Athletes, Politics and Beijing
Written 28 July 2008
��Leading up to 8/8/8 there is much speculation being made about the impact and success of the Beijing Games. �Centring around pollution and politics commentators have been questioning how successfully these games are going to proceed. Many are asking why athletes have not been making more noise about the political environment in which they are going to compete.
Beijing was awarded the 2008 Games after a long bidding process that was completed in 2001. �This decision was made by the "powers that be" presumably as China had the best bid, based on whatever criteria is set by the IOC. �As the Games have drawn upon us however the media have been questioning if Beijing should have been awarded the Games in the first place and what the effect of protests will be.
For an athlete selection for the Olympics is one of the ultimate prizes in sport. �Something dreamed of as a child and clung to through hours of gruelling training. �For some athletes this will be their first games, for some their last but for all it is where there sporting prowess must be at its ultimate. To achieve the rewards athletes must be selfish, inward looking and most of all focussed on the task at hand. �To expect athletes to distract themselves from this by involving themselves (against their contracts) in the politics of the Olympics is a romanticised idea of what it means to compete for your country, good old free and green New Zealand.
Some commentators would argue as well that previous Olympic hosts - Australia and America to name a few - do not have such great human rights records themselves, reference the stolen children or Guantanamo Bay. �As far as New Zealand goes it seems a little hypocritical to expect our athletes to make any kind of stand when our Government has just entered a free trade deal with China.
Most athletes probably have a good appreciation of the political climate in China but the decision to award the 2008 Olympic Games to Beijing had nothing to do with athletes. This decision was made by those at the top and it is those people that should be questioning the role that politics and political protests are going to play in two weeks time.
