For many decades the best athletes from Lithuania had to compete for their oppressors, saluting the Soviet flag and with tears listening to the Soviet anthem. But the situation has changed-Lithuania has regained independence and was admitted to the International Olympic Committee.
The historic evening of Feb. 8, hundreds of thousands of Lithuanian-Americans attentively watched on CBS the opening parade in Albertville. They tried in vain not to miss the Lithuanian team, those athletes that are free now to compete for independent Lithuania.
But what disappointment! They did not see the Lithuanian team, not even for a moment. Carrying big flags marched one-man teams of Senegal, Swaziland and Luxembourg, passed teams of the latest independent nations, such as Slovenia and Croatia. But nobody saw Lithuania`s team.
