April 27, 2008
Time to pull the plug on the Olympics
The Olympic games have become a joke. A bad joke. It is time to put the event out of its misery. There was about a 1500 year gap between the last of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, and the first of the Games in the new Olympic era. Let’s have another 1500 years without Olympics. Then we can see again. There are three arguments that support this recommendation.
(1) Who wants to watch a contest between pharmacological labs?
I won’t be watching the Olympics this year. A sufficient reason for this decision is that the spectacle is just not interesting anymore, because most of the time I don’t know what I am watching. Is it a competition between athletes or some convolution of a competition between athletes and a contest between pharmaceutical labs trying to find the optimal combination of illegal performance enhancement and likelihood of detection?
I would certainly be interested in following a competition between different teams of researchers to find new performance-enhancing drugs. But I would not want to watch this live on television. The competition would involve studying the ranking of academic departments in the fields of pharmacology, chemistry and associated bio-medical sciences, the evaluation of peer-reviewed research papers and of replicable lab results, and reviewing market analysts’ assessments of the leading biomedical and drugs companies.
This does not make for good spectator sport, however. Only the sad individuals who get a buzz out of watching chess, darts or golf on television could could find live broadcasts of competitive pharmacological research exciting.
I would also be interested in watching on television an athletic competition where any and all forms of performance enhancement are allowed, as long as the information about who uses what is in the public domain: “In lane 4 we have Marion Jones, fresh out of jail after doing six months for lying to federal prosecutors about her steroid use and cheque fraud - a one-time poster child of American track and field, now exposed as a career-long performance-enhancing drugs cheat. Next to her in lane 5 is Ben Johnson, steroid-assisted former world record holder over 100 meters and Olympic 100 meter Gold Medal winner at the 1988 Olympics (both short-lived), ……. The full list of performance-enhancing drugs each of the competitors will be using can be found on our website: http://www.withalittlehelpfrommyfriends/olympics.org .”
These fallen idols are, unfortunately, but two names in a long line of top athletes, in track and field and in other sports – cycling, tennis, swimming and many others - who have cheated their clean competitors and the public. Surely, this must be the final nail in the coffin of the Olympics? The only competitive sport that appears to be clean is darts – a sport played by unfit fat slobs without the benefit of performance-enhancing drugs other than beer and cigarettes, and both are out in the open.
(2) Today’s Olympics desecrate the Olympic ideals; it is an exercise in collective hypocrisy
It is difficult to read the Olympic creed - “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”- and keep a straight face. The Olympic creed may ring true for Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards, the worst ski-jumper ever, and for the Eric “the Eel” Moussambani, the slowest swimmer ever. It is a lie for most of the prominent participants in most events. Winning, winning at all cost, winning ugly, winning dirty, winning winning winning is the only thing that matters. The hypocrisy of the Olympic creed is staggering. Why not be honest and replace it with “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing”.
In classical times, a truce was announced before, during and following the Olympic festivals, to allow visitors to travel safely to and from Olympia. During the truce, wars were suspended and armies were prohibited from entering Elis, the area where Olympia was located, or from threatening the Games. More to the point for the 2008 Olympics, legal disputes and the carrying out of the death penalty were forbidden.
In 2006 China admitted to just over 1000 executions, out of a global total number of just under 1600 executions reported by 25 countries. Admittedly, when you express the execution figures in per capita terms, the Chinese execution figure doesn’t look so big (nor does anything else; e.g. carbon emissions per capita in China are quite low even through China is now the biggest emitter of green house gases; the low per capita number is little comfort for the rest of us, because the damage done by carbon emissions depends on its quantity, not on its per capita quantity). Iran leads the world in per capita executions. Will China get into the Olympic spirit and suspend executions for the duration of the Games? What about a giant step for mankind: abolishing the death penalty altogether?
Last, the Olympics have become hothouses of toe-curlingly embarrassing nationalism. The national medal counts, total, per capita, per square meter or what not are the exact antithesis of what the Games ought to be about. Abolishing national teams and scrapping the playing of national anthems would help. Admitting, say, just 200 club teams, each of which was located in an area containing roughtly 0.5 per cent of the world’s population, and none of wich could discriminate as regards membership on the basis of nationality, would be a positive alternative. Playing the Archers’ theme instead of the various national anthems would save money and lower the jingoistic cholesterol count.
(3) The Olympics are at risk of being hijacked by totalitarian political regimes and turned into mass-political propaganda events.
The 1936 summer Olympics in Berlin and the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen were used by the Nazis to showcase the strengh of their New Order, for the benefit of domestic and foreign observers. The Soviet Union used the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics to extol the virtues and merits of Soviet Communism. The 2008 Summer Olympics in China will be used by the Chinese authorities to showcase the arrival of China on the global scene as a financial, economic and political superpower. As indeed it is.
But I refuse to watch the organised spontaneous exhibition of self-realisation-in-the-harmony-of-pan-Chinese-unity that will be staged by the 55 happy ethnic minorities officially recognized by the Beijing authorities (including the happiest minorities of them all, the Tibetan, Uyghur and Mongol ethnic groups). No doubt the ethnic minorities will feature in the opening and closing ceremonies, all dressed in cute folkloristically correct outfits and singing the appropriate ethnic songs. They will be followed by the happy religious minorities (members of the underground Roman Catholic Church and of the many protestant ‘house churches’, Muslims associated with unregistered Muslim religious activity in Xinjiang province, Tibetan Buddhists, followers of Falun Gong and many others).
Conclusion
The Olympics are a hypocritical, dishonest, corrupt and wasteful event. One of the positive side effects of global warming could be that it kills off the Winter Olympics, because there won’t be winters any longer. To get rid of the summer Olympics, a concerted effort is required.
It is possible, perhaps even likely, that the Beijing Olympics will turn out to be such an athletic, human rights and political debacle, that the Olympic Movement will not recover.
The following calamities are quite likely, severally and jointly:
- Athletes in endurance events dropping like flies because of intolerable atmospheric pollution;
- Foreign and domestic demonstrators protesting human rights violations in China, China’s deplorable environmental record, its alledged complicity in the Darfur massacres and its general neo-colonialist policies in Africa and other vulnerable developing countries, or whatever else rings their bell disrupting the opening and closing ceremonies and possibly the sporting events as well.
- The demonstrators getting arrested, manhandled and expelled (in the case of foreigners) or locked up for indefinite periods (in the case of Chinese residents).
- Clashes between young Chinese whose nationalistic fervour cup floweth over and demonstrators against political, cultural and religious repression.
- Journalists getting neither the access to people and sites nor the freedom to report that they expect and creating a massive fuss and stink.
I believe that the Chinese authorities have no idea as to what they are about to bring upon themselves with these Olympics and the inevitable temporary opening up of the country this implies. Recalcitrant domestic demonstrators can perhaps be given the Tiananmen Square treatment again. It would not be as costless to the authorities if they meted out similar treatment to foreign demonstrators. If they are genuinely interested in the survival of their regime, they would find some excuse for cancelling the Olympics as yet. A public health scare, say SARS or something like it, would do nicely. But this is, unfortunately, unlikely.
Here is an opportunity for Gordon Brown to regain the moral high ground. After the Beijing Olympics have degenerated into farce and mayhem, he should stand up and inform an attentive, respectful and soon-to-be-admiring public that the 2012 London Olympics are off. The infrastructure improvements for Greater London planned for the Games should, of course, be implemented regardless, as the ambition to move London from third class to second class infrastructure status ought to survive the cancellation of the Olympics.
The Olympics: just don’t do it.
This is a sharp argumentation against the continuation of the olympic games with many points not easily defutable. However, I guess many will read this piece as a skit.
Posted by: bmh | April 27th, 2008 at 9:22 pm | Report this commentAll strength to your, um, hypodermic.
Posted by: dearieme | April 27th, 2008 at 11:13 pm | Report this commentThe only thing better than reading this would be to listen to Rumpole read this.
Posted by: jb | April 28th, 2008 at 3:54 am | Report this commentAlthough I agree with you, I have set out to change things through imaginative thinking and as I am not, unlike top sports people and others, living under the influence of testosterone, lets see what I come up with…
Posted by: Esther Phillips | April 28th, 2008 at 9:45 am | Report this commentHow about?
Lets hold the Olympics in Athens every year and subsidise the Athenians for holding them. This would cut out a lot of superegos and waste in that countries seem to be competing on oneupmanship which you don’t mention and we could get rid of the corrupt IOC.
Lets pay sports people a lot less, this may stop the labs investing more and more for the glory of having their “horses” winning, bring back a sense of fun in sports, and again we may find smaller egos in the various disciplines, even if the sporting results are less exciting.
Lets start by making the London Olympics stick to their origingal budget and use the surplus in small scale community projects. Sports per se are a good thing because they can be used as a channel for teenagers with rioting hormones to let steam off. Playing a sport is also probably a more creative activity then going to war.
Mr Buiter I would love to hear what you think of my suggestions.
Brilliant!
Posted by: Lars Spangberg | April 28th, 2008 at 10:52 am | Report this commentAlthought there are sports where drugs will not help (sailing). The rest of your points are absolutely valid. What an obscene waste of money and resources just to glorify the holder of the game! As long as Nike, Adidas etc., keep pushing huge sums of money on the top athletes, we will not get rid of the dope.
I think people should remember that even in ancient times the games were not quite the epitome of healthy exercise against which measure they are currently juxtaposed. I am thinking particularly of the wrestler, who died winning the gold medal from strangulation, only beating his opponent by breaking his toe.
Posted by: Peter Higgins | April 28th, 2008 at 11:17 am | Report this commentCertainly interesting. Shall we start it with the London Olympics 2012? Cancel it and use the money to improve the underground system in London.
Posted by: N Wang | April 28th, 2008 at 11:42 am | Report this commentI suspect that China’s over-zealous efforts will help kill off the Games.
After this year’s debacle sponsors won’t touch it with a barge pole.
Bad air and drug cheats, and China’s xenophobia and heavy-handed officials will make this year’s event one to remember.
Posted by: R. Clark | April 28th, 2008 at 12:18 pm | Report this commentOlympic Game is only for those who love peace and want to have fun.
if you cann’t, then better stay at home and not come here.
it’s not China’s xenophobia, but rather west’s sino-phobia and sino-paranoia
Posted by: tracyhong | April 28th, 2008 at 12:32 pm | Report this commentI think all events that bring the World together are great, including the FIFA World Football Cup (also used by the Argentina Dictatorship, for example, hehe), the Eurovision song contest (also many people say it is a meeting of freaks without musical value) or the U.N., United Nations, which occupy several expensive buildings in New York and Geneva….
Olympic Games are good to show your Organisation capacity as a nation, as Spain demonstrated 16 years ago, in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, and if well done they can mean a very important promotion for the city where the Olympics are held, as it was for Barcelona.
Primarly, the Olympics are an economic question and that´s why LONDON pushed so hard to Win the next Olympic Games after Pekin…had Paris won for the next Olympics as they tried, you wouldn´t have seen Sarkozy with his stupid speech. Note the difference with the U.K. which will hold the next Olympic Games (London)
Posted by: Enrique | April 28th, 2008 at 12:33 pm | Report this comment[…] Games: A joke, a very bad joke One of the FT’s Blogs has this excellent item on why it is time to kill off the […]
Posted by: Olympic Games: A joke, a very bad joke « The Inquiring Mind | April 28th, 2008 at 12:36 pm | Report this commentevan andersen
it would be good to make the threat to take away the games. Maybe it would change the focus of the atheletes and people generally to cherish the ideologies behind the games. evan andersen totally agrees with the writer however that there needs to be something done, if canceling it for a few years does the trick, then so be it. Although, the west does not need to make things so political, it is the only thing we know how to do, and that has proven to get a tad old.
evan andersen
Posted by: evan andersen | April 28th, 2008 at 12:41 pm | Report this commentIt is a really trenchant comments.I am a college
Posted by: John | April 28th, 2008 at 12:45 pm | Report this commentstudent from China,I hope Olympics Game will survive and thrvive under the auspice of China Government.I want to address the citizens of foreign coutries that 2008 will witness the success of Olympic Games
my email:theonegdf@gmail.com
China is governed by elite groups.Admittedly,the development of China’s ecomony is accompanied by corruption,but all other western countries have expericed this process.I want to guarantee ,on behalf of thousands of Chinese people,who has all the passion and ardor to hold Olympics Games on their motherland,that China,the eligible holder of the upcoming Olympics will finish his job brilliantly and successfully.What you should do now is wait with patience to witness the wonderfully video banquet .trust me please.
Posted by: John | April 28th, 2008 at 12:58 pm | Report this commentChina has the capacity ,stength,and ecomomic power to hold a totally different and satisfying Olympic
Posted by: John | April 28th, 2008 at 1:06 pm | Report this commentGames.New BeiJing ,new Olympics.Please wait and see what happens.Don’t feel suprised if the result is sucessfully beyond you expectation
Same argument will also apply to any economists. What are they really good for? They should all be fired so that money can go to the real scientists to advance the well being of mankind.
Posted by: Jun | April 28th, 2008 at 1:28 pm | Report this commentThis is a terrible entry. If you are this cynical about mankind, about something as pure in SPIRIT as the olympic games, I feel bad for you. Yes, drugs have tainted the games. But to write off the talents of tremendous and innocent athletes like Deena Kastor, Bernard Legat, and other LEGAL gold-medal contendors is a joke. Do not write off the games, press for tighter standards on the cheaters. The olympic spirit is too tremendous to give up.
Posted by: Faith | April 28th, 2008 at 2:04 pm | Report this commentSo if China’s Human Rights violations are anything to go by, then would we Americans do a better job?
Just Reminder: Iraq, Afghanistan, CIA prisons (worst human rights abuses since the Nazis), Black slaves, etc
All I see is double standards from our media!
Posted by: Alex | April 28th, 2008 at 2:51 pm | Report this commentThe Olympics were meant to be peaceful and non-political.
Actually, this may well be the last olympics. The reason is not one of those mentioned in the article. The reason is Peak Oil. It will simply be inconceivable by 2012 that so much liquid fuel will be wasted on such an irrelevance.
At best, if we are not fighting over the remaining big deposits of the stuff, will be a videolympics.
Posted by: Alfred Nassim | April 28th, 2008 at 3:30 pm | Report this commentThat is only the tip of the iceberg, you can do an entire series of International Organizations that need to expire. A lot of them are job corps for the overeducated, unemployed from non-industrial countries. There are more pressing problems around the world that need to be dealt with than running around in circles and throwing heavy objects.
Posted by: Betty Chambers | April 28th, 2008 at 3:49 pm | Report this commentAppallingly cynical and misinformed view of the motivation and imtegrity of the vast majority of Olympic athletes.
Posted by: Peter | April 28th, 2008 at 3:49 pm | Report this commentDon’t forget that there are numerous amateur athletes at the Olympics who have sacrificed careers and earnings for the chance to compete at the Olympics. That is the spirit of the Olympic Games.
Your problems with the so-called ‘ideals’ of the Games are spot-on. However, singling out Olympic Sports as pharmaceutical showdowns and not uttering a word about the “big-stage” stuff (NFL, Baseball, Soccer …) does not work. Those sports are no cleaner than those generally picked on.
Posted by: Burkni | April 28th, 2008 at 3:52 pm | Report this commentYour thought provoking and insightful conclusions are enough to question the purpose advanced degrees, education and economists.
I can not figure out if you really believe this, want to cause discussion or looking for a position at an Ivy League University.
While there are excesses in the olymplics as well as the sub-prime mess we should should not throw out the baby with the bath water.
Posted by: John Edward | April 28th, 2008 at 4:05 pm | Report this commentSurely the Games have become a hoax for those with the old idealist view of the “spirit” of the games (like myself and therefore I wont be watching either). However, the Olympics of today are more approaching the ancient “spirit” with cheating and violence commonplace among athletes and crowds.
Posted by: Martin | April 28th, 2008 at 5:20 pm | Report this commentIn any case, it may not be what some of us really want, but I do believe that it fills a function in the peaceful integration (aka “globalization”) of the world and it surely will contribute to enhancing the mutual understanding between the chinese and the outsiders … and can that be anything but a good thing?
Thank you for a brilliant piece. The Olympics event is tiring, wasteful, injurious, boastful. What is saddest is the collective conspiracy to brain-wash the young and hopeful.
BTW, is it even fair for amateur atheletes with little state support (parents mortgaging their homes, and community support with car wash etc) to compete with, say, the system in China (and other totalitarian countries) where they are selected and nurtured from young and stay (laughably) ‘amateur?
It is one big cynical crap. But the, so is the United Nations.
Posted by: M. Lee | April 28th, 2008 at 6:34 pm | Report this commentAnother good essay. I agree fully with your points. Another case of commercialization driving out whatever might be of value along with the corruption that comes from handing out potential commercial bonanzas on the part of the Olympic Committee. The parallel with the Olympics held during the Nazi era in Germany and the pending Olympics in China is more tenuous from my perspective. China is not annihilating a significant portion of its population or the population of neighboring countries for one thing, but no question propaganda will be in full display.
Posted by: Wendell Murray | April 28th, 2008 at 7:20 pm | Report this commentSecond that motion - but let’s keep the paralympics, indeed let’s save our enthusiasm exclusively for our paralympians. Now that’s an event that is truly inspiring.
Posted by: Jonathan | April 28th, 2008 at 7:32 pm | Report this commentSo true. Ironic that as the value of sports as commodities increases, populations in 2nd and 1st world nations become increasingly obese and homogenous. It is repulsive to see the amount of money squandered on “professional” sport and its associated events and organisations, their principal purpose being immobilise as many “viewers” as possible in front of their TV sets. Very sad.
Posted by: Lee Cook | April 28th, 2008 at 7:51 pm | Report this commentHi, I think olympic game is just a sport. So please do not confuse it with politics, human rights.
So far do you realize what is human rights? If so, do you really have your human rights in your country? UK or US?
About death execution, I think on one hand, it will be able to keep the crime rate low, on the other hand it will make our life safer. As a matter of fact, there are so many death crimes in Uk, why?
Because they can kill you just then stay in jail for nothing, enjoy their life even better than outside.
Ha Ha think about this
Posted by: Feng Jiang | April 28th, 2008 at 7:53 pm | Report this commentWonderful column. If only we could be saved the Olimpics in 2012. Winning this one was the best example of the winner’s curse I know. I think of it as Tony Blair’s poison pill.
In response to Feng Jiang on executions, China Daily reports that there were 31,000 homicides in China in 2007, which is 2.38 per 100,000 people. England’s most recent rate appears to be 1.62. The UK’s is 2.03.
Posted by: Martin Wolf | April 28th, 2008 at 8:27 pm | Report this commentAs a professor at the LSE, he’s bound to be critical (I know because he’s at my School and I have been told about being hypercritical too) especially on an apparent anti-thesis of Western defined notions freedom and self-righteousness.
Remember South Korea when it organised the Olympics, was a totalitarian with its own ‘interesting’ human rights abuses history. Look at it now, a vibrant democracy. Why didn’t he see China in the same light?
As for other things, human rights while far from Western standards, it’s improving in China. A keen supporter of gay rights, I am rather impressed at instances such as delisting of homosexuality as a mental illness in 2001, introduction of the popular gay studies in 2005 at Fudan University, increasingly effective and assertive grass roots worker rights and environmental activists movement, and the millions elevated from poverty.
As for executions and pollution, it’s unfair to blame China entirely. With a population so large, surely it also has a significantly larger absolute population of hardcore criminals that warranted capital punishment and who are we to stop average Chinese to restrict their personal aspirations to things like owning cars when rich Europeans and Americans lavishly guzzle vast amount of petrol running their land rovers in the middle of London! As for industrial pollution, perhaps you may want your European business buddies to take back your share of steel industry and other polluting industries instead of investing in China to do the ‘dirty’ work. If not don’t complain. Suggest solutions!!
Despite his persuasive rethoric, Willem Buiter is a short-sighted misogynist who has yet moved past Tienanmen and see the progress China has done so far. Be constructive next time and take time to learn more about China and Asia with your mates at SOAS, just around the corner from LSE!
As for 2012, I support fully the London Olympics, for better or worse!! I can’t wait for another round of passionate expression of freedom of speech. Probably by then the buzzword would be IRAQ.
Peace
Alan
Posted by: Alan | April 28th, 2008 at 8:45 pm | Report this commentangry student at LSE
[…] Time to pull the plug on the Olympics […]
Posted by: Alea | #Links | April 28th, 2008 at 9:46 pm | Report this commentthe news just came out that a Family killed during raid in Gaza by the Isrealy troops. The human right fighters from Poland to France, why don’t you speak out? Why don’t you demonstrate on the streets?
Posted by: Ben | April 28th, 2008 at 9:58 pm | Report this commentWell argued positions don?t always make well taken decisions. In fact they can often be more suitable for self serving political campaigns or sponsorships the likes of just as distasteful predicaments the very Olympics have been the victims of. Indeed, the Olympics may have a faulty organization, a skewed reward system, and irrelevant membership rules, amongst many other wrongs. However all such ills, can be corrected, without having to take the nihilist solution for its absolute destruction. Simply, and quite hastily I might add, what first comes to mind, can be for eaxample, to:
Posted by: George Hadjiantoniou | April 28th, 2008 at 9:58 pm | Report this commenta. Limit the country participation, to those, perhaps UN States with, for example, acceptable standards as to their human rights and environment violations, no capital punishment, and many other such criteria that defend and protect their citizen?s right to a decent life.
b. Prohibit sponsorship of any product by any participating athlete as a condition for participation, and for a period of five years prior and ten years following their event, failing which all recognitions will be withdrawn.
c. Recognize all twelve finalists with a finalist?s medal, for each event, with special written mention and a wreath for the first three.
d. Expand the events to include competition in the performing arts, science, literature, music etc. Because human excellence is not only in athletics.
And many other such solutions, that could be engendered from a constructive debate on correcting the current practice deficits of the games, between able and honest trouble shooters and reformers.
The Olympic games is one of the very few if not the only one global event, for partaking and celebrating in human excellence, that most people can understand, enjoy and reaffirm their humanity in their fellow man?s pursuit for excellence.
Stir the games back to its core purpose, which I read, as a young person?s rise to prominence through the honest pursuit of the body?s excellence , in balance with the human spirit. It is a community event, and a proxy pursuit of excellence for the common good, as it is an example to hold dear for a young person and an initiate citizen.
Don?t close it down, because it has become an instrument of commercial greed, avarice and perhaps corruption. Remove its intoxicant causes and ways. It can be done. Another 1500 years of darkness could help no one, lest the young ones. We have had enough of darkness already.
Interesting reading. Sounded like Prof. Buiter is no sports fan. Because following your logic, there are no games we should watch. Be it football or tennis. Pull the plug on the Wimbledon, anyone? Now back to this year’s Olympics hosted in China, I do believe that the “inevitable temporary opening up of the country” is a great deal for China and subsequently for the world. Once the door is open, it would be hard to close completely. I am counting on that.
Posted by: Dan | April 28th, 2008 at 10:13 pm | Report this commentIf you do not like the game, just do not watch or participate. Get over it and be a man. Stop whinning please.
Posted by: jin | April 28th, 2008 at 10:16 pm | Report this commentAll professions have unscrupulous participants,cheaters and fallen idols, so I fail to see the argument of point 1. Points 2 and 3 are unfortunately true.
Sports and exercise are essential to one’s well being. The Olympic ideal should be one of wellness and should be used as a springboard to encourage physical exercise. That will be beneficial to bankrupt healthcare systems (Obama’s and McCain’s argument). In our day of minimal exercise and obesity, it is important for Olympians to set the good example and lead the way.
Posted by: nicholas | April 28th, 2008 at 11:18 pm | Report this commentDan,
The door needs to open for the greater good, China and outside China.
Posted by: Alan | April 28th, 2008 at 11:52 pm | Report this commentI agree. Sports are great but chemistry should be out of them.There might be a chance if we could organize a kind of alternative olympics, but still there is a problem with the star system. Sooner or later we would end up in the same situation. Even in ancient Greece, if todays technology was available they would have done the same. Perhaps, the only solution is a contineous effort to keep the importance of winning a medal at its proper level. Even without dopping, an olympic winner is just a fast running person or high jumping person etc. Nothing more than that, certainly not a hero at all.
Posted by: Thanasis | April 28th, 2008 at 11:57 pm | Report this commentSome people are born to easily criticize, I can hardly find positive and constructive proposals from them.
Posted by: Eric | April 29th, 2008 at 1:19 am | Report this comment“Let’s have another 1500 years without Olympics”??
Posted by: jgy | April 29th, 2008 at 3:32 am | Report this commentNo!!!!!
We know the history must go forward!
We know the human society must make progress forward!
We cannot go back to thousands of years before!
Olympics reflect the human beings’ spirits: unity, peace, effort and overcome difficulty!
So, let’s have this time of, next time of, and being forever of OLYMPICS!!!!
“Let’s have another 1500 years without Olympics”??
Posted by: jgy | April 29th, 2008 at 3:52 am | Report this commentNo!!!!!
We know the history must go forward!!!!!
We know the human society must make progress forward!!!!!
We cannot go back to thousands of years before!!!!!
Olympics reflect the human beings’ spirits: unity, peace, effort and overcome difficulty!!!!!
So, let’s have this time of, next time of, and being forever of OLYMPICS!!!!!
SO, AS LONG AS the human being society DOES NOT GO BACK to the ancient, and as long as we have not to wear the hides to cover up our embarrassment, WE cannot give up the modern life: OLYMPICS, at all !!!!!
Is it true that London´s has rejected to celebrate the next Olympic Games and the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has decided to celebrate the next Olympic Games in MADRID?
Congratulations to Madrid!!!
2.012 Olympic Games will be celebrated in MADRID as London has adopted an unilateral boycott against the Olympic Games.
The real reason why London will not hold the 2.012 Olympic Games is the subprime crisis that has left London´s budget exhausted.
It is evident in the present conditions the Olympic Games are a burden for Britain so it is logical the U.K. has decided not to hold the Olympic Games. There is not money for that.
MADRID FOR THE 2.012 OLYMPIC GAMES!!
Posted by: Enrique | April 29th, 2008 at 4:09 am | Report this commentAs much as I don’t agree with the author, I have to admit this article is a great read and I do admire the author’s opinionated, even somewhat biased, sarcasm and wit.
Just a couple of things I beg to differ with regard to China:
1. The Mongols minority in China is reasonably happy (in part because the living standard in the outer Mongolia serves as a not-so-encouraging comparison) and as such should not be put in the same “happiest of them all” group of the Tibetans and Uyghurs;
2. Even the Tibetans should feel better if they compare with their neighbours, for example, on living standard and instability in Nepal and the misery in Afghanistan. The Uyghurs should look no further than Chechnya, which miraculously disappears from the radar of western media and human right watchers in recent years.
For all its faults and failures, the current Chinese government is far from the worst in the world. Having at least maintained stability and economic development in such a vast country, it can even stand up to the hypocracy of the Western countries, who are behind the greatest human miseries from Palestine to Afghanistan to Iraq.
Posted by: Billy X. Wang | April 29th, 2008 at 5:05 am | Report this commentToo harsh towards China, but then China badly needs the services of a good PR agency (Feng Jiang and others with their heads in the sand need not apply; they do more harm than good).
The biggest downside of the Olympics is that they are utterly tedious and always have been. That they tend to be an ugly mix of individual competition and nationalist posturing doesn’t help. The World Cup is a competition between nations; Wimbledon is a competition between individuals; but the Olympics captures the worst of both.
Posted by: NT | April 29th, 2008 at 5:40 am | Report this commentNowadays when it comes to China everyone just feels eligible to talk about it even though they’d be more cautious when they pop in to Tesco for shopping.
Posted by: sharksbeer | April 29th, 2008 at 1:13 pm | Report this commentInstead of piling up self-righteous cliches why can’t look beyond the surface painted by media and do some independent research on it. You are professor of your area all right but outside it I don’t think you hold any authority and in respect of China I’m sorry to say you are pretty ignorant. If spreading prejudice and ignorance would make you feel spiritually cleansed or give you a ego boost then fine! but please keep it to yourself.
I believe people want to understand each other better so please stop polluting the atmosphere with your prejudice emission given your huge emission per capita.
Give us enough land (ideally on some place isolated from continents, say Britain) and money to build the prisons and feed criminals, and we will be more than happy to abolish capital punishment.
Posted by: FX | April 29th, 2008 at 2:25 pm | Report this commentObviously, the answer to point 1 is lots. The Olympics, like any other “live broadcasts of competitive pharmacological research”, be it the Tour de France or the World Series, are good business. People love to watch and companies love to pay.
What I found truly interesting was your penultimate paragraph. The Chinese might be getting more than they asked for. I lived in Salt Lake during the 2002 Winter Olympics where a democratic theocracy staged events that it didn’t really have a clue what to do with either. The Mormons’ approach was markedly different to the Chinese’s. They were aware that they were different than the world, and they had no illusion of converting all visitors (despite insisting on their superiority). In fact, they suspended proselytizing during the Games. During the three weeks, the rules of law were relaxed and general leniency reigned. It was a good time. I hardly recognized my town. At the end, everyone considered the Games a great success. However, life reverted to how it was before, and Utah didn’t change a bit. It’s as religiously dominated as before.
China could at best try to emulate Utah’s example, letting the world have a good time and going on with business afterwards. However, since they seem stuck up in their ways and not ready for the slightest compromise, I fear great chaos. Athletes might use the global stage for demonstrations. As you suggest, there might be fights between supporters and protesters of causes dear to the Chinese soul, and journalists might complain. China might make its name as a dark tyranny.
In any case, I won’t know because, like you, I won’t watch the travesty.
Posted by: docandreas | April 29th, 2008 at 9:12 pm | Report this commentSee the title?Time to pull the plug on the Olympics?, I cannot help thinking of words ?kick against the pricks?. The author obviously cannot adapt himself to this progressing world. It is not only a problem of whether he is conservative or not but his backward and prejudice views make us thunderstricken - is this 21 century? Is it necessary for your so fear of Olympics? No! We know, you are pointing at China! For what? Human rights? Executions? Pollutions?
Do you have any constructive advice to China government? Are you kindly putting forward your suggestions to China? Right, China?s human rights need further to be improved on the basis of protecting 1.3 BILLION people?s stable life, so China welcomes your suggestions if you really are willing to do so.
On executions, it once or now is helpful for overawing the crimes in such a big counry, however maybe it is diminishbb and finally abolishable in China, but this needs time or good methods of insuring both stabilizing society and abating crimes. This also needs your kindly advice rather than a superficial proportion number.
On pollution, no country does so intentionally - for our common earth, so China?s laws of ?ENERGY LAW? and ?ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION LAW? are just for solving pollution problems and protecting our mankind?s common environment, and the central government requires the local governments a green GDP growth, and universities and research institutions are all doing these research topics, and society is also publicizing such concepts such as shortening heating and airconditioning time, self-preparing shopping bags, taking part in the national Arbor Day in each March 12, and so on. Therefore, if you are kindly to really concern China?s pollution problems, we welcome your helpful strength, your knowledge and your wisdom.
Face a so populous country, in fact, if you come here, you can first find this society had better be stable and then let her develop for supporting such crowded population - when this time, it looks too narrow-minded if only criticizing, satirizing, distorting, complaining and even hectoring.
Posted by: jiang | April 30th, 2008 at 4:14 am | Report this commentIn response to the first question, who wants to watch a contest between pharmaceutical labs?, I think it’s quite a lot of fun to watch, even with the knowledge that some (ok, most) of the athletes are using some kind of performance-enhancing substance. Apparently a lot of other people agree, or ratings would be lower.
On the hypocrisy of the Olympics - despite what the mission statement says, I think pretty much everyone knows the Olympics is all about winning, and most people don’t mind. You’re in the minority here.
To the point about whether China will hijack the Olympics and turn it into a propaganda event, I wouldn’t know because I’m only 24 years old, without the benefit of having experienced many Games as an adult. That said, I believe it’s a valid concern but who, outside of China, will believe it? I just came back from a month-long trip to China a few days ago and had the opportunity to watch plenty of CCTV, the state-run propaganda machine (CCTV 9 is English). I think if you’re Chinese and listen to it constantly it tends to rub off, but to an outsider much of it seems ridiculous - almost as ridiculous as watching press conferences at the White House (but not quite).
Posted by: Chris Ellison | April 30th, 2008 at 6:55 am | Report this commentOlympic itself is only a sport’s game. Any game in mankind’s life, natually is only an amused role. Why today this fun event turns “amusement” to “amulet”. Besides the game’s “tool” function have been over used by different “groups”, but also,the game becomes today’s “hit”, it involves human’s nature: following and crowd.
Posted by: CX | May 1st, 2008 at 3:37 am | Report this comment“time to pull the plug on ‘william buiter’.”
What a diatribe of a piece. To single out the Olympics, when other international sports & events are just as “tainted”, is the utmost & epitome of complete hypocrisy.
Not to mention that the Olympics is a world gathering of all the countries on the planet. So of course you’re going to have political tension from time-to-time. To think otherwise is having your head in the sand.
Posted by: geoone | May 1st, 2008 at 8:53 pm | Report this commentThe sad truth is that we are already addicted to Olympic. Unless we take the liquor for mental fulfillment every 4 years, we would seek the other enjoyment.
The sadder truth is that the sense of satisfaction is bound by nationalism.
Who can think of ‘we are the one’, not just ‘we are the best’ after watching Olympic?
There is still a long way to go for ‘commonwealth’ that Jeffrey Sachs talks about.
Posted by: Jake | May 2nd, 2008 at 3:24 am | Report this commentAttacking Olympics IS JUST the real Nazism! Although Nazi had a Berlin Olympics, it was warring to Europe subsequently! They were NOT peaceful!! BUT the most difference to China IS China loves peace! China does seriously hope the 1.3 billion people have good life and the country can contribute to the world, though there are a lot of problems to need be faced and solved as soon as possible like controlling pollution at the strict legal measures; Again, China philosophy IS we love peace and object to all wars, and just by this Beijing Olympics we have opportunities to improve our environment, improve the human rights and listen attentively to the international sound, change the incompetent aspects of being responsible of the world peace and earth environment rather than any form of aggression to other countries!! So, your views have NOT a leg to stand on at all!
Such an anti-China sound is JUST disrespecting a fundamental truth: China is doing her best to do well AND you have NO kindly heart to bless the de facto 1.35 billion people!! YOU HAVE NO ANY KINDLY SUGGESTION!
In addition, in China, many young people like watching the live sports programme like NBA (basketball) and British football clubs matches (e.g. United Manchester) from CCTV-5 or BTV-5 or -6 or other local TV stations, meanwhile there are also a lot of people to do not like sports at all so to watch all kinds of TV play series or cultural shows and lectures on TV (for example, Discovery, Animal World, Antique Appreciating, Traditional Operas, etc.) or former foreign films sent on TV…..
In short, we have limitless rights to choose any programme you like. However, most of the Chinese, at least 95% (I think it is 99%) do not watch CCTV-9 (24 hours in English) because of either not being unable of English language at all or learning the world news directly from the internet (for persons who are able to speak English language) like BBC, CNN, FT (like me: put FT.com on my internet main-page). So please donot think because CCTV is a state-run propaganda machine so that everyone has to watch it. You know, the society is making great progress and as long as the internet is free to touch and reach we know how to learn to the World, but the important thing is that bringing forward your good opinions and experience but not biases and endless disdainful condemnation.
Everybody respects those Olympic heroes who take the most painstaking practices and overcome all difficulties by their efforts, rather than those who rely on the medicines or drugs or other cordials.
And, the Olympic may create a communicating opportunity to the different countries’ people (not only the athletes) and re-mention the Olympic armistice for a real peaceful life, and make the improvement in environmental protection, traffic, city sanitation (like recent our building cleaning), community service (like extending the load for telephone and Wide Band network). And, the really beneficial object is the people (like me, to write this comment with our living area of so fast speed of Wide Band network).
In fact, you should see, through such an opportunity, many aspects in China are being improved and making progress, including democracy consciousness, human rights consciousness, environmental protection consciousness, social welfare concerns and wider horizon, etc. Any country of applying hosting for the Olympic games hopes all to have this progressing opportunity. This IS WHY we hope protecting it rather than breathing upon it, EVEN THOUGH one person doesnot like sports too much and is not willing to watch the Olympic-related shows BUT the society can but be going-ahead, NO plugs may plug up the OLYMPICS!!
Posted by: jiang | May 5th, 2008 at 2:54 am | Report this commentSorry, just now the words should be the Manchester United (I wrote into the United Manchester).
Posted by: jiang | May 5th, 2008 at 3:17 am | Report this comment