Thoughts on Beijing 2008

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Posted by Arsenal Promoted 160 days 6 hours ago 1081 views

Sports / Other Sports | 8 comments |

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In our time, The Olympics is considered as an event of global peace and unity, a time when the world comes together and puts their differences aside to watch
athletes compete in sporting events. This year it seems the Beijing 2008 Olympics have become more political with the recent Tibet Crisis.

The complaining has been going on ever since the decision in 2004 to host the Games in China, but it seems that some have forgotten the not so democratic origins of the Olympics. Ancient Greek society's definition of democracy was for from the perception of modern democracy and liberty. Nor were all the participants in the Ancient Games citizens of democratic city-states. Human rights wasn't even invented as a concept yet. However, the Olympics were a time when a truce would be declared between all warring city-states for the sake of the Games. We have yet to see such a phenomenon take place in our day. Holding the Olympics in China is not so different from ancient practice.

The Olympics of today is a shadow of its former self. As Jacques Rogge, president of the IOC stated, "The major political leaders don't want a boycott[of the Games being held in Beijing]". Politics have taken control of the Olympic process.Politics have no place in an event that stands for peace (and it is a sporting event, after all), even if it is a temporary truce.

I would like to say that the decision to boycott the Games or not should rest with the athletes, who are the essence of the Olympics, but with all the performance enhancing drug use going on, there seems little reason to put any ounce of trust in their conscience.

Bottom line, the Olympics has become a tourist attraction, nothing else.

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Liberal, on 3/30/2008 8:12:27 AM
Total Posts: 3736, Joined: 1/22/2007

a boycott would do nothing but cause more suffering. China has spent very large sums of money prepairing for the olympics, the construction process in turn provides jobs for local chinese students. Now think about this, if the olympics were boycotted and as someone employed preparing the olympic event ended up losing their job who do you think they will blame. They will blame Tibet, and they will surely take out their Fury on Tibetenase.

The best thing you can do for the Tibetenase is have the olympics in china. By doing so it keeps the world eye on china and it finally allows the tibetenase their once in a life time chance to tell their story to the world.

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cheesesteak, on 3/30/2008 10:08:37 PM
Total Posts: 276, Joined: 12/16/2007

good one Liberal, defending Tibet, but against Palestine? You bloody hypocrite.

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omegared, on 3/30/2008 11:52:52 PM
Total Posts: 44, Joined: 4/13/2006

Eh, I wonder how are athletes are going to be able to function with such fucking shitty air quality there. Not only that but i would never drink a drop of water that comes from that region.

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nonamer, on 3/31/2008 11:12:32 PM
Total Posts: 1413, Joined: 10/2/2006

Yea Im not a big fan of China either, but you cant bash on the greatest sport event on the planet just because it is being held in China.

Remember Hitler hosted the Olympics too once.

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otester, on 4/2/2008 8:23:33 AM
Total Posts: 5247, Joined: 11/14/2005

Invade China so we can still have the games but with the addition of "democracy".

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Scobiewan, on 4/2/2008 9:13:55 AM
Total Posts: 497, Joined: 6/22/2006

I thought it was "Tibetans", oh and boooo China.

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dandatrk, on 4/3/2008 3:21:47 AM
Total Posts: 133, Joined: 1/18/2007

cheesesteak wrote:
good one Liberal, defending Tibet, but against Palestine? You bloody hypocrite.

i know, its like he is a zionist.
its very inconsistent and just prove some of my assumptions of liberal.

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skdownunder, on 4/12/2008 6:07:38 AM
Total Posts: 5, Joined: 11/18/2007

it is no secret that human rights in china and some of their policies have been well... questionable for quite some time. however, chinese presence in tibet is not significantly different now than it has been for the last few decades. no doubt china has handled this the wrong way, and should not rule over tibet, but the tibetans themselves have initiated the recent riots - yes they must take action, but they are not going about the right way.
it will not accomplish anything but tension between china and the rest of the world if these anti-china demonstrations continue to plague the lead up to arguably one of the biggest and most important events in chinese history.

it is important to point out that with the olympics in china, china has begun to change many of its heavily criticized aspects. for example the air quality and pollution - the chinese government has put the first of their kind environmental initiatives in place and having visited beijing in 2007 it is evident that china is significantly changing for the better in many ways and whilst there is still much, much more that has to be done in china, we must be patient and wait just a little longer for all these changes - at least they are beginning to happen and we should embrace that.

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