Olympic games not a tool for propaganda

By Andrew Haesloop

Last Wednesday, as I walked down the Embarcadero in San Francisco, I could feel my heart pumping the adrenaline throughout my body.

I watched as an elderly lady approached me.

"Shut up, loser! Go home! You don't know anything!" she screamed at me as her eyes sent daggers into mine.

My friend beat me to the punch and calmly replied, "We respect your right to freedom of expression." Then we turned away and continued on our path.

We were attending the human rights demonstration in San Francisco, which coincided with the running of the Olympic torch, the only North American stop on the torch's 21-city international tour leading up to this summer's Beijing Olympiad.

This year's Olympics are especially controversial, as they are hosted by the communist Chinese government.

Some in the media, including Sports Editor Chris Furnari in his column last week, have raised concerns about the "politicization" of the Olympic games.

However, the principle of human rights is not simply a political issue, but a moral one that transcends political and national divisions.

Throughout its history, the Olympics have always been a forum for issues of international importance. Black American sprinter Jesse Owens shocked the world by winning four gold medals in the 1936 games in Nazi Berlin.

In 1968, two black medalists raised their fists in a symbolic nod to Black Power, an act which earned them a lifetime ban from the games.

At the 1972 Munich games, 11 Israeli athletes were tragically murdered by Palestinian terrorists. The Republic of China, which is now what is called Taiwan, withdrew from the 1976 Montreal games after the Canadian Olympic Committee forbade them from competing under the title "Republic of China."

Unfortunately, the games have also become an opportunity for the host nation to showcase its own attractive qualities, while sweeping its flaws under the rug. This notion obviously appeals to China, whose rapidly expanding economy, technological advancements and recent embrace of free markets mask their ugly scars.

The International Olympic Committee and the global community must not allow China to use these games as another propaganda tool.

Those who would taunt or harm the athletes and torch bearers are guilty of punishing the innocent for the crimes of their hosts. Furthermore, boycotts and other petty political actions suggested by national leaders are counterproductive, as they close the door for international dialogue. The Olympic Games are, in essence, a demonstration of global peace and cooperation.

However, if this Olympiad muffles the voices of the oppressed, it will become nothing more than a sham and a smokescreen for the legitimacy of authoritarian rule.

Andrew Haesloop is a senior political science major.

Clarification: The story stated that China withdrew from the Olympic games in 1976. In fact, the Republic of China was the delegation that withdrew, which is now called Taiwan.