The Olympics and Tibet

[Trilby]

I'd forgotten about the 12 year old girls. When you hear "Women's gymnastics" you just automatically think "women" and not "little girls"---I was thinking more along the lines of men's pole vaulting.

[lookout123]

Originally Posted by Brianna

I'd forgotten about the 12 year old girls. When you hear "Women's gymnastics" you just automatically think "women" and not "little girls"---I was thinking more along the lines of men's pole vaulting.

You know the "pole" isn't what it sounds like, right?

[TheMercenary]

Good point, you can only compete nude if you are 18 years old or greater.

[Shawnee123]

lol...I've ran into 3 lookout post's in a row and they were all sexual. Cousin, you not gettin' any?

[Sundae]

Some more information on the Olympics from a Chinese/ antu-Chinese point of view. I can't speak for its accuracy of course, but it doesn't seem completely unlikely.

Letter from Beijing

The International Olympic Committee - IOC has announced that Iraq is banned from the 2008 Olympic Games, allegedly for mixing politics with sports. Last night, in China on national TV the whole nation watched the supreme Leaders of the CCP, visiting the Chinese athletes, with a speech on how the Communist Party and the nation expect results during the Games . Bewildered, the athletes looked in fear, under enormous pressure from the highest political authorities in the land. Of course, this has nothing to do with politics.

Some of the girls from the gymnastic team as young as 14, have been confined to state run training camps for no less then 8 years, away from family, training non stop including missing most of their academic needs. All national Chinese Olympic teams, train under the State supervision. Only last year there were four reported serious accidents in the Chinese team, from over training including three young athletes that suffered irreversible serious physical injuries with broken spines. This week a girl, seventeen years old, from the canoeing team revealed her fear of water, as she was forced to join the national team when she was only ten years of age, as she was seen to be a strong girl. Of course this is a sports matter not a political one. The president of the Beijing Olympic Committee is the mayor of Beijing, ranked the very top of the Communist Party political hierarchy, with no connection whatsoever with sports, let alone with the Olympic movement.

As I watched the Governmental parade on TV, one could not escape to noticed one fact beyond the suffocating expressions of pressure on the athletes; the overwhelming presence of the foreign brands stamped on every single Chinese athlete, in every single Chinese national team. An advertising feast for the likes of Nike, UPS, Coke and the other usual suspects.

In the other hand, many of my local friends are in despair. They regret the present state of the city caused by the Games. Most of them running small business are now going under. Lured by the Government propaganda, they moved to Beijing a few years ago, and now are facing for the first time an economical disaster. Never mind the one million citizens from Beijing who lost their homes, and were forced to move out with barely their personal belongings … the ones who stayed are now under an enormous pressure to survive. The rippling effects can be felt in all corners of the nation. Most recently, the Central Government ordered all the newspapers, to send their journalists to the countryside to calm down the discontent peasants, so no one will venture into the Capital now surrounded by police on every point of entry. Yes, all non-political activities on behest of the Games.

This week, there was finally some good news for the local residents. All across Beijing, the citizens were given by the local cadres a gift ; a polo shirt with the Olympic logo and a red arm tag with a matching baseball cap, so they can stand on every street corner, to look after the good behaviour of the citizens. Beijing is now a city under siege. Police, dogs, cameras, screening machines are all over, behind the rehearsed polite smile. The city is empty, and all the promised foreigners with their fat wallets are yet to come. The locals cannot understand why. They truly do not care about sports, but do care very much about money and their survival. Anyone who knows anything about Chinese culture understands that the people are as close to sports (except martial arts and ping-pong) as eskimos are close to sun bathing.

In 2001, The Chinese Government promised as part of their bid, that the 2008 Games would be the Green Olympics. Since then in 2007, China has become the number one producer of carbon dioxide in the world, with 16 out of 20 most polluted cities in the planet , with Beijing ranked in the very top. Yet, the IOC had no comments and praised the Chinese performance.

I think of the few Iraqi athletes and their present fate. Training under real fire and daily personal danger, with so much sacrifice and yet robbed the opportunity to raise the national flag in the world stage in a rare peaceful moment in their shattered lives. Unfortunately, there are no Nike factories in Iraq. There are now 223 Nike factories in China. So much for the Olympic Spirit now commoditised and transformed in a commercial political farce.

There are 67 Olympic official sponsors for the Beijing Games, competing to target the hearts and minds of the Chinese people, four times more then during highly criticised LA Games, accused of excessive financial greed. All local and national politicians are directly involved with the Games on levels unseen by any Regime, since the Nazi Games in 1936. Every day there is news of terrorist threats against the Games. So far, not one shred of evidence was made public while the massive arrests of civilians, expropriations are relentless all across the nation in the name of the 2008 Beijing Games .
Of course, this has nothing to do with politics, its all for the good of the Sport and the Olympic Spirit.

One often relates to historical moments with the popular question …
Where were you during a certain event ?
As far as the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games,
I voluntarily will join the fate of the banned Iraqi athletes,
as well as to answer to my conscience ….
and stay far away from Beijing.

Silent Witness
Beijing, 26 July 2008

[Rhianne]

Actually, gymnasts must be at least 16 years of age - or turning 16 within the calendar year of the event - so there will no competitors younger than 15-and-about-7/12th in the gymnastic events at Beijing.

[Chocolatl]

I have mixed feelings about the boycotts. I know the human rights issues China is dealing with are important, but I also think the athletes suffer and it's not their fault the games they are competing in happen to be in China. They spend a lot of their life training and dreaming, so it seems unfair for them not to get their chance, or have their countrymen turn their backs on them. "Oh well, better luck next time!"... in four years!

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by Rhianne

Actually, gymnasts must be at least 16 years of age - or turning 16 within the calendar year of the event - so there will no competitors younger than 15-and-about-7/12th in the gymnastic events at Beijing.

One of the big news stories right now is that some of the Chinese girls are lying about their ages, and are actually 14.

[Rhianne]

I haven't seen/read any of those stories Clodfobble, but it's cetainly true that sort of thing has gone on before in both the Western and Eastern hemispheres. I imagine that it'd be incredible difficult to prove/disprove this sort of thing too. My opinion is that the aesthetics of the more 'mature' gymnast outdoes a child everytime anyway - maybe the age limit should be raised further with the added benefit that the pervs (no names!) would be able to enjoy the sport in safety!

[xoxoxoBruce]

In China personal concerns give way to the good of the party and the nation? Well, duh.

[Cloud]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/sp...html?ref=world