ralia many centuries ago, they bought diseases that killed many Aborigines and at the same time conquered their land with the use of force and power. According to Powell (2000, p. A76), from 1910 to 1970, the Australian government removed Aboriginal children from their homes in an experiment designed to integrate them into the white culture. These children were called the “stolen generation.” This experiment failed to achieve its goal and the Aborigines remained mostly repressed people. They were not allowed to vote or register for the census, until the 1960’s. Many treated them as if they were non-existent.Freeman created a controversy by carrying an Aboriginal flag during her victory laps at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, she was publicly rebuked by Australian track and field officials (Gloster, 2000). Freeman, like many other Aboriginal leaders, wanted the world to know how her people were being treated. According to Schaffer and Smith (2000, p.220), Aboriginal leaders have called for their people to boycott the games (during the 2000 Olympics) in protest against the stalled processes of reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. Freeman did not want to boycott because she wanted to stage a demonstration of Aboriginal suffering through the use of sport and the Olympic games.During the opening ceremonies in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Cathy Freeman ran the last of the torch relay to initiate opening ceremonies, and after winning the 400-meter run, carried the Aboriginal flag to represent her race and to bring the quest for world attention to their plight. The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) did not punish athletes, such as Freeman, of carrying Aboriginal flags, because they were afraid of more controversies. Today, the country had taken steps to improve the situations among the Aboriginals. They plan to increase programs by improving the health and education of Aborigines. Freeman became her country...
