Current Release: September 11th, 2007 | Vol. XXIV Iss. 10

Olympics can’t deny the politics of the event

BY Ben Giles

brgiles1@vwc.edu

You don’t find politics in sports everyday.

When you’re playing catch in the backyard, you’re not thinking about the Presidential election. When you’re running down the field during a football game, you’re not wondering whether the American dollar will ever get back to being stronger than the Euro.

But sometimes, sports shed light on inherently political issues. And right now, the sports community has brought the worldwide political spotlight to China. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should have realized what they were dealing with when they decided it would be a good way to improve relations with China to have the city of Beijing host the Olympics. Yet after being honored with hosting the Olympics, China has done nothing but anger sponsors, athletes, political leaders, and the IOC. The country has shown - on numerous occasions - that it is more concerned with hiding its transgressions than moving forward and improving their international relationships.

China’s reprehensible actions include the oppression of Tibet, the poor quality and lack of improvement in living conditions and the environment in Beijing, harsh and widespread censorship of Chinese citizens, and the censorship and restriction of broadcasts of the Games themselves. The last one, which might seem the least important in terms of basic civil rights, might actually be the most important mistake of all. By restricting access and broadcast availability in places like Tiananmen Square, the site of arguably the most violent reaction to protests in Chinese history, angers NBC, the major broadcast network behind the Olympics, which in turn angers General Electric, who owns NBC and more importantly is a key financial supporter of the IOC.

This could just be the way things have to happen for change to occur. Sports have shed light on issues before; racial integration in baseball and basketball brought national attention to Civil Rights issues. When Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in a tennis match, she struck a blow for women’s rights. Athletes have long made statements for causes of social importance through their actions on the field.

Maybe this is all just a good opportunity. The oppressive actions of the Chinese government in Tibet certainly would have garnered some media attention, but would China’s actions be getting this much play if it weren’t hosting the Olympics? Probably not. It could simply be passed over as another sob story overseas.

Can the Olympics then spark change? If they do, China is certainly making sure it takes the most painful rout possible – the one that involves violently oppressing protests, alienating its people, and losing the respect of nations, athletes and fans along the way. The IOC must have been hoping for something better than this. Maybe China would turn over a new leaf out of appreciation for the IOC’s decision. Instead, change is going to come about the hard way.

Maybe, if history really does repeat itself, that’s just the way it has to be.