Editing Hal Haig Prieste (section)

==Biography==
He was born Haig Prieste in [[Fresno, California]], to [[Armenian people|Armenian]] [[immigration to the United States|immigrant]] parents. Their original surname was Keshishian. "[[Hayk|Haig]]" is the name of the progenitor of the Armenians. Prieste first took "Harry" as his American name, but later switched to "Hal."

He won a bronze medal in platform diving as a member of the 1920 US Olympic team.<ref>{{cite web |title=Harry Prieste |url=http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=PRIESHAR01 |website=databaseOlympics |access-date=14 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070319003406/http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=PRIESHAR01 |archive-date=19 March 2007 |date=2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He also competed in the [[Diving at the 1920 Summer Olympics&nbsp;– Men's plain high diving|1920 plain high diving event]], but he was eliminated in the first round.

He is known for [[Olympic symbols#Antwerp flag|taking the original]] five-interlocking-ring [[Olympic flag]] as a prank at the [[1920 Summer Olympics]] hosted by the city of Antwerp, Belgium. At the end of the Games, the flag could not be found. In 1997, at a banquet hosted by the US Olympic Committee, a reporter was interviewing him and the reporter mentioned that the IOC had not been able to find out what had happened to the original Olympic flag. "I can help you with that," Prieste said matter-of-factly; "it's in my suitcase."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ortiz |first1=Miguel |title=This WWI Navy vet stole the 1920 Olympic flag |url=https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/this-wwi-navy-vet-stole-the-1920-olympic-flag/ |website=We Are The Mighty |access-date=14 April 2024 |language=en |date=13 August 2022}}</ref> At the end of the Antwerp Olympics, spurred on by team-mate [[Duke Kahanamoku]], he climbed a flagpole and stole the Olympic flag. For 77 years the flag was stored away in the bottom of his suitcase. The flag was returned to the IOC by Prieste, by then 103 years old, in a special ceremony held at the [[2000 Summer Olympics]] in Sydney.<ref>{{cite news |title=Flag Returned by 103-Year-Old Olympian |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=100602&page=1 |access-date=14 April 2024 |work=ABC News |date=11 September 2000 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Sandomir |first1=Richard |title=Missing Flag Returns to Glory, Courtesy of a Prankster |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/12/sports/olympics-notebook-missing-flag-returns-to-glory-courtesy-of-a-prankster.html |access-date=14 April 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=12 September 2000}}</ref> At the handover, IOC president [[Juan Antonio Samaranch]] gave him a commemorative Olympic medal in a box, to which the hard-of-hearing Prieste responded, "What is it? Kleenex?"<ref>{{cite news |last1=Belson |first1=Ken |title=London 2012: Olympic Flag Is Games' Constant Symbol |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/london2012.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/27/olympic-flag-is-games-constant-symbol/ |access-date=14 April 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=27 July 2012 |language=en}}</ref> The Antwerp [[Olympic Flag]] is now on display at the [[Olympic Museum]] in [[Lausanne|Lausanne, Switzerland]], with a plaque thanking him for donating it.

At the time of his death at 104, Prieste was the world's oldest former [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] [[medal]]ist,<ref>{{cite web |title=Some Olympic Trivia Q&A |url=http://www.olympic-medallists.com/trivia.htm |website=olympic-medallists.com |access-date=14 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040212222801/http://www.olympic-medallists.com/trivia.htm |archive-date=12 February 2004 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> and the first known Olympian whose lifespan covered three centuries (1896–2001).