’s Also Sick of DOGE, Alexandria Wants to Censor a Student Newspaper, and We Highlight Some Excellent Soul Food
Amazon Avoids President’s Wrath Over Tariff Price Hikes, DC Budget Fix May Be Doomed, and Trump Would Like to Be Pope
“Pointed Cruelty”: A Former USAID Worker on Cuts, Life After Layoffs, and Trump’s First 100 Days