Sir, - I am writing to apologise to the Irish public for the poor sportsmanship displayed by my countrymen after Michelle Smith's swimming victories. Sour grapes indeed. Or course, I have no idea whether Ms. Smith took performance enhancing drugs or not, but unproven allegations by her competitors should not be allowed to taint her victory.
During a time in which the purity of sport should be celebrated, the US print and broadcast media have chosen instead to focus only on American victories and medal counts. Unfortunately, it's the typically narrow view of the world shared by most, but by no means all, Americans.
I had the pleasure of cycling through Ireland last year, and I just had to tell you that some of us Yanks are shamed by the disparaging remarks made by the American press and competitors, - Yours, etc,
Pirate Road,
Newport Beach, CA 92663, US,