Have all of you forgotten that the Olympic Games is actually all about promoting sports excellence?
The Olympic Games was founded on the initiative of a French Nobleman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, on the vision to bring sportsmen from all over the world to compete in a variety of sports events and to promote better connection between countries of the globe.
However, it seems to me that his dreams have yet to come true. Indeed, countless world records have been set and human limits have been pushed again and again to a new extreme end in the history of Modern Olympic Games. Over the past one century, Olympic Games has never been able to stay clear of politics ever since its creation.
As early as 1936, when it was held in Berlin, Hitler took his Olympics to show off the post-First World War Germany. Hitler made full use of the chance to demonstrate the power of the Aryan race to show they are the best and in the Olympic Stadium Nazis flags flew high. 1980 is the year when the largest boycott event occurred in the Olympics History, US together with 61 other countries boycotted the Moscow Olympic Game. However, its was in the coming Los Angeles 1984 Olympics, the Soviet Union and 16 other countries boycotted the event as a retaliation to the previous humiliation. Sadly, this politics-parasitic Olympics tradition did not stop even in the recently concluded Beijing Olympics.
Have all of you forgotten that the Beijing Olympic Games is actually all about promoting sports excellence?
China, being one of the last few Communist nations left in the world today, has always painted an image of mystery and dictatorship in the democratic western world. Therefore, from the western side, China had attracted the attention of the globe ever since its success in application of hosting the Game. Everyone wanted to see what he mythical Chinese would bring for us.
On the other hand for the Chinese, the Olympic Game had been the chance that they had been for to show the world their warm hospitality and the country’s overall ability. They had termed this the “100 year dream”, they wanted to achieve the ambitious goal of hosting the best ever Olympic Game and would waste no effort in bringing a good impression to the world.
However, it was a pail of icy water right down the head for the Chinese. Since the beginning of 2008 and during the Torch Relay that was named the “Journey of Harmony”, very ironically, the journey of the Olympics Torch was not “harmonious” at all due to the many protests for human right abuses in China. Human right activists protested against the Mainland Communist Party and the recent crackdown in Tibet, violent conflicts occurred during several attempts to cease the flame. Meanwhile, as the Chinese were shouting “One World One Dream”, the Tibetans showed their slogan “Beijing 2008 Race for Tibet! Help Make the Beijing 2008 Olympics a Catalyst for Change in Tibet! “. They too did not want to miss the opportunity to attract international attention and support for their independence campaign. The entire torch relay was termed as “public relations disaster” for the China by The Times.
All of these had put some strokes of grey on the joyous moment of the Chinese and for the world. I truly believe that Olympics should be free of political influence. The Olympic Game was founded on the purpose of promoting harmony and friendship in the world, but political difference will only make this friendly session lose all its shades and hues.
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogges had said: "If we allow political propaganda, it's the end of the harmony of the Olympic village, and the end of the harmony of the games." Do you still remember the tragic event in the 1972 Munich Olympic Game, where eleven Israeli athletes were kidnapped and ultimately killed by Palestinian terrorists, in trying to release 234 Palestinians? Come to think of it, how different was the actions of those human right protestors and activists from that of the terrorists in principle, all of them tried to “kidnap” Olympic Game for the “random” of political benefits.
"Keep the politics out of the Olympics. I am not sympathetic to those who would try to embarrass China, try to spoil the Games or try to make political hay out of the Olympics," said former U.S. president George H.W. Bush. Olympic Game is the only true joyous gathering for the entire human race; it is where people strive to bring human achievement to a greater height.
It is a pity when Man, out of his own greed, wastes no effort in ruining every cheerful moment created for any good cause, to simply gain any benefit for him. Olympics is where sportsmen show their might and prove their ability, let’s all remember that Michael Phelpes had won 8 golds in the Beijing Olympics and Bolt has become the fastest man on Earth ever.
The Olympic Games was founded on the initiative of a French Nobleman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, on the vision to bring sportsmen from all over the world to compete in a variety of sports events and to promote better connection between countries of the globe.
However, it seems to me that his dreams have yet to come true. Indeed, countless world records have been set and human limits have been pushed again and again to a new extreme end in the history of Modern Olympic Games. Over the past one century, Olympic Games has never been able to stay clear of politics ever since its creation.
As early as 1936, when it was held in Berlin, Hitler took his Olympics to show off the post-First World War Germany. Hitler made full use of the chance to demonstrate the power of the Aryan race to show they are the best and in the Olympic Stadium Nazis flags flew high. 1980 is the year when the largest boycott event occurred in the Olympics History, US together with 61 other countries boycotted the Moscow Olympic Game. However, its was in the coming Los Angeles 1984 Olympics, the Soviet Union and 16 other countries boycotted the event as a retaliation to the previous humiliation. Sadly, this politics-parasitic Olympics tradition did not stop even in the recently concluded Beijing Olympics.
Have all of you forgotten that the Beijing Olympic Games is actually all about promoting sports excellence?
China, being one of the last few Communist nations left in the world today, has always painted an image of mystery and dictatorship in the democratic western world. Therefore, from the western side, China had attracted the attention of the globe ever since its success in application of hosting the Game. Everyone wanted to see what he mythical Chinese would bring for us.
On the other hand for the Chinese, the Olympic Game had been the chance that they had been for to show the world their warm hospitality and the country’s overall ability. They had termed this the “100 year dream”, they wanted to achieve the ambitious goal of hosting the best ever Olympic Game and would waste no effort in bringing a good impression to the world.
However, it was a pail of icy water right down the head for the Chinese. Since the beginning of 2008 and during the Torch Relay that was named the “Journey of Harmony”, very ironically, the journey of the Olympics Torch was not “harmonious” at all due to the many protests for human right abuses in China. Human right activists protested against the Mainland Communist Party and the recent crackdown in Tibet, violent conflicts occurred during several attempts to cease the flame. Meanwhile, as the Chinese were shouting “One World One Dream”, the Tibetans showed their slogan “Beijing 2008 Race for Tibet! Help Make the Beijing 2008 Olympics a Catalyst for Change in Tibet! “. They too did not want to miss the opportunity to attract international attention and support for their independence campaign. The entire torch relay was termed as “public relations disaster” for the China by The Times.
All of these had put some strokes of grey on the joyous moment of the Chinese and for the world. I truly believe that Olympics should be free of political influence. The Olympic Game was founded on the purpose of promoting harmony and friendship in the world, but political difference will only make this friendly session lose all its shades and hues.
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogges had said: "If we allow political propaganda, it's the end of the harmony of the Olympic village, and the end of the harmony of the games." Do you still remember the tragic event in the 1972 Munich Olympic Game, where eleven Israeli athletes were kidnapped and ultimately killed by Palestinian terrorists, in trying to release 234 Palestinians? Come to think of it, how different was the actions of those human right protestors and activists from that of the terrorists in principle, all of them tried to “kidnap” Olympic Game for the “random” of political benefits.
"Keep the politics out of the Olympics. I am not sympathetic to those who would try to embarrass China, try to spoil the Games or try to make political hay out of the Olympics," said former U.S. president George H.W. Bush. Olympic Game is the only true joyous gathering for the entire human race; it is where people strive to bring human achievement to a greater height.
It is a pity when Man, out of his own greed, wastes no effort in ruining every cheerful moment created for any good cause, to simply gain any benefit for him. Olympics is where sportsmen show their might and prove their ability, let’s all remember that Michael Phelpes had won 8 golds in the Beijing Olympics and Bolt has become the fastest man on Earth ever.
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