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Beijing Olympics

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andyjay	Beijing Olympics	Lead	[-]
Locked In Yotsuya's Closet Posts: 2632 (04/08/08 08:09 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tags : None So...what does everyone think of the Olympics being held in Beijing this year? Back when they were awarded, the Chinese authorities said they'd clean up their act on human rights, and literally clean up Beijing's air. Yet the Tibet crackdown seems to disprove that, and I haven't heard the best news about air quality. These Games are probably not going to have a whole lot of viewers, considering the large recent protests along the torch relay (in San Francisco, some people somehow managed to hang a large banner from the support cables on the Golden Gate Bridge). Some have written that athletes being forced to boycott the Games would only let all their training over the last four years be for naught. I have mixed feelings about that sentiment, but IMVHO the least anyone can do is stay away from the opening ceremony. They don't have to attend that, and it's all just pageantry organized by the local authorities (ie, the Communist government). Dubya Bush has said he just views the Games as "a sporting event", nothing more. Well...what about the 1936 Berlin Games, or Moscow in 1980? What's going to stop a totalitarian regime from shaping such a highly visible, international event into a diorama of the "superiority" of its society?
tierum		#1	[-]
Drunken Fan Dancer Posts: 493 (04/08/08 08:36 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	IMVHO Beijing should never have been awarded the Olympics to begin with. They came out with empty promises and, well, words are cheap. It reminds me of used car dealers which promise this and that, but the car ends up being the junker it appears to be. Did the Olympics committee honestly believe that China was going to change their act? As in the examples you gave, andyjay, the countries didn't change the way they did things just because the Olympics where held there. Sure, they put up a good act and made sure the cities looked beautiful and the citizens of those cities seemed happy, but nothing really changed. So, will I watch the Olympics? I love them and they come around only once every four years, but do I really want to support a communist government? Well, I still buy chinese-made products - I think it's almost unavoidable. Our own government supports them with trillions of dollars in business every year as do many countries. If these countries think the Chinese government is so bad, why do they support them? DUH Cheap labor. So. I don't know, I probably will watch for the same reason I buy those 'made in china' products: wherever they're made, I still need them. Until the powers that be change the way they do things, ordinary citizens such as I will have to make do with what they've given us. Last Edited By: tierum 04/08/08 08:39 AM. Edited 1 times.
Alindawyl		#2	[-]
Bakeneko's Fiancee Posts: 1769 (04/08/08 09:48 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	A few prior olympic boycotts: 1976 - Most African nations boycott because South Africa is included 1980 - Many nations boycott because the Soviet Union (that year's host country) invaded Afghanistan the year before 1984 - The Soviet Union boycotts as retaliation for 1980 because the games are held in the United States Other than giving those with an axe to grind a forum to air their complaints, those boycotts did absolutely nothing. The policy or attitude in South Africa, the Soviet Union, or the United States that spurred the boycott remained unchanged. While I can understand the sentiment behind calling for a boycott, it does absolutely nothing constructive to deal with whatever the issue happens to be. I also view the games as just a sporting event. What propaganda the host nation may use during the games to make themselves look good should not be used as an excuse to prevent athletes from competing, which is the only guaranteed result of a boycott. While it's unfortunate that China is host this year, it would be more unfortunate to deny any country's athletes the chance to compete. For many athletes, it will be their ONLY shot at the olympics. Should we have sat out the 1936 games and not given Jesse Owens the opportunity to beat the "master race"? I think not.
andyjay		#3	[-]
Locked In Yotsuya's Closet Posts: 2633 (04/08/08 09:25 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Actually, South Africa was banned by the IOC from 1964 to 1992, by which time apartheid had been abolished. A bunch of African and Caribbean nations boycotted Montreal in 1976 because New Zealand's rugby team had played in South Africa, and New Zealand was playing in the Olympics that year. Now that's taking things a bit too far; like arresting Paul for taking Peter's money while the guy who robbed Peter is already in jail. Now I don't think there should be an official boycott, unless the individual athletes themselves favor it. But I agree with Tierum that the Games shouldn't have been awarded to Beijing, especially when Toronto was one of the runners-up. I've never been to Toronto, but I've heard plenty of good press about that city, it seems to have a decent infrastructure, and they've never had the Olympics before. Additionally, I wouldn't mind seeing the Games come to New Zealand either. (South Africa still has major crime issues, and their electrical grid has been overdrawn in recent years, creating rolling blackouts. I know this because my family actually has some friends originally from there.) Alin, I agree with you that any country with the capability should have the time to host the Olympics, the IOC has to ask themselves each time not just whether a certain city is financially capable, but whether they share the original lofty vision of the Olympic Games. Speaking of financial capability, Montreal only managed to pay off its debts from the '76 Games in 2006, after the Expos had already departed their Olympic Stadium for DC. The Canadians call those Olympics "the Big Owe". Something to consider if your town wants to host the Olympics.
herbkir		#4	[-]
Time Travelling Schoolgirl Posts: 1542 (04/10/08 12:37 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Those with the axe to grind on Tibet don't care about what happens to the Olympic athletes. The protesters in Tibet that started all this saw the Olympics simply as an opportunity to gain visibility, nothing more. The only thing they wanted was publicity for their position. They wanted to get their cause on TV in hopes the world would recoil in horror and shun China. Of course, the Chinese powers-that-be were stupid in their response to the Tibet protests. They should have realized the only way to save face now was to concede some autonomy to Tibet and its culture. After the Olympics concluded they then could crack down hard, take back what they gave in on, and nobody would notice. Cynical? Yes, but that's politics. (^_*)
art248		#5	[-]
Onsen Mark's Favorite Pupil Posts: 78 (04/11/08 03:29 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Well since it is already awarded to China, no use making a fuss of it now regardless of the situation now does it? And I agree with Alindawyl that boycotting it won't do much good anyway, there's gotta be a better solution. besides we will be doing a great deal of injustice to the athletes who have been training hard for the event. Besides it seems to be politics anyway, so solve it with politics rather than damaging some international event.
GodaiMH	My take on the Olympics. (Shorter than usual. :P)	#6	[-]
Rhythmic Gymnast Posts: 706 (04/14/08 11:19 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I think the Olympics have become too politicized. But probably, when I say, "have become", it is likely that the Olympics were politicized from the get go. I don't know about prior to 1936, but the 1936 Olympics in Berlin certainly was politicized. (I guess that's the first time the torch was relayed. It was meant as a publicity stunt to support the "pure" pagan heart of what was the Third Reich.) There have been problems since then. It seems one doesn't have to look very far in the history books to find politicization of the Olympics. And the problem and scandals of doping and the sponsorship of money have certainly done its part to damage the veneer of the Olympics. Anyone who thinks that drugs don't help make all these new world records is naive. And without the world records, there goes the Adidas bucks. I feel the Olympics have become a mass market media sham of a show. It's foolish to think that they should have anything to do with peace or the better nature of man. So, to me, I really don't care where it's held. Bejing has just as much right to hold the Olympics as any nation that does business with China. And if one is looking for an ideal location for the Olympics, I suggest Antarctica. The only continent on this good Earth that has not been plagued by war or genocide (yet). I'm sorry. I guess I'm not a big fan of the Olympics. Sorry for being down on this topic. Regards, GodaiMH MH = Means Married Happily. (Image kindly edited by Hoshi Shouri. Thanks Hoshi!)

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