Welcome to the official blog of the We Support Nia Abdallah Campaign. This blog is geared towards showing that 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist Nia Abdallah was robbed of her 2008 Olympic dream by the USOC in a fight against Diana Lopez.
(Note: This story originally appeared on www.click2houston.com. Please can someone tell us how Diana Lopez can teach Cat Osterman anything, when she did not beat Nia Abdallah? Please email Channel 2 News at news@kprc.com and tell them to come visit the home of the real champion)
SUGAR LAND, Texas -- Cat Osterman is a force on the softball field. The Olympian is headed to Beijing in hopes of capturing another gold medal. But when the world-class athlete wants to blow off steam and learn a new sport, she goes to the best for training.Osterman recently went to the Sugar Land gym where Steven, Diana and Mark Lopez perfect their taekwondo skills. She invited KPRC Local 2 to her private training session where she learned the art of taekwondo."My uncle teaches taekwondo in Chicago, which is how I've gotten involved in all of it. But, I haven't taken that many classes with him," she said.
Jean Lopez, the oldest of the Lopez siblings, is the head coach of the U.S. men's taekwondo team. He said Osterman was a natural."The cool thing about being an athlete, it doesn't matter what discipline or sport you pick, if you're an athlete, you're an athlete. You have a better understanding of your body -- your awareness of it, and that you can translate those things into whatever sport there is," Lopez said.
Steven Lopez, 29, already has two Olympic gold medals under his belt. He enjoyed sharing a sport he loves with other great athletes."I think Cat did awesome. There's something amazing that I've seen in athletes that if you're a good athlete, you're a good athlete," Steven Lopez said. "And obviously, she's a great softball player."
Once Osterman learned a few kicks and tricks, she had even more respect for the sport."You have to focus on mechanics and stuff, too, but I feel it's more disciplined and straight focused than it is when we're out on the field and stuff," she said.
Mark Lopez, the youngest of the Lopez siblings at 26 years old, will be going for his first Olympic medal. He was also impressed with Osterman's skill."She's a natural," Mark Lopez said. "Her being an Olympic-caliber athlete, and softball -- that takes a lot of skill -- hand, eye coordination, it's a natural thing for her, it seems like. She seemed to throw every basic kick very well."
Osterman said it was a lot of fun, but harder than it looks."Working out with the Lopezes was fun -- something kind of different and they taught me some cool kicks and stuff, which is nice, because you don't want to be bored with the real basic stuff," she said."
After softball, if she did want to choose a sport, I think taekwondo will be perfect for her," Steven Lopez said.
The Lopez siblings made history when all three earned spots on the 2008 U.S. Olympic taekwondo team -- the first time since 1904 that three siblings will represent the U.S. at the Olympics in the same sport.
Nia Abdallah Appears on S.O.S Radio Show with DJ Zin Houston and Galveston airwaves hear the truth from the real champion
The Houston and Galveston community heard the truth on July 9, 2008 when Nia Abdallah and her mother Rhonda Duhart made a guest appearance on the Sound of Soul (S.O.S) Radio Show hosted by DJ Zin. Listeners tuned into KPFT 90.1 FM in Houston and 89.5 FM in Galveston as the 2004 Silver Medalist spoke about how she was robbed in the Olympic Trials match against Diana Lopez.
"If I had lost then I would have accepted it but anybody can watch the video and see that I clearly beat Diana Lopez", said Abdallah. "I don't see this as a race issue but really it's a favoritism issue. "
Her mother shared the history of what has been done to the Tae Kwon Do Hall of Famer by the United States Olympic Committee. Zin pledged his support and will continue to promote her plight.
Radio listeners were asked to visit her website, myspace and blog to show their support.
About S.O.S. Radio S.O.S. Radio airs every Wednesday: 3:00 - 5:00 PM on KPFT 90.1FM in Houston and 89.5FM in Galveston. Hosted by DJ Zin, the show offers comprehensive progressive news, entertainment and the best in hip-hop, world beat, R&B and reggae music.
The People Are Speaking Out--Read These Comments From YouTube The first video of the April match between Nia Abdallah and Diana Lopez was taken off of YouTube several times by the USOC BUT there is one still remaining of the Sudden Death Round. Check it out the comments that have been made so far:
Agreed! Outrageous!!!! Especially since they ignore ALL of Nia's direct kicks, and when Nia knocked down Diana THREE TIMES with no points. This arm shot shows they really wanted Diana to have it.
Consider the point of view of the 2 judges closest to the crowd out of view of the camera. How could they possibly see that hit her body (which it didn't)when they didn't score heads hots that all could see? Just sick..
TRAVESTY!!!! SCREW JOB!!!! Deplorable!!!! SCREWED BLIND!!!! INJUSTICE!!!! CHEATED!!!!! PATHETIC!!!! Despicable!!! Just a few descriptive clean adjectives that come to mind when I see the taekwondo scoring like this by USAT. Pretty sad way to pick a representative for the USA! Tanya Harding has more ethics than the five judges who publically screwed Nia if front of the world!
This is a sad time for the Olympics and a sad time for America. The best athlete in the USA will not be representing the USA at the 2008 Olympics in Bejing for the Women's Taekwondo matches. Having three siblings compete together sounds like a great marketing opportunity. However, when they are not the best athletes how can you permit them to represent the USA? Where is the honor of the Olympics? Where is the honor of TKD?
Bunch of cheaters and posers I can't believe our Taekwondo community is being represented by some abnormal family in the Olympics like there is nobody who is better or at least deserves its achievements in this country. I can think of some one who can and actually did beat the Lopez more than once in this country? But what happened next? The CIA or the government made them disappear OH NO I am sorry the American public did because they stayed silent to what's right and applauded what's wrong
can anyone explain how the USOC can keep taking down this footage claiming copyright infringement considering this is obviously someone's personal camcorder? This isn't an official USOC television broadcast produced for the purposes of the USOC this was held as a public event so shouldn't it be public domain footage if someone records it on their own. I've been to tons of TKDO Matches and never saw a sign prohibiting the use of camcorders due to copyright infringement. any legal eagles out there
The other question is why dosnt USOC claim copyright infringement on all the other videos on here. there are plenty that should come down to under this idea.
Houston Chronicle ran a story about this -- go to chron(dot)com and search for Nia. The word's starting to get out! Even so, they framed the story as Nia and her family wanting a review, but this is an American story. Most of us don't even know Nia -- and we're demanding a review. Knowledge is power, and the more people know, the more the USOC will be under pressure to review it, so let's all keep spreading the word.
I have no idea what's going on here. How come they don't get points for all the kicks that are connecting? And why are they going after each other like they have a grudge or something? I though martial artists were supposed to be calm and collected, or something. Like Steven Seagal. For he is the master.
The issue is and always will be that Nia won and Diana lost but 'judges' gave it to the family sibling. The USOC is only making it worse nt not correcting this now.
Completely agreed-- this is not saying that both fighters are great, but theres too much politics behind this. If all the sponsors and advertisers saw Diana lose... draw your own conclusions.
yah we are done here this is the end of every american real story they stick it up to your uasss many would talk about rejecting it but at the end we'd just get used to it!!!!!!! ha ha ha ha
OLYMPIC CHEATING SPORT EVENT _ Do they have any rules ...... or do the cheating judges just do what they have to so the desired competitor wins?????? Looks like thejudges game plan id: Hold off all scoring till the last minute then cheat thei pants off? What do the judges do to them after they get their pantsd off? What a disgusting sport!
Wtf? wow!! Ive competed in this sport for years and never seen anything like this!! The Lopez family should be ashamed of them selves. What a set up! I have trained with Nia many times and thought id take her side to quickly untill i watched if for myself! and WOW! diana won't make it passed the first round! Usoc what the hell are yall doing? Nia that was yours! Love ya girl! don't worry what goes around comes around! we all know who the real champion is and she fights with her heart! GO NIA!!=)
I say also the same the usos us getting more & more political everyday. I mean come on everyone seen this & still no change. Its dispicable but everyone knows that it happendeds to the best of us so if the right person doesnt rep. the USA for tkd in the olympics or worlds or pan-am's i guess there just hurting the sports reputation & people dont even wanna fight for usat ne more b cuz of these ref's an horible judging
Yeah Nia!!! This match shows the lack of integrity in WTF. Those who compete at the nat'l level have witnessed blatant favoritism for Diana Lopez in numerous matches that she should have lost. Obviously, the goal is to promote tkd in the U.S. through the unlikely story of 3 siblings (Steven, Mark, Diana) making it to the Olympics. All this does is to turn me (and I'm sure others ) off to tkd and want to switch to a different martial art. Perhaps BJJ where outcomes are much more obvious (tap).
What's worse is having to be reminded of what selfish people they are every time I turn on the television. Has Charlotte Craig appeared in one interview with them? You'd think it was just the family defending the Americans this year.
Watch the video below of the sudden death round between me and Diana Lopez in April 2008 during the Olympic Trials. Now you be the judge. Did I win or did she? It's OBVIOUS that I beat her. Truth be told, she lost even before this sudden death round. The sport has become corrupted so I want the world to know that Diana Lopez is not the champion. I am!
Press Conference & Protest Kicks Off "We Support Nia" Campaign in Houston Nia Abdallah Delivers first statement since being robbed of Olympic dream
Houston, Texas--"When I won the silver medal in 2004 I was depressed because I felt I'd failed my country when I didn't win the gold. Afterwards, I totally dedicated myself to winning the gold in 2008. Now this", said Nia Abdallah. This was her first statement since being robbed of her Olympic dream. A press conference and rally was held on her behalf at Solomon's Temple of Martial Arts Fitness Center located in the Third Ward Area
"When I was 4 years old I told my grandfather, who was a fan of Jesse Owens, that one day I was going to win the Olympics. Since a little girl I have been headed in this direction. I'm still in shock. I am my own worst critic, but I honestly do not see what I could have done better", she continued in her message to the local press."This is not sour grapes with me. I wish her the best. I just don't want the next kid to go through what I'm going through. This is supposed to be a country where you are free to fulfill your dreams."
"The more I view the fight in its entirety the more nauseated I become", said Brother Deric Muhammad of the MMM Ministry of Justice. "The way Nia was treated was a slap in the face to Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, Carl Lewis and to all who opened the way for the elimination of discrimination in the Olympic games."
Joined by several dozen in attendance, Nia's parents, Thomas and Rhonda Duhart are outraged as well. "It is extremely painful to watch her go through this. She worked so hard to prepare herself to represent this country and she was robbed of her opportunity. Something must be done", said Mrs. Duhart.
Mr. Duhart added that, "have always reviewed her fights and taught her to be the best. I can honestly say that she was at her best, but I believe that she was in their way."
There is a worldwide movement afoot to get justice for the 2004 Olympic Tae Kwon Do Silver Medalist. Abdallah was robbed by the 2008 United States Olympic Committee in her Des Moines Olympic trial match against Diana Lopez of the newly famed Lopez family who is now appearing in many corporate sponsored commercials (AT&T, etc.) and who recently appeared on the Jay Leno Show. Videos of the taped battle have been circulating aggressively over the internet where 99% of the viewers vote Nia the winner "hands down". Countless blogs have been on fire with controversy over the injustice and letters are flying off to the USOC committee demanding answers. Nia trounced Diana so convincingly that the crowd erupted into boooos when Diana was declared the winner. While the Lopez family is highly respected in the world of Tae Kwon Do, experts declare that they are going to Beijing dishonorably and fear that the bureaucracy associated with last month's unbelievable outcome will represent a black eye for the future of the discipline which officially became an Olympic sport in the year 2000. Much has been made of the Lopez family being the first American trio of siblings to compete in the Olympics since 1904. But all one has to do is view the Nia vs Diana video and it is clear that their presence there will be more "marketing" than martial arts.
Attorney Warren Muhammad is representing the family and he commented that "While this case is about Nia Abdallah, it is about more than Nia. It is about every child, teenager and young adult who dedicates themselves to sport and aspires to Olympic competition. It is about insuring fairness, a level playing, where truly the best man or woman may win. It is about having rules and procedures in place for a fair and meaningful review, to ensure such fairness, and to protect the integrity of the sport and the individual contestants. These rules and procedures are lacking and wholly inadequate in the current state of affairs in Olympic Taekwondo competition. There is no meaningful review or process available to remedy an egregious, unjust decision, which dampens the spirit and kills the opportunity of contestants such as Nia Abdallah. The current process is a breeding ground for unfairness, subjectivity, collusion and fraud, which should have no place in a country that hold itself out as the standard bearer for Freedom, Justice and Equality. A Congressional Inquiry is needed to determine the merits of what has taken place in the debacle of the Nia Abdallah v Dianna Lopez match and the rules and regulations that govern the competition. "
Supporters of Ms. Abdallah are in protest of the U.S. Olympic Committee's decision to publicly rob the American people of the most qualified athletic representative in that weight class. While international protests are taking place surrounding human rights in Tibet, they are not advocating an attempt to arrest the Olympic torch, which is supposed to be symbolic of freedom.
"I thought it was an outrage…I have heard from Taekwondo stylists all over the country who are outraged by the poor judging", said Floyd Burke of Black Belt Magazine in a released statement.
Protestors are also challenging all Tae Kwon Do athletes and enthusiasts in attendance in Beijing to stand and turn their backs moments before Diana Lopez competes in remembrance of the TKD principle of honor that was violated to advance her to the Olympics. We are demanding a full investigation by the House Judiciary Committee and there must be a change in the appellate process so that no athlete, regardless of race, creed or color will ever be robbed of their dignity and hard work the way Ms. Abdullah was.
"I have watched and watched the video and Nia could have scored as many as four points in sudden death alone….Nia won hands down", said Alan Schein (co-author of the book Tae Kwon Do Basics and and international press correspondent for Masters Magazine.
ATHENS - AUGUST 27: Nia Abdallah of the United States wins the silver medal for the women's under 57 kg Taekwondo event on August 27, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Sports Pavilion part of the Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex.
Nia Nicole Abdallah is the 2004 Olympics silver medalist in Athens, Greece. She is the first woman to medal in Tae Kwondo since it became an official Olympic Sport. She is the first African-American to medal in the sport and she also holds the record for the most points ever scored in Tae Kwondo Olympic competition.
Abdallah’s Olympic dream began at the age of five. At the age of nine, she began taekwondo. She is a third degree black belt. She is a graduate of George Washington Carver High School. Abdallah has won 14 Texas State Championships (forms and sparing), four Junior Olympic gold medals (forms and sparing) and numerous local and regional tournaments. She earned her first major international win in 1997 at the 11th Annual U.S. Cup Taekwondo Championships where she captured a gold medal in breaking. Abdallah has also won international events in Peru and Canada as well as winning two senior National Championship. Abdallah’s ultimate goal is to be the first U.S. woman to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games. She was named USA Taekwondo's 2004 Female Athlete of the Year. Her future plans include opening up her own daycare center/Taekwondo school.
ATHENS - AUGUST 27: Nootcharin Sukkhongdumnoen (blue) of Thailand ducks under a kick by Nia Abdallah of the United States in the women's under 57 kg Taekwondo preliminary match on August 27, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Sports Pavilion part of the Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex.
Nia vs Diana
One of many points not counted
2004 Salute to Women in Sports
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 15: US taekwondo Olympic medalist Nia Abdallah appears onstage during the Women's Sports Foundation's 28th Annual Salute to Women in Sports at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on October 15, 2007 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for WSF)
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