Errant diver in Olympic event causes officials to up security
Wednesday 18th August 2004
There was an unexpected twist to yesterday’s Olympic Men’s Synchronized 3M Springboard Finals when a streaker climbed the diving platform dressed in a tutu, clown shoes, and a tattoo of Internet casino GoldenPalace.com. He threw his arms into the air repeatedly to try to rile up the crowd then belly-flopped into the pool where he attempted to amuse the crowd by trying to imitate a synchronized swimming routine.
After the incident, blunders by the American, Russian, and Chinese teams led to Nikolaos Siranidis and Thomas Bimis of Greece winning the gold medal. The three countries were ahead of the Greeks in the event before their miscues in the last round.
The streaker turned out to be Ron Bensimhon, the same man that appeared at the World Figure Skating Championships in Germany this past March. According to Bensimhon’s lawyer, the tutu-clad streaker loved the rush he received from the skating event, and decided the Olympics would be the ultimate stage for him, providing even more notoriety, fame, and adrenaline-fueled excitement.
A devoted fan of the casino, Bensimhon had “GoldenPalace.com” tattooed on his torso to prove that he could accomplish this feat, perhaps in the hopes that he can be useful to the site for future events.
Regardless of Bensimhon‘s motives, his performance may well have allowed Greek fans everywhere to celebrate the first win of a coveted gold medal.
