PHOTO COU RTESY OF TBS SU PERSTATIO N

PHOTO BY PASCAL RON DEAU/ALLSPORT

Above:
Greg Louganis won a
silver medal for
platform diving in
the 1976 Olympics
and back-to-back
gold medals in the
springboard and
platform diving
events at the 1984
and 1988 Olympics.

known Jewish Olympian, Benjamin Spock,
who won a 1924 gold medal as a member
of the U.S. crew rowing team before going
on to fame as a pediatrician and child-be-
havior expert.
Basic human stories like these give
Greenspan's films an appeal beyond the cir-
cle of sports fanatics, he believes.
"I'm interested in the
Left:
humanistic aspect of
Mary Lou Retton
sports, as opposed to the
won America's

first ever Olympic jock aspect. I want people
all around
to say after seeing my film,
gymnastics title at 'Where were the networks
the 1984 Los
on this? I didn't know this
Angeles Games.

-

-

happened.' "
During his close to 50-year relationship
with the Olympic Games, Greenspan has
befriended many of sports' illustrious cham-
pions, including Mark Spitz, who won sev-
en gold medals in swimming at the 1972
Munich Olympics. He describes the swim-
mer as a "very down-to-earth person" whose
amazing feat became shadowed by the
killing of 11 Israeli athletes by Palestinian
terrorists.
"They were concerned, because Mark
was Jewish," Greenspan recalls. "But I don't
know if he was as concerned as others were
concerned."
Another Jewish Olympian whom
Greenspan recalls with fondness compet-
ed on the other side of the then-impene-
trable Iron Curtain — Irena Szewynska;
Szewynska, Poland's female track star of
the 1960s and 1970s, is unknown to many
American sports fans.

Above:
Bob Beamon shattered the long jump world record
at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. His record held
for 23 years.

"She's perhaps the greatest of them all,
because she endured for the longest amount
of time." His admiration for Szewynska goes
beyond her track exploits. "She was very

"Honor should not go to
those who have fallen, but
to those who fall and rise
up again."

— Bud Greenspan

lovely — statuesque, quite beautiful. Very,
very feminine."
Now the Cold War has thawed, and
Greenspan believes that sports will return
to center stage in the Games.
"Now people have to root for people, in-
stead of countries," he says. "Everybody
thought the Olympics would be over be-
cause there were no good guys or bad guys.
They were wrong." ❑

Et "America's Greatest Olympians"
premiere at 9 p.m. on Sunday, June 30,

on TBS. Additional airings will be at
8:05 and 10:05 p.m. Monday, July 1;
12:05 a.m. Tuesday, July 2; and 10:35

p.m. Thursday, July 4_

