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(E) Japan's $3.3 billion is outdone by Croatia
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Overtaking Croatia
Forbes Magazine
Thursday February 27, 5:34 pm ET
By Justin Doebele
Japan's tourism industry is suffering. Add one more rescue act for Koizumi.
In the 1960s "Japan was a paradise for tourists," says Philip Gsell, the president of Toppan Travel in Tokyo. He recalls how Americans and Europeans would spend weeks crisscrossing the country, staying in the best hotels. "Now our customers normally stay only three or four days, mostly in Tokyo," he says.
ADVERTISEMENT One would expect the world's second-largest economy to have a tourism industry to match. Instead, it's lopsided: While Japanese are avid travelers, for foreigners Japan is terra incognito.
Japan gets 5 million international visitors a year, ranking it 33rd in the world, below Ukraine and the Czech Republic. In international-tourism receipts Japan's $3.3 billion is outdone by Croatia, (see chart).
Another measure: The U.S. has 4.2 million hotel rooms; Japan, with half the population and half the economy, has only a third that many.
To be sure, Japan is an island nation, so its numbers aren't inflated by short-term border crossings as with other countries. But so is Britain, and its tourist numbers are in the world's top ten for both visitors and receipts.
"The numbers are very sad," says Masafumi Miura, an official at the Japan Association of Travel Agents. "It's a bad situation."
To address the problem Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi announced in January a "Visit Japan" campaign aimed at doubling the number of arrivals by 2010. "The entire government will endeavor to promote tourism," he told parliament. The government's tourism budget will be increased from $25 million to $42 million--still paltry--for the fiscal year starting this April, and a high-level committee is working to carry out Koizumi's mandate.
National efforts are backed up by local ones. Shintaro Ishihara, Tokyo's governor (the equivalent of mayor), is talking up tourism as a way to revive the local economy--including casinos--and hasa budget of $22 million to carry out his plans.
"This is the biggest change I've seen in my 20 years in the industry," says Masato Takamatsu, vice president of Japan Tourism Marketing, a research and consulting subsidiary of Japan's largest travel agency, JTB Corp.
An irony is that Japan was one of, if not the, first Asian countries to market itself to Western tourists. A group called the Welcome Society of Japan was formed in 1893 to bring in tourists, followed by the launch in 1912 of the state-owned Japan Tourist Bureau. Until World War II Japan courted tourists to earn foreign currency to fuel its modernization and military.
As Japan's postwar export boom solved the foreign currency problem, the tourism effort lost its impetus. Business, not tourism, drove most visitors to Japan. (On top of this were visits connected to the U.S. military presence in Japan.) This kept arrival numbers up--they have grown rather steadily over the decades--but has masked a fundamental deterioration of recreational traffic. "Tourism hasn't been recognized as an important industry," says Masahiko Maiya, president of Hotel Okura in Tokyo.
The biggest blow came from the rapid appreciation of the yen in the mid 1980s, making Japan one of the world's most expensive countries to visit. "Everyone has heard the horror stories about high costs," says C.J. Dennett, a vice president at the Asia division of the Westlake Village, California, Pleasant Holidays, the first U.S. travel agent to specialize in Asian tours, founded in 1959. A typical seven-day package from Pleasant for Japan today costs $1,250, while similar packages for China go for $886 (all-inclusive, including air, from the U.S. West Coast).
"Even for theJapanese, it's expensive to travel," says Margaret Price, an Australian living in Japan who's written extensively about the tourism industry. Instead, Japanese tourists have flocked to cheaper destinations outside the country, making 16 million trips abroad, spending $43 billion. In comparison, Americans made 58 million trips outside the U.S.and spent $83 billion.
Japan's government also encouraged its citizens to travel abroad. Bureaucrats used to boast its "tourism deficit" would help offset its trade surplus. The decade-long recession has changed that mind-set.
A nation like Thailand now gets 10 million visitors a year, twice that of Japan. Five years ago Thailand got only 7 million. Virtually no one visited Cambodia ten years ago, and today its total hovers around 1 million a year. "Other countries have been much more aggressive than Japan in their marketing efforts," says Dennett. Singapore, for example, spends $72 million to attract some 8 million visitors to its island nation.
In Japan tourism is the responsibility of a tangle of bureaucracies, including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. "There's no tourism ministry, and there should be," says Price. At the ministry only 130 employees out of 68,000 are responsible for tourism affairs.
Despite talk of radical change, the "Visit Japan" campaign may be more recycled than new. Back in 1996 the government also talked of boosting tourism under a "Welcome Plan 21," with the aim of doubling tourism by 2005 (instead of 2010). Some officials say the two plans are one. "The DˇVisit Japan' campaign is for realizing the aim of DˇWelcome Plan 21,'" says Isokazu Tanaka, the executive director of overseas promotion at the Japan National Tourism Organization.
In the meantime Japan suffered setbacks, failing to land the 2008 Summer Olympics in Osaka and to get the expected number of arrivals for the World Cup games it shared with Korea.
If Japan is to revive tourism, big changes will be necessary. The lack of English speakers, especially outside of the major cities, is one barrier. Writer Price was asked by tourism officials to test the English skills of staff at 25 hotels in the southern prefecture of Ehime, touted as a model for foreign tourism. A third couldn't understand her when she tried to make a reservation using only English.
Japan also has geography going against it. "We are geographically handicapped, being so distant from markets such as Singapore and the U.S.," says Satoru Kanazawa, head of the land ministry's tourism department. Unlike Southeast Asia, where countries are close enough together to allow reasonable hopping around the region, north Asia tends to be a one-country destination. "If you are getting on a plane for 14 hours and this is a once-in-a-lifetime visit, tourists want multiple destinations. Japan is more of a solo destination," says Dennett.
Not surprisingly the countries that send the most visitors to Japan are also the closest, notably Korea, Taiwan, China and Hong Kong (the U.S. is the fifth). China's growth is the most rapid; the half a million arrivals last year was double 1997's number. (Korea is still number one with over 1 million.) Chinese tourism is burgeoning throughout the region.
Yet Japan is ambivalent about its Chinese visitors because some stay as illegal workers. It's a hotly debated topic in a country with draconian immigration laws. "Some want to expand tourism with China. Others want to close the door," says Miura of the travel agent group.
To combat the problem Japan requires each Mainlander to put up a bond of up to $6,000 and to travel in package tours of at least six people. But if Japan wants to increase tourism, it has no choice but to court the Chinese. "China is our most important market in Asia," says Kanazawa.
Aside from geography, which it can't change, Japan can do much better. Despite its prowess at marketing its products, Japan is lousy at marketing itself.
First to go should be the stereotypes of "temples, geishas and cherry blossoms," says Price. And contemporary images of Japan don't help: crowded cities, stressed office workers and widespread recession. "I can't imagine why anyone would want to come here," says John Bosworth, an American who has lived in Japan for 30 years and runs a travel agency.
Japan can offer a wide variety of travel experiences, from tropical beaches in southern Okinawa to European-style towns and ski resorts in northern Hokkaido. "No one tells you about these places," says Price.
Japanese officials also talk about creating niche tourism. Ideas include ecotourism, cycling tours, bird-watching and pottery tours to learn the secrets of Japanese ceramics.
Even the cost issue can be deflected. "I think Japan has gotten a bad rap expense-wise. There are cheap alternatives, whether it's accommodations, food or getting around," says Tony Wheeler, the founder and owner of the Lonely Planet budget travel guides (now the world's largest travel guide publisher).
For example, Japan offers a rail pass allowing unlimited travel in Japan, including the famous bullet trains, which is similar to the Eurailpass in Europe. Yet few know that it exists, and that the price of a 14-day pass is just $382, cheaper than a 15-day Eurailpass at $498.
And visitor costs in general are declining, both because the yen exchange rate has generally grown more favorable for Europeans and Americans in the past five years and because domestic prices are falling because of deflation. Japan is doing nothing to herald this abroad.
The shortage of international-brand hotels may be giving way. The Hyatt chain is about to open a new unit in Tokyo. The Raffles hotel chain in Singapore and the Okura chain signed a strategic alliance last May.
Yet much of what makes Japan special is an acquired taste, like sushi. Take the ryokan, a traditional inn sans beds--lodgers get a futon mattress on the floor. "My friend complained he felt like he was camping when he stayed in one of them," says Price. Yet for Japanese, austerity is the charm--it's called wabi or tranquil simplicity.
"The Japanese definitely have their work cut out for them," says Dennett. Yet few doubt that almost any effort would be an improvement over the current neglect. Offers veteran travel agent Gsell, "Something is better than nothing."
http://biz.yahoo.com/fo/030227/417461b5ab64a4bc2546783bff6dee6a_1.html
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(E) Kickboxing champion quits SA for Croatia
Kickboxing champion quits SA for Croatia Mike Barnardo, a superstar in Japan, seeks to relaunch career
Herman Gibbs Mike Barnardo, the 33-year-old former World Boxing Federation (WBF) heavyweight champion, has emigrated to Croatia. 
Easy Pickings: Mike Barnardo, right, against Peter McNeeley, whom he knocked out. Picture: Ruvan Boshoff |
The boxer and kickboxer, who has started to make a name for himself as a movie star, left South Africa last week to accept an offer of Croatian citizenship. Nine months ago Barnardo spent six weeks on location in Croatia where the movie Milost Mora was shot. Barnardo made headlines when he was initially cast opposite film star Brooke Shields. However, the film's director subsequently decided Shields was not suitable for the role. The cast included recent Emmy award winner Martin Sheen and RenT?e Estevez and the film, retitled Mercy of the Sea, will be shown on the SA circuit in April. Barnardo leaves this country a disappointed man because he has never been accorded the respect, even honour, that he experienced in Japan in particular. After winning the WBF heavyweight title in Hungary in April 2000 Barnardo knocked out a washed up Peter McNeeley at the Grand West Casino a year later in a title defence. McNeeley's claim to fame at the time was that he had fought Mike Tyson. In that fight, Tyson disposed of McNeeley in 89 seconds in Las Vegas. There were many unsuccessful attempts to match Barnardo against some leading heavyweights, among them SA' s Fransie "White Buffalo" Botha. But it was Barnardo's kickboxing exploits that made him famous in Asia. In 2000 he won the World K1 Grand Prix title in Fukuoka, Japan, and in 1996, 1998 and 2001 he finished in the top three in the same tournament. That made him one of Japan's more high-profile sportsmen. His photograph can still be seen on billboards around the country and he appears regularly in television advertisements and as a guest on television shows. During his movie safari in Croatia, Barnardo worked out at a gymnasium in the capital, Zagreb, where he made a profound impression on the local trainers. "I made the decision [to emigrate] because I don't have many years left to pursue competitive martial arts," he said. "Opportunities in South Africa are limited and facilities far from what they should be. "Both kickboxing and boxing thrive in Croatia. I spent most of my life kickboxing but, in Croatia, I'll pursue boxing more than I have done previously. "I still believe I can make an impact as a world-class boxer and Croatia will give me that chance. The fact that Croatia has offered me citizenship shows how much they rate my worth. "In South Africa I have never been given the recognition which I enjoyed abroad. That really hurts but I have to move on. "I now have a good idea of what I can expect in Croatia in terms of training and facilities and I am determined to work harder at the sport than ever before." Cape Town martial arts expert JP Naude said Barnardo's frustration was understandable. "Kickboxing does not have the appeal in South Africa and, as a result, people don't know what Mike has done over the years. Fans in Japan worship him and that's why he is in demand for TV commercials and adverts." A few months ago Barnardo parted ways with well-known Cape Town martial arts trainer Steve Kalakoda, who was instrumental in introducing him to the fight game and was in Barnardo's corner for all his fights - kickboxing and boxing. Barnardo's former stablemate, Jan Nortjt?, has started wrestling in Japan. He is currently the African Boxing Union heavyweight champion. Nortjt?, also trained by Kalakoda, has featured in several K1 bouts in Japan. Barnardo will keep his home in Wynberg, Cape Town. Source: http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/2003/03/02/sport/boxing/boxing5.asp Formated for CROWN by Marko Puljic
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(E) Tae Kwon-Do Championship
FITTING FINALE FOR PHIL'S 10TH YEAR Six gold medals and being crowned national champions for the sixth year running made the English Tae Kwon-Do Championships a memorable one for the Exeter Schools of Tae Kwon-Do. The 24 Exeter students, comprising juniors, teenagers and adults, won 20 medals and amassed 38 points, one more than Thames Valley. More than 500 competitors from 50 tae kwon-do schools and nine different associations were in action at the Riverside Leisure Centre. They came from India, Poland, Uganda and Croatia, as well as across Britain. Exeter was chosen to host the event this year to acknowledge the 10th anniversary of the foundation of the Exeter Schools by senior instructor Philip Taverner, who is a fourth degree black belt. It was fitting, therefore, that two of the best performances came from Exeter students - 15-year-old yellow belt Harriet Martin and 13-year-old red belt James Clay, who both won medals after stepping up a class. Harriet's yellow belt sparring competition was cancelled because of a lack of entries so she entered blue and red belt against girls with far more experience than herself. In her first round, Harriet came up against a blue belt, but sparred aggressively and was undaunted by her opponents' greater experience and range of techniques. The judges scored the bout as a draw which meant that it had to go to extra-time. At the end of extra-time, the judges tied the event again forcing the round to a sudden death with the first competitor to score a point winning which Harriet duly did. In the second round the same thing happened, Harriet beating a blue belt in sudden death to put herself into the final. There she lost to a 17-year-old red belt who is about to take her black belt grading leaving Harriet with a well-earned silver medal to go with the gold she won in 13 to 17-year-olds yellow belt patterns. James competed in the 13-17 age group for the first time and was not expecting to repeat his previous competition success when he had been in the under-13 age group. However, in the sparring competition he claimed the gold medal after several hard fought rounds against boys older and bigger than himself. Exeter's other gold medals came from Paul Hutchings, Jenny Jacobs and Greg Bagwell in sparring and Zain Hussain in patterns. Hutchings, 21, and current member of the England first dan team, won the men's middleweight black belt sparring competition. He won bronze medals in the Junior World Championships in India 1998 and bronze and gold at the 2002 European Championships.Jacobs, 26, also a member of the England first dan team, collected the women's middleweight black belt sparring gold as well as silver in the black belts patterns. She also competed at last year's European Championships.Bagwell, 21, a red belt, won his first sparring gold in the men's heavyweight coloured belts sparring along with a bronze in the patterns. Exeter Schools of Tae Kwon-Do other Exeter medallist were: Timothy Walker, bronze sparring; Adelaida Osborne, bronze pattern, silver sparring; Andrew Merrick, silver pattern, bronze sparring; Adam Gallen, silver pattern; Jushua Sussex, bronze sparring; Lewis Guppy, bronze pattern; Becky Summers, silver patterns; Kate Bonner, bronze pattern, bronze sparring. At the closing ceremony, 15-year-old Exeter member Kevin Wolinski presented Taverner with an engraved crystal ball, on behalf his students, thanking him for 10 years of instruction. Exeter-based Swift tae kwon-do students won three gold medals at the IKBKFO Open mixed martial arts tournament in Oxford. Second degree black belt Leroy Venn, 14, won his sixth championship in a row and was declared grand slam champion. Green tag Kirsty Sheath, 12, competing in her first open tournament, won the under 4ft 10ins category, beating a male Kung Fu black belt in the final. And red tag Nikita Venn, 15, won the girls' over 5ft 4ins category to take her tally to five gold, two silver and two bronze medals in just one year.Swift tournament trophies, Gold: Lee Sills (2), Tom Spencer, Nikita Venn, Jocie Bartlett, Sam Garnsworthy Silver: Abbie Phillips, Lauren Pearce, Craig Gavin, Kirsty Sheath, Nikita Venn, Lee Sills Bronze: George Bartlett, Jack Gidley, Nikita Venn, Katie John. Source: http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=101939&command=displayContent&sourceNode=99872&contentPK=4418235.
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(E) New nickname: Croatian Sensation
New nickname: Croatian Sensation ORLANDO - (KRT) - Running off at the typewriter . . . (Op-ed, The text is edited for CROWN) I hate to admit it, but those global accusations that we Americans are hopelessly self-absorbed might just be the tiniest bit accurate. At the Magic's game with the Mavs on Tuesday night, a local sports writer asked Magic player Gordan Giricek about being from the "the same neck of the woods as (Germany's) Dirk Nowitzki." Giricek, who is from Croatia, looked puzzled. "What is this neck of woods?" he asked. "Europe?" Exactly. Adriatic Sea, Baltic Sea, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci_they're all the same, right? . . . And isn't it laughable that Giricek is called a rookie? He's 25 years old and has been playing for pay since he was 16. For crying out loud, he's an Eastern European LeBron James. New nickname: Croatian Sensation. . . . The only chance Iraq has is if Saddam hires the refs from the Miami-Ohio State game. . . . New tradition at UM baseball games: The Seventh-Inning Handout. It's great. Everybody gets up and sings, "Take Me Out to the Illegal Baseball Camp." . . . Former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis confessed years ago that he tossed his no-hitter while high on LSD, and now David Wells admits he was "half-drunk" during his perfect game. Coming soon: Nolan Ryan confesses to throwing his seven no-hitters while eating quaaludes and drinking mushroom tea. And Don Larsen had this annoying habit of going to the resin bag. You wonder now if he was squeezing it or snorting it. . . . Ed Martin, the Michigan fan who paid players such as Chris Webber, Jalen Rose and Robert Traylor hundreds of thousands of dollars while they were in college, passed away recently. And none of the aforementioned players attended the funeral. That's sad_sort of like one of those old spaghetti westerns where the outlaws take your money, then leave you to die. Last word: "What really matters is whether the alphabet is used for the declaration of war or for the description of a sunrise."_Mr. Rogers.
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(E) Capitals chase red-hot Hollie to Sibenik, Croatia
Capitals chase red-hot Hollie HOT PROPERTY: Tasmania's Hollie Grima is in demand in WNBL circles and has been described as the next Lauren Jackson. SYDNEY - Not content with winning three WNBL titles in four years, the Canberra Capitals are set to bolster their star- studded squad further by signing "the next Lauren Jackson". The Capitals - fresh from last weekend's Jackson-inspired WNBL grand final win over the Sydney Flames - are poised to win a tug-of-war over in-demand free agent and AIS centre Hollie Grima. Canberra is expected to stitch up a deal with the 19-year-old former Tasmanian after meeting with her management in two weeks, boosting a team that already boasts Opals star Jackson and WNBA guard Kristen Veal. Grima is expected to decide between three clubs after finishing eighth in WNBL scoring this season, averaging 14.2 points a game, and finishing second only to Jackson in rebounding (10.6). It looms as a hectic fortnight for Grima, who is resting in her home city, Launceston, before linking with the Australian under-23 team, the Sapphires, for a Melbourne camp from March 10-13. Grima - Basketball Australia's 2001-02 junior player of the year - will join a class training squad also boasting Adelaide forward Laura Summerton, who was with the Tasmanian in the Opals' 2002 world titles bronze medal campaign. After the camp, a 12-strong team will be selected to fly out on April 9 for a Four Nations Tournament in China against the Chinese senior team, a US college outfit and either Japan or Chinese Taipei. The Sapphires will then contest the World Championships for Young Women at Sibenik, Croatia from July 25 to August 3. The addition of Grima would further revitalise a Capitals outfit which has Jackson and Veal under contract for another two years and veteran Lucille Bailie committed to returning as skipper. SAPPHIRES SQUAD: Hollie Grima (AIS), Gabrielle Richards (AIS), Emma Randall (AIS), Katie Davis (AIS), Kelly Wilson (AIS), Jessica Mahony (Adelaide Lighting), Laura Summerton (Adelaide Lightning), Monique Bowley (Adelaide Lightning), Shelley Hammonds (Sydney Flames), Briana Hennessy (Sydney Flames), Carly Wilson (Dandenong Rangers), Michelle Musselwhite (Dandenong Rangers), Allison Downie (Dandenong Rangers), Samantha Richards (Dandenong Rangers), Tania Heritage (Townsville Fire). Source: http://www.examiner.com.au/story.asp?id=165438.
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(E) Vojvodina Croatian leader offers evidence against Seselj
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Vojvodina Croatian leader offers evidence against Seselj NOVI SAD -- Friday – The president of the Democratic League of Croatians in Serbia’s northern province of Vojvodina, Bela Tonkovic, said today that he is prepared to give evidence against Serbian Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj before the Hague Tribunal.
“We have forwarded documentation to the court on everything which has happened in Vojvodina. This is information we have already sent to the highest levels of the UN, the OSCE, the Stability Pact, and all the appropriate local bodies,” he said.
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(E) Monaco's Dado Prso of Croatia - Photo
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Monaco's Dado Prso of Croatia 
Monaco's Dado Prso of Croatia (R) fights for the ball withAuxerre's Johan Radet of France (L) during the French league soccer matchbetween Monaco and Auxerre in Monaco February 23, 2003. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
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(E) Janica and Ivica on SHOWTIME 03/03/03 Tonight
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| Distributed by CroatianWorld Janicaand Ivica on SHOWTIME Tonight Bud Greenspan, famous for his Olympic retrospectives, has as oneof his stories the success ofJanica and Ivica Kostelic. It will be broadcast on Showtime.
"Salt Lake 2002: Bud Greenspan's Stories of Olympic Glory"
(Showtime, March 3, 9 p.m. Eastern)
Tom
P.S. Scroll down. The second half of the article talks aboutit. Jim McKay Recalls Thrills and AgonyFebruary 24, 2003
By RICHARD SANDOMIR In many cases, letting a sportscaster write and narrate adocumentary about himself would produce an exercise inegomania. Not Jim McKay. The modesty he projected incovering everything from the Olympics to logrolling to theIndianapolis 500 to target diving is demonstrated in HBO's"Jim McKay: My Life in My Words" (tonight, 10 p.m.Eastern). There is more wonder in his words at a careerthat took him from being a police reporter for TheBaltimore Evening Sun to serving as host of ABC's "WideWorld of Sports." He describes the many events he covered "as if looking atone long police lineup." There are things you may not know about McKay: he isreally James McManus; he is insecure; and he had a nervousbreakdown in 1960 that prevented him from being the host ofthe Winter Olympics for CBS. In the 1950's, he was host of a morning show for CBS called"The Real McKay." He can be seen singing an Irish song inan old kinescope, and as the credits roll in thisdocumentary, he reprises the theme song, crooning, "We'regoing to chase all your blues away/Gonna make you feel justlike the real McKay." The documentary moves in a sweet, easy rhythm that mimicsMcKay's style. There are no memories of scores orstatistics, but many well-told tales and awe at theaccomplishments of athletes like thoroughbreds: "Why dothese champions do such things? For an extra bucket offeed? What instincts lie inside to make them want to do sowell? What makes them care so much?" He will be remembered best for how he anchored the coverageof the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 SummerGames in Munich. McKay reflects on that here, as he has inother places. But the focus is not on repeating theterrible details, but on how he viewed his role on that dayin September: the only conduit of news to the family ofDavid Berger, a weight lifter from Shaker Heights, Ohio,who emigrated to Israel in 1970 for a chance to experiencethe Olympics. David Berger was "one of those helpless men, boundtogether, blindfolded, not knowing if or when he would beexecuted," McKay says. "And I would be the person in the end who would tell theBerger family if their son was alive or dead," he adds. "Ihad better be sure when I told them." When he looked into the camera lens - "the eyes of millionsof people" - he says that he only thought of the eyes ofthe Bergers upon him. "I know my eyes were heavy with sorrow, and I knew what Imust say," he says. He pronounced the Israelis all dead,"They're gone." The Bergers turned off their TV, and yearslater, they thought of the role that McKay played that day."He's a mensch," Benjamin Berger says. "He's a realperson." But for all his travels for sport, the destination inMcKay's documentary is home. For many years he traveled 45weeks a year, leaving behind his wife, Margaret; son, Sean;and daughter, Mary. He loved his job, but he wanted to be home, in theprotective embrace of Margaret, a former newspapercolumnist who is as confident as McKay is self-doubting. "And that smile," he says, "that incredible smile, is stilla thing of wonder to me." What also remains a thing of wonder is Bud Greenspan'sstrict refusal to acknowledge Olympic perfidy. His newest,"Salt Lake 2002: Bud Greenspan's Stories of Olympic Glory"(Showtime, March 3, 9 p.m. Eastern), follows a formula thatblocks out corruption, bribery and ethics investigations tofocus on athletes who embody the Olympic ideal. Thestrategy is almost quaint, but as the United State OlympicCommittee tries to dig itself out of an ethical andorganizational hole, it is a welcome curative. There are six stories, told with compelling cinematographyand footage from the Olympic world feed. They are all aboutovercoming obstacles, and the best one is about JanicaKostelic, the Croatian Alpine combined skier, and herbrother, Ivica, who were trained by their father. Janica Kostelic is the perfect Greenspan subject: she haslittle money and little snow to train on, sustainsdevastating knee injuries and wins three gold medals. Sheprovides rich opportunities for Olympic rhetoric, firstfrom the narrator Will Lyman: "And so it was done. Whatbegan as the dream of a father those many years ago wasfulfilled by his daughter. And it is right and proper thatwe celebrate them, for they serve as an inspiration forthis generation and generations not born." And then, from Kostelic's father, Ante: "Love for the sportis everything. There are no results without anunconditional love for the sport. This wasn't just memanipulating my children to become top-class athletes. Itis their love for the snow, the mountains and skiing."
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/24/sports/othersports/24SAND.html?ex=1047114332&ei=1&en=304b772645eb39eb
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(E) Croatia indicts 10 ex-Yugoslav army officers for war crimes
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Croatia indicts Tenarmy officers and rebel Serb leaders
Sat Feb 22, 8:54 AM ET
ZAGREB, Croatia - Ten former Yugoslav army officers and rebel Serb leaders — some already charged by the U.N. war crimes court — have been indicted for the deadly wartime shelling of the Croatian city of Vukovar, a district prosecutor said Saturday.
The prosecutor, Bozidar Pilic, said the 10 had been indicted with war crimes against civilians and prisoners of war, the state-run news agency HINA reported. The indictment was completed earlier this week following years of investigation, Pilic added.
Four of the 10 have been indicted for the wartime crimes in Croatia by the U.N. court in The Hague, Netherlands: ex-Yugoslav army officers Veselin Sljivancanin and Miroslav Radic; rebel Serb leader Mile Mrksic, and Vojislav Seselj, an ultranationalist leader from neighboring Serbia.
Pilic did not say why the prosecution launched the indictments against suspects already facing charges by The Hague court, which has precedence over the local judiciary. But the new charges are bound to be welcomed by many Croats, who blame the Serb leaders for atrocities committed during the war.
The indictment also includes former top Yugoslav army officers Veljko Kadijevic, Blagoje Adzic, Zivota Panic, Zvonko Jurjevic and Bozidar Stevanovic, and rebel Serb leader Goran Hadzic.
Sljivancanin and Radic, who are believed to be living in neighboring Serbia, remain at large eight years after The Hague court indicted them. Mrksic has surrendered and is awaiting trial, while Seselj plans to travel to The Hague on Monday.
The 10 are the highest-level Serb officials indicted in Croatia so far.
Thousands of Croats were killed and entire villages were leveled to the ground in a war that erupted when Croatian Serbs, backed by the Yugoslav army, rebelled after Croatia in 1991 declared independence from the former Yugoslavia.
Croats consider Vukovar, located near Croatia's eastern border with Serbia and Montenegro — the successor to Yugoslavia — a symbol of Serb wartime cruelty. The city was besieged and shelled for three months before falling to the Serbs, and more than 2,000 people were killed there.
Croatia has already tried dozens of Serbs for war crimes, but mainly low-key figures. Thousands of other Serbs who joined the rebels during the war were pardoned in 1996, following international pressure.
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(E) Croatian and Greek Foreign Ministers Meet
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Croatian and Greek Foreign Ministers Meet 
Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, right, and Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula speak with the media during a media conference at the EU Council building in Brussels, Monday, Feb. 24, 2003. Three days after Croatia applied for membership in the EU, Macedonia said Monday it will also formally ask to join the European Union this year. (AP Photo/Thierry Charlier)
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