IOC: We support China's Oppressive Regime, So Should You

So as Tibet burns, the international Olympic Committee is all of a sudden worried that this might effect their upcoming party this summer when the Olympics are hosted in Communist China.

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (AP) - International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge poured cold water Saturday on calls for a boycott of the Summer Games in Beijing over China's crackdown in Tibet, saying it would only hurt athletes.

"We believe that the boycott doesn't solve anything," Rogge told reporters on this Caribbean island. "On the contrary, it is penalizing innocent athletes and it is stopping the organization from something that definitely is worthwhile organizing." - BreitBart

Surely the flare up in Tibet is not the only reason to boycott the China elections. How about these other major issues:

• China's illegal claim to and isolation of independent Taiwan
• China's active defense of Government-backed genocide in the Sudan
• China's vital support of North Korea's Communist regime
  
• China's repression of human rights at home
• China's restrictions on freedom of the press
  
• And of course, China's Brutal occupation of Tibet
  

It is interesting that they would push the 'but think about the athletes who will suffer under a boycott.' angle. This was something they should have spent a little more time thinking about before awarding the Olympics to a country with such a poor record on a number of human rights fronts. The International Olympic Committee is just as guilty as China for putting the athletes in this position.

Now, most people have no control or influence in this situation. I am limited to blogging about the issue. It is not like I can declare that I am boycotting the Games as protest against China's actions as listed above, since I had never planned to go in the first place. However, the athletes are invited to attend and for most competing in the Olympics is a life-long dream. China would be facing a public affairs disaster if athletes started saying that they will not go. So at least they have some power, especially those who are already famous. If too many refuse to attend, then that will place a cloud over the Games long after they are over. This is how I remember the 1980 Games, which was boycotted by the US and others in protest of the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. (Note: The Soviet Union Boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, as revenge. However, looking at what has been going on over the last two days, I can't see how the Chinese are going to avoid having the games be marred by what has already happened in Tibet.

There is another issue at play here. China has a very long history. For them, time has a different meaning for them than everyone else. They are willing to let things drag out what seems to be forever for the rest of us, because at the end of the day, China has been around for thousands of years. A decade is nothing for negotiating if they can wiggle a little better deal out of it at the end. (China's accession negotiation to the WTO took almost 15 and a half years, which is a record.) However, they are quickly running out of this time luxury when it comes to pushing off pressure to deal with these issues as the Olympics are a one-time shot to make their impression on the World and they are coming with a fixed date on the calendar. With that in mind, now is a perfect time to push China to make concessions in many areas, or at least take advantage of their current position.

The Chinese wanted to host the Olympics for propaganda purposes. None of us should forget that. Former UN Ambassador John Bolton is already headed down this path, calling for the US to recognize Taiwan, because China will do nothing about it. At least not before the Olympics, and after that, it will probably be too late. At the same time, they should be pushed on all the other issues listed above. Surely, these are not new tactics for China, just that they would be on the receiving end for once. The athletes need to understand that they are going to be China's 'tools' if they attend, so by not boycotting the Olympics, they in effect can be seen to be supporting China's regime.

China needs to realize that it has bigger problems, like sustainable growth and keeping it's export markets secure in order to keep the millions of Chinese at work. Turning Tibet into a real disaster will have negative implications for the whole country long after the Olympics. After all, killing monks is not an Olympic sport.

Not to forget, China is not the first country to use the Olympics for political gain. Hitler's Germany did.

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The coming Olympic Games have now assumed in Germany an almost fantastic importance. Incongruous as it may seem, the key to German national policy at the moment is simply a determination to make the Berlin Olympiad a striking success.

The Nazi regime expects the Olympic Games to achieve nothing less than a complete about-face in the world's attitude toward the Third Reich. Publicity specialists in the Propaganda Ministry and the man in the street are united in the conviction that the Olympics will turn the trick and create the friendly attitude toward the National Socialist political, economic and racial aims that is so earnestly desired. - New York Times, 1936

We all know how well that turned out.
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Update: 18 March 08
Seems that the voices are growing louder for some sort of protest:

PARIS (AP) - Moves to punish China over its handling of violence in Tibet gained momentum Tuesday, with a novel suggestion for a mini-boycott of the Beijing Olympics by VIPs at the opening ceremony.

Such a protest by world leaders would be a huge slap in the face for China's Communist leadership.

France's outspoken foreign minister, former humanitarian campaigner Bernard Kouchner, said the idea "is interesting. - My Way News

This is probably just the first step before acceptance of a full boycott.

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Previous:
Taiwan is an independent Nation - 21 April 05
Let Taiwan Join the UN - 22 July 07
Bolton - US Should Recognize Taiwan - China Will Do Nothing - 28 Aug 07
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