beijing 2008.

with less than one year before the beijing olympics begin, some rumours have started.

over the summer i heard a couple of canadian's theories that some countries will boycott the olympics for political reasons.

while i doubt this is true (okay, taiwan might), i really hope this is not the case. i am not for countries boycotting the olympics.

why?

1) i don't believe in athletes being used as political pawns.

2) the athletes dont make the choice not to attend, the choice is made for them.

3) athletes spend much of their lives, especially the four years leading up to the olympics, building up to this one moment in time. many of these athletes are full time athletes, and are hoping for a post olympic sponsorship that can help pay some of the bills (and parents)!

4) it's the olympics! their dream! yes there are world championships, but the olympics are the pinnacle.

i hope politicians dont get in the way of dreams.

another person suggested that the pollution might be another factor for which beijing might come under attack. yes, beijing is polluted, no doubt about it, but since when have the summer olympics been about a clean healthy atmosphere? anyone remember mexico city and los angeles? so spare us that arguement. the summer olympics have been held in extremely polluted cities before.

(there is an interesting rumour which i personally believe, that three weeks before the olympics commence, the factories around beijing will shut down, drastically reducing the pollution that creeps over the city.)

beijing olympics will be interesting, no doubt about it. i am excited about them. hong kong is hosting the equestrian events (go look on your map to see how that is a geographical stretch of the imagination).

Comments

[CallCenterVet]

Right on Tess. I can't agree with you more. Olympics is for the athletes & other people who love sports. Some people are just using the Olympics to get promote their advocacies. Sooo wrong... Olympics was not made to be a platform for politics.

I posted the svme thing in my blog BTW... http://olympicblogger.blogspot.com/2007/08/why-boycott-beijing-olympics.html

[CallCenterVet]

Right on Tess. I can't agree with you more. Olympics is for the athletes & other people who love sports. Some people are just using the Olympics to get promote their advocacies. Sooo wrong... Olympics was not made to be a platform for politics.

I posted the svme thing in my blog BTW... http://olympicblogger.blogspot.com/2007/08/why-boycott-beijing-olympics.html

[knobody]

and the equestrian events are the ones i would most love to see!

when my sister was young she took gymnastics from the le fleur's, two (i think) of whom were on the 1980 us gymnastics team. it was always kind of sad to see the team picture in the office knowing that they never had the chance to compete. i hope the athletes headed for beijing don't have to experience that.

[joeinvegas]

Yes, shame to use the athletes as pawns, but the US has done so in the past. Punishes no one but the hard workers who have no idea why they suddenly are forced to lose.