Unsportsmanlike behavior...

There's been a lot of swirling controversy being reported on the upcoming summer Olypmics in China these days. The torch run has begun as has the protests about the ides of the Olympics being held in China at all. The political climate of China is, at best, turbulent and it's no secret that the Chinese torture and killing of Tibetan nationals is prevelant.

I understand the aversion to hosting the Olypics in a country that has this violence, not only in it's history, but also today. I also feel, however, that if there was ever a time when politics should NOT come into play, it is for the peaceful, community building on a global scale that is the Olympics. I remember reading about the 1936 Olympics which were held in Nazi Germany. It was not too many years after that when the world realized the depth to which that countries politics of the time had terrorized entire races of people. Even in 1936 the world was aware of the political slant of the Nazi regime yet the Olympics went on anyway. Hitler snubbed the great Jesse Owens who, in turn, and with grace and dignity, showed that he was the the superior athlete. He made a quiet statement of global peace through his actions. Part of me feels that is what the Olympics should be about.

There is something to be said for the serentiy of an international competition which allows friends and foes to come together on one soil, compete in peace and, for the moment, have a sense of their own national pride regardless of how large or small a country, how rich or poor a country, and regardless of what the national politics may be.

For the US, doesn't it smack of hypocrosy to boycott the Olympics because we don't like China's stand on Tibet when we are engaged in an unjust war and housing "prisoners" without cause? I think at some point a line must be drawn between politics and sport. I'm not naive enough to think that politics doesn't come into play within the Olympic committee but I do hope that at the very heart of the matter, the world can see that the Olympics may be just a small step in the right directin to global understanding and world harmony.