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Boycott the Olympics?

H

hypn0tik

Diamond Member
I'm not sure if this belongs in P&N or Off Topic. I searched in both forums and didn't find any threads about this. Please move it into P&N if you feel it's better suited there and lock if it's a repost.

Boycott the olympics next year?

Gordon Brown has been urged to start a Europe-wide debate on whether athletes should boycott the Beijing Olympics in response to human rights abuses.

Senior Tory MEP Edward McMillan-Scott claimed there was evidence of "persecution and genocide" in China and said EU countries should consider pulling out of the Games.

Mr McMillan-Scott, MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber and a vice-president of the European Parliament, raised the issue of a human rights boycott following a visit to China in 2006.

He said: "There is continuing evidence of persecution, and even genocide, in China.

"The civilised world must seriously consider shunning China - and using the Beijing Olympics to send the clear message that such abuses of human rights are not acceptable.

"The debate must take place - whether the countries of the European Union are present at the Beijing Olympics or whether they stay away."

Mr McMillan-Scott added: "I believe that everyone has the right to practise a religion of their choice without persecution, imprisonment or torture.

"Christians, Buddhists - especially in Tibet - and Muslims are all persecuted.

"Human rights should be endorsed by the Olympic movement, and it is time for the European Union to enter the debate."

Mr McMillan-Scott is to deliver a letter to Mr Brown calling for him to initiate a debate among European leaders.

Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2007, All Rights Reserved.
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What do you guys think?

I don't think they should boycott the games. The Olympics are about athletic achievements and not about what XYZ thinks about China's government or their human rights policies. The only issue I see is if the athletes are abused by the government, but somehow I don't see that happening.
 
I felt it should never have been awarded to them, nor any other dictatorship-led nation.
 
They shouldn't boycott the olympics. It ought to be the Olympic commities job to determine the ethics of the communities. If they think its ok, then the atheletes should be willing to compete.

Just like to say that I agree with Yllus
 
the olympics are all about diversity in its participants and events.

if china doesn't like the idea of diversity, then they can go suck on a chairman-approved, government-mandated weenie.
 
The Olympics are and always have been a device to generate goodwill among nations. Why would anyone boycott such an excellent thing? If you want to boycott something, do it to all those crappy cheap products that come from China.
 
Originally posted by: yllus
I felt it should never have been awarded to them, nor any other dictatorship-led nation.
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And I don't believe the Olympics and the IOC should be pushing politics down anyone's throats.

Just because you really think democracy is great doesn't mean it will culturally work for everyone. Sports = Sports
Sports =/ Politics

The world is not as black and white as you may think and who/what you think good/what you think is evil isnt as clear cut as you'd think it is. The world isnt that simple.
 
Nope, I don't give a damn about human rights in other countries. Selfish? Yes. Proud of it? You betcha.
 
Originally posted by: mwmorph
Originally posted by: yllus
I felt it should never have been awarded to them, nor any other dictatorship-led nation.
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And I don't believe the Olympics and the IOC should be pushing politics down anyone's throats.

Just because you really think democracy is great doesn't mean it will culturally work for everyone. Sports = Sports
Sports =/ Politics

The world is not as black and white as you may think and who/what you think good/what you think is evil isnt as clear cut as you'd think it is. The world isnt that simple.
Click to expand...

I hardly think that there are people out there saying, "You know what, self-determination really isn't what it's cracked up to me. Let's get ourselves a dictatorship!"

I don't think there should be exceptions for the Olympics or anything else when basic human rights are being violated - we're not talking "politics", we're talking human rights - but that's just my POV. And yes, some things are that clear cut.
 
The athletes who have made it to the Olympics have put in way too much sweat and way too many years of training for me to think they shouldn't get a shot at their dream.
 
Originally posted by: NuclearNed
The Olympics are and always have been a device to generate goodwill among nations. Why would anyone boycott such an excellent thing? If you want to boycott something, do it to all those crappy cheap products that come from China.
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:thumbsup: I agree. Boycotting the olympics is pretty brainless.
 
Originally posted by: yllus
I felt it should never have been awarded to them, nor any other dictatorship-led nation.
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Hey, the '36 olympics were in Berlin. We didn't boycott it, we just showed up and embarrassed them in their own home.
 
I don't care much for China, and I don't like Olympics anyway so I won't be watching.

As for the Olympics, it really doesn't promote goodwill. Not when you set nations competing against each other. Its all about rooting for your own nation to win. Did the South Koreans promote goodwill when their athletes won and flaunted it in our faces because of their hate for Apollo Ono? If it was really goodwill and transcending world problems then why the medal counts? Why have it? Why put emphasis on who has the most medals?

If the Olympics really promoted goodwill and transcended world problems, they should eliminate competing by nations and compete together. For teams, they should create friendships and pick random teams from all nations to compete together. You already have enough internation competitions such as World Championships in which you send your nation's team to compete each year anyway. Why not change the Olympics? Send your best atheletes to the Olympics but drop the nationalities. They could all walk in their nations in the opening ceremony but in individual competitions, don't have them display their national colors or list the nation they are from. In team oriented competitions, have them draw from a hat and see how well they bond, work together to compete. When athletes from different nations are working together to win, that creates goodwill and transcends world problems.
 
Originally posted by: Balt
The athletes who have made it to the Olympics have put in way too much sweat and way too many years of training for me to think they shouldn't get a shot at their dream.
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Spot on.
 
The Olympics and politics of any kind should completely remain seperate. No need to punish the athletes etc.

I still think the boycott of the USSR's olympics by Jimmie Carter was 100% wrong.

Fern
 
Originally posted by: iamaelephant
Originally posted by: Balt
The athletes who have made it to the Olympics have put in way too much sweat and way too many years of training for me to think they shouldn't get a shot at their dream.
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Spot on.
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I love your signature.
 
Originally posted by: maddogchen
I don't care much for China, and I don't like Olympics anyway so I won't be watching.

As for the Olympics, it really doesn't promote goodwill. Not when you set nations competing against each other. Its all about rooting for your own nation to win. Did the South Koreans promote goodwill when their athletes won and flaunted it in our faces because of their hate for Apollo Ono? If it was really goodwill and transcending world problems then why the medal counts? Why have it? Why put emphasis on who has the most medals?

If the Olympics really promoted goodwill and transcended world problems, they should eliminate competing by nations and compete together. For teams, they should create friendships and pick random teams from all nations to compete together. You already have enough internation competitions such as World Championships in which you send your nation's team to compete each year anyway. Why not change the Olympics? Send your best atheletes to the Olympics but drop the nationalities. They could all walk in their nations in the opening ceremony but in individual competitions, don't have them display their national colors or list the nation they are from. In team oriented competitions, have them draw from a hat and see how well they bond, work together to compete. When athletes from different nations are working together to win, that creates goodwill and transcends world problems.
Click to expand...

I'm going to go ahead and assume you're one of the PC morons who thinks that kids shouldn't play football because it's too competitive, and when kids play sport they shouldn't count the score and everyone goes home with a gold medal. And I right?
 
Originally posted by: iamaelephant
Originally posted by: maddogchen
I don't care much for China, and I don't like Olympics anyway so I won't be watching.

As for the Olympics, it really doesn't promote goodwill. Not when you set nations competing against each other. Its all about rooting for your own nation to win. Did the South Koreans promote goodwill when their athletes won and flaunted it in our faces because of their hate for Apollo Ono? If it was really goodwill and transcending world problems then why the medal counts? Why have it? Why put emphasis on who has the most medals?

If the Olympics really promoted goodwill and transcended world problems, they should eliminate competing by nations and compete together. For teams, they should create friendships and pick random teams from all nations to compete together. You already have enough internation competitions such as World Championships in which you send your nation's team to compete each year anyway. Why not change the Olympics? Send your best atheletes to the Olympics but drop the nationalities. They could all walk in their nations in the opening ceremony but in individual competitions, don't have them display their national colors or list the nation they are from. In team oriented competitions, have them draw from a hat and see how well they bond, work together to compete. When athletes from different nations are working together to win, that creates goodwill and transcends world problems.
Click to expand...

I'm going to go ahead and assume you're one of the PC morons who thinks that kids shouldn't play football because it's too competitive, and when kids play sport they shouldn't count the score and everyone goes home with a gold medal. And I right?
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nope, you're wrong as always. I'm just pointing out that Olympics does not promote goodwill, it promotes competitiveness and builds walls between us. If you did want to promote goodwill, a better format to try is this.
 
Originally posted by: se7en
Originally posted by: eLiu
Nope, I don't give a damn about human rights in other countries. Selfish? Yes. Proud of it? You betcha.
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Yay for narrow minded americanism.
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Actually, I'm Chinese. And seeing as how I don't see "human rights" defined in any book of "universal truths," I see no reason as to why I should follow along.
 
Sports != politics.

Any and every nation should be allowed to send representatives of their best athletes and instead of turning the Olympics into a commercial butt-fsck we should all join in the love of competition and sport. Political agendas have no place in sports. Do it for the love of the games, not because you disagree with someone's laws and policies.

Are the athletes the ones supposedly torturing people? Are the athletes the ones demolishing people's human rights? NO. Leave them out of the political BS.
 
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