The Olympic Games, A Private Utopia?

The Summer Olympics were always a huge event in my household. For two weeks, my brothers and I glued ourselves to the TV. Amanda Beard, Michael Johnson, Dominique Dawes, Kerri Strug, these athletes were my idols. To me, the Olympics was a festival, a celebration of talent across the globe. Different nations, their athletes and their fans, coming to compete? Even the visual splendor of the different colored rings and blazing torch, it was an event of incredible festivity. I remember quite seriously writing my parents a note in 6th grade, "letting them know that I was going to go to the Olympics" to swim. Looking back it seems a little bit of a joke, but I really thought that I would. To be a part of something so glorious and honorable - the best of every country joined for two weeks – it seemed to me to be the ultimate dream.

In the past year, this "festival of talent" has been under much debate. Protests have rippled across the torch relay, in stops like San Francisco, Paris, and London; signs reading "Shame on China" have been fanned across protest lines. Critics shun China for flagrantly ignoring human rights in Tibet. The event has unveiled pent-up criticism and controversy internationally.

In response to the recent protests in San Francisco, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogges laments, "I’m deeply saddened by the fact that such an important symbol has been attacked. We recognize the rights for people to protest and express their views, but it should be nonviolent” (USA Today). There seems to be a general sentiment among the Olympic Committee that the event should remain separate from politics; that the tradition and glory of the Olympics should be preserved, and contained from the political situation in China and Tibet.

I agree with this to a point. As the USA Today article concedes, the US-led boycott of the Moscow games in 1980 and the Soviet-led boycott of the L.A. games in 1984 was a disservice to the athletes, and general spirit of the Olympics significantly. In a perfect world, one would hope that the unity and celebration of the Olympics could be celebrated as such. Without a doubt, the athletes have worked hard outside of the political realm, and so I understand the position that the event should not be tainted by this environment. As U.S. swimmer Tara Kirk says in an interview, "Just because the Olympics are happening in China doesn't mean they should suddenly be about something else. It bothers me when I feel the Olympic ideal is being degraded when people are attacking the torch . . ."

However. Doesn't it add a certain sting that the spirit of the Olympics does not extend beyond the stadium? Isn't it less compelling to know that such "unity" exists only within the track, pool, and gym? The truth is that it would be irresponsible to view the Olympics as some shrouded Utopia. If they were completely neutral, then China would not be looking to them to bolster its global image. If they were not linked to any political circumstance or consequence, then they would not be perceived as a way for China to "reemerge on the world stage in a wave of good will." The fact of the matter is that the two worlds - the Games and the international complex that surrounds them - cannot be kept separate. When China pledged to the IOC to respect human rights, they necessarily linked their two roles - the responsibility of a host country and a nation-state. Clearly, the Olympics have been recognized as a celebration of human spirit and talent. They give birth to sport legends like Michael Spitz and Florence-Griffith Joyner, icons that unite and inspire their countries. But we cannot separate these heroes from the political reality. We cannot sacrifice their glory for the well-being of oppressed peoples, because to do so would ignore the spirit of the Olympics all together.

The Games are meant to emulate this splendor, arguably in recognizing the integrity of shared human rights. Whether or not we should boycott the Olympic Games in Beijing, I'm unsure. But we should absolutely use this as an opportunity to address the inequity in Tibet, and to understand the reality that China is not living up to its responsibility. The Games should be an honor bestowed to a country fully cognizant and respectful of this shared human spirit, a cognition that extends outside of and beyond the two weeks in August.