Over the past couple months the Olympic torch has been making its way around the world, drawing attention from protestors who have attempted to thwart the symbolic carrying of the torch in defense of the inhuman treatment of the people of Tibet by Games host, China. Some world leaders, including the Prime Minister of France Nicolas Sarkozy, have requested a protest of the games. The United States, however, has declined to make a statement or take action. As a nation, we are proceeding as if nothing is wrong and maybe for the sake of the games, that's exactly what we should do. The Olympics are about sports, not politics, and China did not boycott the 1964 Olympics in L.A. when the U.S. was at war in Vietnam. If we rely on the premise that the Olympics are about sports then political values should be absent from the games. Politicians will hopefully do their job in the political arena, just as the athletes should do their job on the field. At least for a moment, the world should put aside their differences and strive for a brief bout of peace. The only way the Olympics can do that is if we separate sports and politics.
Sadly, I would have to differ in your reasoning. Sports and international policy have made the Olympics a sort of political pedestal. No issue that is happening in the world goes away for the Olympics, international competition and international politics will always be intertwined. If a war can start as a result of a preliminary match in San Salvador when El Salvador and Honduras played one another a year prior to the 1970 World Cup anything can happen. Obviously, the World Cup, and the Olympics are different but with countries entering into an international field of competition with issues present that may begin a conflict between another state, an event like the Olympics could be a perfect target for those looking to make a political statement, especially a positive message. These issues should be addressed especially when countries will be in the eyes of the world. Where do you draw the line when "can't we all just get along?" doesn't work anymore and sanctions and threats do not work? If the time before the Olympics arrives without a change in the human rights policies in China, every opportunity should be taken to address the issue with all forms of persuasive diplomacy short of military intervention. The stage is set and if the Olympics go on without addressing the treatment of the people of Tibet, it would be like serving rotten fish at a gourmet restaurant.
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