Like the rest of you, I have been thoroughly enjoying the Beijing Olympics. Watching Michael Phelps dominate the pool has been awesome. That 4 X 100 free relay was the most exhilarating finish I have seen since Gary Hall Jr. and Anthony Irvin tied for gold a in the 50 free in Athens. Anyways, even though I know the Games are a sporting event, this year in particular seems to be dripping in politics. Starting with the madness that was the torch relay to the supposed ages of several Chinese gymnasts, I cannot remember an Olympiad that has been so politically charged. I know that there were boycotts in 1980 and 1984, but I really was not paying attention to the politics of the world in those times.
So many different things appear to be in question:
- Fake fireworks at the opening ceremonies.
- Age of the gymnasts.
- The right for groups to protest in three designated areas. So far every request has been denied.
- Darfur supporter and Olympic Champion Joey Cheek having his passport denied. He was not allowed into the country.
- Sketchy scoring for the Chinese female gymnasts that gave them favorable scores on routines that looked less than stellar.
- Air quality.
- Chinese censorship.
- The insane picture that the Spanish basketball teams took in which they made their eyes appear slanted in an attempt to "honor" the host nation.
These are just a few examples that I could think of, even though there are undoubtedly more. Once again, I understand that politics been a part of the Olympics for a long time, most notedly in Munich in 1972 and Berlin in 1936, but none that I have personal memories of. I am dying to see how these Games will impact China in the coming years. The Chinese clearly want to prove to the world that they have arrived after years of isolation. However, I do not think that the Olympics have proven everything that they wanted them to.
4 comments:
For anyone that thought those fireworks at the opening ceremonies were supposed to be real, I have some shocking news for you. There really aren't bulls running through downtown Chicago before each and every Bulls basketball game at the United Center! Come on!
Oh, and you should have at least mentioned the Milli Vanilli of Beijing. The cute little girl they got to lip sync that song because the real girl who sang it was not cute enough. That was more appalling than the digitized firework display.
I concur... this year's Olympic events are overly concerned with the China's image. As it turns out, all the effort put forth has really only tarnished the image.
But isn't that lanky Jamaican sprinter awesome? Arrogant, but pretty awesome to see in action.
Yes Mommacita, I have enjoyed watching Usain Bolt crush the world marks and having quite possibly the greatest Olympics ever for track and field. His performance puts him up there with Phelps as the face of these Olympics. However, I would say my favorite moment has been the celebration of male Chinese badminton player who threw his racket into the stand followed by his shoes, socks and other items as he ran around the court. His excitement was infectious and represented the Olympic spirit in a positive way.
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