Olympic torch thoughts
Posted by: Richard in Olympics, Sport, UK, tags: darfur, Olympics, Politics, tibetThe news this week about the Olympic torch relay has left me feeling a bit despondent, on a number of fronts.
I think it’s a shame that the Olympics continues to be dominated by politics. It feels such a throwback to the 1980’s, and the east vs west boycotts. We’ll have steroid fuelled up eastern European ‘athletes’ and dodgy haircuts next. Perhaps I’m being naive, but I honestly thought the spirit of the Olympics was to celebrate human achievement, and leave politics aside. The Sydney and Athens Olympics look like being the high-point. It’s downhill from here…
The majority of Free Tibet protesters were peaceful, but a few took things a step further than necessary, and lead to scuffles and violence. It’s focused attention on the subject, certainly, but not in a good way for the campaigners. AFP reports the Dalai Lama even supports the Chinese Olympics, and he’s the cause celeb of Tibet.
Of course, the Chinese don’t come out of this well at all (even leaving aside their invasion of Tibet). The Chinese backed governor of Tibet said, on the forthcoming Tibet section of the relay,that “If… anyone should attempt to disrupt or undermine the torch relay, they will be dealt with severely according to law“, and a few other ominous words. Nice touch. The blue-coated escorts (or “smurfs” I gather the Metropolitan police referred to them as) just look a bit too serious and humour-free. Ominous looking guys.
And where’s Darfur in all of this? Spielberg’s decision to resign, drew attention to China not putting any pressure on Sudan over the crises in Darfur. It’s all been blown aside by the Tibet campaigners.
But it’s the Olympic spirit that is starting to suffer. If we’re back to politics as a central force in Olympics, I can’t help wonder what this means for London 2012 (although what campaigns we can expect, I’ll save for another day), but more importantly the future of the Olympic movement: Countries won’t bid if they attract criticism not support.
The complete and utter non-story that was Gordon Brown not attending the Olympic opening has thankfully disappeared from the BBC front page (and talks more of media-led group-think/panic than anything vaguely serious or important, other than perhaps Brown’s media team being hopeless), but talk of such boycotts really just undermines any hope I have that athletics and human achievement will be the focus of the Olympics.
Politics is important, and it’s important to pressure China, but at the same time it can’t let become the dominant theme of the Olympics. It’s against the ideals and goals, and undermines everybody involved. Dialogue with China is important, and if this goes on I fear we may be pushing this country away at a key moment in its recent history.
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April 10th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
The Olympic torch relays progress through London left me with two impressions, neither favourable.
Firstly the three ring circus of chinese thugs and two rings of UK police whatever seemed a metaphor for how the 2012 Olympics will be to most London’s e.g. look but only from afar, pay for it but don’t partake in it, We will protect an idea not protect you.
But the funniest bit was the next day when (Met police) Commander Joe Kaye was on one of the breakfast programmes reverently saying ‘how his men had protected the flame’. It’s a ing flame for **s sake! It is a meaningless symbol but he seemed to hold it in awe like the Holy Grail or a promise kept by a politician. I couldn’t help think of the scene in the ‘Life of Brian’ where Brian loses a sandal and suddenly that is held in reverence by the misguided followers.