T h e 2 0 0 8
Summer Olympics
could’ve
been held in Toronto,
Canada,
Paris, France,
Istanbul, Turkey
or Osaka,
Japan – all cities
that made
the short list of
finalists – but
Beijing, China
was selected to
host the games.
Each of those other cities
would’ve served as a much less
egregious place in the months
leading up to the Aug. 8 opening
ceremonies. Instead, Beijing’s
symbolism of communist China’s
policies has incited the ire of people
worldwide.
It’s weird; looking back at Athens
four years ago, the political unrest
paled in comparison.
That’s the way it should be.
If the leader of a country represented
in the Olympics can make
room in his or her schedule to
attend the opening ceremonies,
they should undoubtedly do so as
a show of support to the athletes
and nature of camaraderie the event
promotes. If not, release a statement
explaining why they couldn’t possibly
make the trip.
In the end, this is about the
athletes. These are amateur athletes
on the doorstep of payoff after years
of training and preparation. That’s
where the focus should be, not on
who’s trying to send a message to
whom. Save it for another time.
If politics and rioting overwhelm
the significance of these Olympic
Games, I’d like to see some fencing,
or perhaps gymnastics, break out at
the next United Nations conference
in New York.