Beijing Opening Ceremonies – Let the Protests, er, Games Begin
Yesterday, the world was treated to a visual spectacle as the Beijing Olympics finally arrived. Watching coverage of the Opening Ceremonies, I noticed that every time a new country arrived in the stadium for the Parade of Athletes, the commentators pointed out the star athletes in that team or at least what sports they would be participating in. Sometimes, they even shared stories about what one athlete in that country’s team had endured or what they went through to get to this point – stories that helped heighten the sense of wonder and appreciation for all the years of hard work these athletes did to reach this pinnacle of sports. Noticeably absent in these commentators’ remarks were any comments about China’s human rights record or political stances on world issues. And that is exactly as it should be – after all, how many of us would appreciate watching the Stanley Cup, the World Series, Wimbledon, the World Cup or any other major sporting event and hear comments being made about the host nation’s foreign or domestic policy? Is that really why we’re watching these events? No, it’s not. It’s not about any of that; instead, these are sporting events where the focus must be on the competing athletes and their respective performances.
Obviously, some people are still not getting that, insisting on using the Olympics as their personal platform to air their grievances about China. And yet, I can’t help but wonder if two weeks from now, we will still see the amount of international protests going on right now during these Olympics. If these protestors really wanted to make a point about their disgust over China’s human rights record, they shouldn’t be demanding a boycott of the Olympics, they should be pushing instead for a boycott against all products made in China. That would have a greater impact on China and it would make it clear to the Chinese government that they can’t use their country’s economic weight to push their treatment of Tibetans and religious minorities in China under the carpet.
Regardless, judging from the accolades being showered on Beijing after yesterday’s Opening Ceremonies, it seems pretty clear that most people have moved to focusing their attention on the sporting events now underway. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do now as I go back to cheering our nation’s athletes in their quest to succeed.
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