Quote:
Originally Posted by dlb
Let's hope it's a huge embarrassment for both the IOC and the Chinese government.
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Agreed. I don't think politics and sports mix. Swimming, track and gymnastics have nothing to do with human rights. Just like holding the Super Bowl in Detroit was fine despite whatever problems exist in that city, the Olympics in Beijing are about sports, not politics. Of course, if China is going to try and use the Olympics to make a statement when it has so many huge faults, I hope it fails.
The embarrassment might be starting. Earlier this week, Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia said he might not run the marathon because of the pollution in Beijing. Gebrselassie holds the world record in the marathon and is the biggest name in distance-running. The Ethiopian federation is going to twist his arm, but the fact that a star athlete would consider not running in the Olympics because he didn't think it was safe says a lot about these games.