After yet another media-seeking protest interrupts the lead-up to the Olympics, I am frankly appalled by the inability of people to distinguish between sports and politics.
First, there was the political pressure for China to intercede with Sudan, in which Steven Spielberg decided to drop-out of aiding the Olympic ceremony in Beijing – what a pathetic show-biz attitude to cause such a dramatic spectacle. Has the crisis in Sudan been a sudden shock, a surprise unrest? No. It has been ongoing for several years and Mr. Spielberg’s decision to drop out so close to the Olympic Games can appear as nothing more than a publicity stunt for himself. Similarly Sarkozy, the French president, in an attempt to boost his righteous appearance, originally appeared to declare he would not attend the Olympic cermonies if certain conditions between China and Tibet were not met, a standpoint he has since seemed to back down from, realising that no one cares whether he attends or not.
On the other hand, both men should take what they perceives to be the right, albeit non-altruistic, action. It actually doesn’t irritate me as much as the waves of protest over issues that aren’t new or even recent, but have been going on for several years, if not decades, e.g. Tibet.
Now, I want to make it clear that I’m not endorsing China’s occupation of Tibet, nor am I attacking those who speak out against it. What I am strongly condemning is the manner in which many nations and groups have used the Olympic Games as a political tool, WHICH IT SHOULD NOT BE! The Olympics, surely, are about rallying the world’s nations together in a celebration of sporting achievement and ability. No one, I hope, watches the games in hope of another Munich, incidentally an extreme example of the result of politics crossing into the sporting stadium. Protesting merely turns the Olympics from a fun competition into the event from hell, where every other hurdle is wired with an explosive political bomb.
Reading the news this morning, it disgusts me to see yet another stunt in the course of the Olympic torch relay, and many gloating remarks about more on the way. There is an arena for protests and political complaints, and there is an arena for javelin and pole-vault. If you have trouble distinguishing which is which, I suggest you sign yourself up for a special needs learning annex.
Totally agree. In fact, I was going to write a blog to the same effect, but you’ve done it for me now! There are some terrible things happening in China, but then there is in a large proportion of countries around the world. Maybe we should stop having the Olympics because no country is perfect enough to host it, and the Football World Cup for that matter. I wouldn’t be surprised if our own country wasn’t completely by the book, as the U.S. isn’t. Just because they use torture in Cuba doesn’t mean that they follow human rights.
Interesting Tom. I don’t know enough about this to justify a politically-inclined comment but I did laugh that Konnie Huq got shoved over when someone tried to grab the torch off her in London a couple of weeks ago. Haha, silly bitch