The XXIX Olympiad will start in Beijing on the (apparently) auspicious day of the 8th of August 2008. I must say, I feel rather ambivalent towards both the Olympic Games and the host nation.
The Olympics used to be the greatest sporting event of the planet, but when the idea of the modern games was conceived, sport was not the global brand it is now. I ask myself: do the Olympics still have a meaning? They are supposed to be for amateurs but the great majority of athletes are now professionals. What is also the point to include a sport like football for example, where winning the gold medal is as important as the Charity Shield?
Something that has always puzzled me about the Olympics is: why they have to be hosted by only one city and they last only two weeks with so many competitions to run, and the Football World Cup, for example, lasts a month and it is hosted by an entire nation, if not two?
The Olympics used to be the greatest sporting event of the planet, but when the idea of the modern games was conceived, sport was not the global brand it is now. I ask myself: do the Olympics still have a meaning? They are supposed to be for amateurs but the great majority of athletes are now professionals. What is also the point to include a sport like football for example, where winning the gold medal is as important as the Charity Shield?
Something that has always puzzled me about the Olympics is: why they have to be hosted by only one city and they last only two weeks with so many competitions to run, and the Football World Cup, for example, lasts a month and it is hosted by an entire nation, if not two?
To spice the games up a bit I can suggest the host nation should decide which competitions to include. I.e., in 2012 London will host the games, so why not pick the favourite British sports that will shoot the nation up to the top of the medal table? Darts, bridge, croquet, snooker, queuing and binge drinking, all come to mind. At least the host country will not have to go into trouble in fixing the results of some competitions, such as boxing, gymnastics or synchronized swimming. Ever noticed that in almost every Olympiad the host nation gets many more medals than in any other previous or future Olympics? Must be the food I guess, the climate, the... yes you guessed it right.
China then, why do I feel ambivalent? I must say I like China. I have been there before and I have learned a tiny tiny bit of Mandarin. China has an amazing culture that gave us Confucius, noodles, Kung Fu and the Great Wall. The Chinese are very hospitable people, they work very hard, and they are more capitalists (it's a compliment) than the Westerners.
China then, why do I feel ambivalent? I must say I like China. I have been there before and I have learned a tiny tiny bit of Mandarin. China has an amazing culture that gave us Confucius, noodles, Kung Fu and the Great Wall. The Chinese are very hospitable people, they work very hard, and they are more capitalists (it's a compliment) than the Westerners.
But what I don't like about China is the dictatorial government, still stubbornly Communist. What I would like the Chinese to do is to get rid of their obsolete regime or finally come clear about their intentions: do they want capitalism, democracy and freedom, or do they want Communism and repression? It looks like they want both. On one hand they are open to the world market and on the other they still have a red flag, the picture of Criminal Mao everywhere and Tibet under control.
I have noticed Chinese people do not care and do not want to talk about Tibet, an independent country that was taken by force, just like the Nazis did with Poland. I can only assume that people believe the government is always right and they think all is for the best.
The Tibetan issue is not only relevant to China but also to the Western world. Especially to the Left, who always ready to fight for human rights (or so it seems) are quite shy in pointing the finger at China, a Communist country after all. Remember South Africa during apartheid? They couldn't even participate in the Olympic Games!
The Tibetan issue is not only relevant to China but also to the Western world. Especially to the Left, who always ready to fight for human rights (or so it seems) are quite shy in pointing the finger at China, a Communist country after all. Remember South Africa during apartheid? They couldn't even participate in the Olympic Games!
Some people believe the Olympic Games will help the process of freedom of speech in China. I really hope it will, but I am very doubtful we will ever witness an independent Tibet. Lhasa 2068? You dream.
1 comment:
I love your notion of the host nation playing its national sports during the Olympics!Binge Drinking in 2012,the British would win hands down!Imagine if in 2008,we would have had Mah Jong(played really loudly,so much more fun after all,like the Chinese love and know how to!)...and what if Paris was to host in the near future the Olympics...Mhhh,perhaps then talking about romantic relationships endlessly,overintellectualising,and let's face it in a very nombrilistic way(think an Eric Rohmer Movie!)...Hmmm,perhaps it was not such a bad thing then that Paris did not get the 2012 spot!
anyone else,any ideas on the subject?
Sophie
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