Adam van Koeverden "an Olympic kayaker"
Adam stated "it's not the responsibility of athletes to make political statements" when Elvis Stojko made a
challenge to Olympic athletes to make a stand at a human right rally to protest China's treatment of Tibet.
Would boycotting the Olympic games be a political or a humanitarian statement?
Adam Brash made a great sacrifice when he abandoned his climb of Mt. Everest to save a fellow climber. I wonder
if Adam would make a similar sacrifice to save a person's life.
Andrew Brash
On Thursday, 22 May 2008, Andrew Brash reached the summit of Mt. Everest which is quite a feat, but I feel that
he may be remembered more for what he did in 2006 when he stopped 200 meters short of his goal in reaching
the summit to save the life of a climber from Australia. Seventy-seven climbers reached the summit on the same day as Andrew
but I don,t think too many of them, if any, can say they made such a sacrifice to save a fellow human being.
2008 Olympic Games
Why are we not questioning the people who award the olympic games as to why China received the honor for the 2008 games?
What criteria did they use to cast their votes. Did China epitomize the Olympic ideals and Olympic spirit?
It seems that every country that hosts the 2008 Olympic torch run has had to shorten the run and increase security.
Is China putting political pressure on countries to suppress demonstrations while saying the IOC should steer
clear of what it called irrelevant political factors? Is China putting pressure on hosting countries to
suppress demonstrations concerning their past and present history of Human Rights atrocities? Is the rest
of the world going to allow China to host the Olympics while we all pretend that we don't know what's going on in
countries such as Tibet?
On Wednesday, about 100 Tibetan youths wearing "Save Tibet" bandanas and T-shirts used spray paints to write anti-China
slogans on pavements and the road in front of the Chinese embassy in New Delhi. To help control demonstrations the route
for the torch run was shortened.
The International Olympic Committee has said it will review plans for the remainder of the torch relay and will consider
scrapping the international portion of the event for future games.
In what might be the biggest demonstration yet the Olympic torch is scheduled to be in New Delhi on
Thursday 17 April, 2008.
I don't support a boycott of the games but I question why the games were awarded to China. I think the IOC should justify
why China won over the other bidding cities such as Toronto, Paris, Osaka and Istanbul.
SHOULD COUNTRIES BOYCOTT THE OLYMPICS
In 1980 USOC President Robert J. Kane stated
"We have to go back to the point of this whole problem- that the Soviets, having been chosen as the host
for the 1980 Games...have treated tthe International Olympic Committee contemptuously.
They have invaded a neighboring country, a small, almost weaponless country, and it is certainly
not appropriate for the host of a festival to celebrate, good will and understanding in the world
to be at war with its neighbor."
Has anything changed for this olympics that would make this not true?
Does China's past and present history of Human Rights not make
this even more relevant today?
Fundamental Principles of Olympism
(Taken from the olympic charter)
1 Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining
in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind.
Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks
to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the
educational value of good example and respect for universal
fundamental ethical principles.
2 The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of
the harmonious development of man, with a view to
promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation
of human dignity.
3 The Olympic Movement is the concerted, organised, universal
and permanent action, carried out under the supreme
authority of the IOC, of all individuals and entities who
are inspired by the values of Olympism. It covers the
five continents. It reaches its peak with the bringing
together of the world's athletes at the great sports festival,
the Olympic Games. Its symbol is five interlaced rings.
4 The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual
must have the possibility of practising sport, without
discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit,
which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of
friendship, solidarity and fair play. The organisation,
administration and management of sport must be controlled
by independent sports organisations.
5 Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or
a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender
or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.
6 Belonging to the Olympic Movement requires compliance
with the Olympic Charter and recognition by the IOC.
WHO SHOULD BOYCOTT THE OLYMPIC GAMES?
People use the arguement that politics should be left out of the games but it is the political heads of countries that
are invited to the games not the common citizens. The host country uses the games to promote their own agendas and ideals.
The Chinese government says the IOC should steer clear of what it called irrelevant political factors.
The demonstrator in the T shirt doesn't look too menacing.
I wonder if it is true as reported in the San Francisco Chronicle that the Chinese Embassy bussed in the supporters
for the Olympics?
Speaking in the Chinese capital on April 11, the head of the IOC, Dr Rogge, said the Chinese should honour the pledge
they made when agreeing to host this year's Olympic Games.
"The representatives of the bid have said, and I quote freely because I don't know it by heart,
that awarding the games to China would advance the social agenda of China including human rights.
This is what I would call a moral engagement, rather than a juridical one."
