Olym-Pinks

The 1980 US Olympic Hockey triumph remains one of the defining sporting moments in the lives of those of us who remember the doldrums of the 1970's. In the 1980's, however, it seemed that the Olympics became more of a forum for political protest than athletic competition. Attempting to follow it then, and wondering which countries were going to boycott, or conversely be excommunicated, has made it difficult for me to follow it since. Never mind the amateur vs. professional debate, illegal substances, and an overwhelming number of events that rely on capricious judging techniques.

The purist will say that we should watch simply to appreciate the skill and preparation of the participants; others will say that it's completely right and proper for politics to have a role, in that some nations deserve citation in one form or another. In previous years, one might have been able to strike a balance between the two and find at least a level of enjoyment in the Olympics. However, to see them being hosted by the Communist Party of China is simply too much for this reporter.

Think back 25 years -- it was unthinkable for the rest of the world to include South Africa in the Olympics, let alone allow them to host the games. Is China's record on human rights that much better that the IOC has seen fit to reward them with this stage in 2008? Has there ever been a full accounting for Tianamen Square, let alone the government's persecution of millions of its own citizens on religious and ethnic grounds? Granted, there have been ripples of protest in the upper levels of international politics and the media, so I'm certainly not alone in finding this at least suspicious. But I do have to wonder how it even was allowed to get to this point.

Needless to say, I won't be watching too much of NBC for the next two weeks...