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Should Athletes Boycott the Olympics?

Printed From: Just Flight Forum
Category: Just Chat
Forum Name: Just Chat - General Discussion
Forum Description: Forum for shootin' the breeze about subjects not relating to Flight Simulation or aviation
URL: http://forum.justflight.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=270
Printed Date: 26 Apr 2024 at 2:31am


Topic: Should Athletes Boycott the Olympics?
Posted By: MartinW
Subject: Should Athletes Boycott the Olympics?
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2008 at 10:36pm

The question on many people’s lips is whether athletes should go to the Olympics in view of the host nation’s record on human rights and the events in Tibet.

 
My view on this is 'yes' most definitely should they go. The athletes in question have trained long and hard, given blood sweat and tears to fine tune their bodies for the event. To take that away from them would be wrong.

 

Further more; the issues surrounding China have existed for a long time. Governments have not imposed sanctions or any other measures, but come the Olympics, the demonstrators immediately throw their arms in the air and demand that the athletes forgo, what is for many, a once in a lifetime opportunity, an opportunity that they have worked so hard for.

 

Sorry, it should not be up to the athletes to act when the activists and governments have stood by for years, happy to do nothing

 


Replies:
Posted By: Flightboy
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2008 at 10:49pm
Let them go! worse countrys in the world we stand by and watch events happen Stern%20Smile and i think we will do quite well this time round!Thumbs%20Up

Flightboy

Posted By: MarkH
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2008 at 10:53pm
Couldn't agree more Martin.  The Olympic Games must be one of the only truly 'World Events' where we can all get together and get on, this is something worth celebrating. 

The Olympics will always be linked with politics but this in not always a bad thing.  If the US team and Jesse Owens had boycotted the 1936 Berlin Olympics then Hitler and his Aryan philosophy would not have been so publicly humiliated on the world stage.

Cheers
Mark

Posted By: VulcanB2
Date Posted: 10 Apr 2008 at 12:49am
Hi,

(I forget who said it, but I totally agreed): the athletes should go and have a great time. The politicians should put lots of pressure on China, boycott the opening ceremony etc..

I like the new Australian PM - wish our ministers had the guts to stand up to them!

China is getting a good dose of freedom of speech and freedom of expression. It's quite clear they're not liking it one bit. Cool

Best regards,
Vulcan.

Posted By: MartinW
Date Posted: 10 Apr 2008 at 8:24am
I'm sure the Chinese government will use the Olympics as a tool, for a degree of propaganda, but they are just a stage, a stage for the athletes to compete in the true spirit of the Olympics.
 
The authorities should do a better job of choosing the host nation though.

Posted By: SamR
Date Posted: 10 Apr 2008 at 10:17am
I completely agree Martin, sports is supposed to bring people together not to be used as a tool to divide them. Carrion I say.

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