About ... Beijing Olympics
Although some people always say that sports games should not to be politicised, but let's face it, it's impossible to separate two apart - people mix sports and politics all the time.
I can throw you a dozen of examples to prove this: 1936 "Hitler" summer Olympics, 1980 winter and summer Olympics, which America boycotted the games, Munich massacre and to NZers, the recent visa restrictions that stopped number of Fiji sport teams ... and much more.
Whenever there's a protest broke out, the Chinese official's stand is "any attempt to politicise the Olympic games will ultimately fail because it againsts the will of sports-loving people."
However, what I saw is, if there was anyone attempting to politicise Olympic Games, the first one must be Chinese government itself - this game is far more than a game for Chinese Government, it's a event where it attempts to buy global respectability.
The games was also used in propaganda campaign inside China and excuses to force ordinary people to sacrifice their freedom of speech or property.
It is so politicised that the government won't allow any flaws of this game to get exposed to the World, just like this accident most of you probably have never heard about it until now.
The point is, just like commercialisation of Olympic Games, it will also get politicised from time to time. Every one has the right, the freedom to express their opinion and execise what they think like boycott the game or praise it, so I don't think it's wrong to get politics involved in the Olympic Games, and I am very disappointed on New Zealand's attempt to stop kiwi athletes from commenting on political issues.
The choice of whether to comment on the game and/or related political issues should up to each athlete's individual conscience, the last thing we need is a nanny state telling Kiwi Olympians what is right or wrong.
However, I'm not saying which side in this highly disputed game is right: only the time would tell who stands on the moral high ground.
