As the Olympic torch makes its round the world tour, it has been less visible than my grandmother’s ghost. I fully support the movement to free Tibet. There is no question that there are human rights issues that must be brought to the attention of the world.
The situation is descending into one of chaos, to the point where people standing along the announced path of the torch in San Francisco found themselves waiting for a glimpse of a symbol that never appeared. Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the U.K. announced yesterday that he would boycott the opening ceremonies in Beijing. There have been calls for President Bush to do the same.
Perhaps, the IOC should never have selected China as the summer’s host for the games. That would have been a real message. But, Beijing was selected as the city of choice. And, the games will go on this summer whether Brown, Bush or any other leader attends or not. At least, I suppose the games will go on.
And, that brings me to this point. The Olympic games should not be political games. Of course, the competition is going to be tough and there will be controversy. There always is. But, the Olympics is an opportunity for the future. It is the opportunity for young people to open doors to friendships and alliances that could bridge some of the differences between peoples. It is the opportunity to discover our similarities, and for a brief few days put aside the political adversarial positions of governments.
And, as for attending the Olympics, the situation may arise where it is not feasible or productive. But, standing on the other side of the earth condemning the actions of a foreign government is not the answer. The Olympics should not be about governments. It should be about people, forging friendships and lasting alliances. Let us not allow politics to get in the way of progress. The Olympics could be the way of opening the door to China.
We must remember that as Americans we are a good people, working to be better citizens of the world. We would not want to be held accountable for everything the Bush administration has done to undermine world peace. And, so it is that we should not create enemies or hold accountable the Chinese people for the injustices of their government.
