Andre Agassi "regrets" speaking no Farsi

Payvand ^ | 12/13/03 | Payvand

[freedom44]

American-Iranian tennis star Andre Agassi always wished he had been able to speak Farsi, the weekly Bunte magazine quoted him as saying Saturday, IRNA reported from Berlin.

The top-ranked tennis player "regretted" the fact that when he was a child, his Iranian-born father Mohammad Agassi did not teach him any Farsi, according to the report.

Agassi's father appeared in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics as a member of the Iranian Olympic Boxing team.

[freedom44]

iran ping

[nuconvert]

"Agassi's father appeared in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics as a member of the Iranian Olympic Boxing team"

I didn't know that !

[krb]

That's cool. Parents who can speak other languages should give that gift to their offspring when they are young--that's when your brain is primed to pick up languages easily.

[Ex-Dem]

Never knew that he was of Iranian descent. I always thought he was Greek. (Probably got him confused with Pete Sampras?)

[Mr. Mojo]

I always thought Agassi was an Italian name.

[freedom44]

Yeah sampras is of greek descent

[Pan_Yans Wife]

You need to get out more. :)

[nuconvert]

LOL.
Iranian boxing team. Wonder how they did in '48 &'52?

[nuconvert]

1952 Olympics. Helsinki. ... The Soviet Union returned to the Olympic fold in 1952 after a 40-year absence, a period
of time that included a revolution and two world wars.

Iran medal totals = 3 silver; 4 bronze

[international american]

It saddens me as well......

[nuconvert]

see#10

The 1948 Olympics: London, England

Summary

Dates of Competition:29 July - 14 August

Participants:4099

Attendance: 59 nations

Sports:17

Events:136

New Events : Women¡¯s long jump, Women¡¯s shot put, Women¡¯s 200 meter run, and Men¡¯s decathlon.


History

The Summer Olympics were scheduled for Tokyo in 1940, but by mid-1938, Japan was at war with China and withdrew as host. The IOC immediately transferred the Games to Helsinki and the Finns eagerly began preparations only to be invaded by the Soviet Union in 1939.

By then, of course, Germany had marched into Poland and World War II was on. The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor two years later, and the bombs didn't stop falling until 1945. Against this backdrop of global conflict, the Olympic Games were cancelled again in 1940 and '44. Many of the participants in the 1936 Games died in the war.

Eager to come back after two dormant Olympiads, the IOC offered the 1948 Games to London. Much of the British capital had been reduced to rubble in the blitz, but the offer was accepted and the Games went on?successfully, without frills, and without invitations extended to Germany and Japan. The Soviet Union was invited, but chose not to show.

The United States reclaimed its place at the top of the overall medal standings, but the primary individual stars were a 30-year-old Dutch mother of two and a 17-year-old kid from California.

Fanny Blankers-Koen duplicated Jesse Owens' track and field grand slam of 12 years before by winning the 100-meter and 200-meter runs, the 80-meter hurdles, and anchoring the women's 4x100-meter relay.

And Bob Mathias, just two months after graduating from Tulare High School, won the gold medal in the decathlon, an event he had taken up for the first time earlier in the year.

[F14 Pilot]

Bumb~!

[StilettoRaksha]

Typically, when the father is Iranian and the mother is not then the likelihood of the child learning Farsi is slim.

I have found this to be true of any heritage.