2008 Olympics

Embracing Sport & Politics at the Olympics

By Maegan Carberry ⋅ August 8, 2008 ⋅   Email this post ⋅  Digg This ⋅  Share on Facebook ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

This is one of the most thoughtful things I’ve read on the argument regarding the politicization of the Olympic games. Matt Browner Hamlin makes the undeniable case that even if you wish the athletes could compete without distraction, it’s a reality you can’t ignore:

The host nation of China has the ignominious distinction of possessing one of the world’s worst human rights records. From an illegal military occupation of Tibet, to repressive policies in Muslim East Turkestan, to stringent family planning that has included forced abortions, and the jailing of democracy and free speech activists, there is little to say positively about how China treats those who live inside their borders. Taking a look from Beijing towards the African continent and we see China’s endless thirst for fossil fuels manifesting itself by propping up the Sudanese government and providing Khartoum with the money they need to perpetrate genocide in Darfur. These are not issues that the global community has taken lightly and it is because of their gravity that the political side of the 2008 Games will be a focal point over the next few weeks … As you watch the Olympics over the next few weeks, remember that the events on TV are not happening in a vacuum.