International Law

Meandering Thoughts on the Games

By Stan

I am slightly worried. Politics and sport do not mix all that well, and I still remember the 1980 Games that President Carter opted out of because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. A bunch of athletes were interviewed on their reaction, and I have to say that it was quite emotional. Some of these guys have very narrow windows of opportunity to compete, owing to physical development, finances, etc. When the US team dropped out of the 1980 Games, some members had their entire Olympic careers destroyed.

At the moment, we are not looking at a 1980 situation, and as long as nothing else (big and bad) happens, things will proceed more or less as planned. More on this at China Digital Times.

Imagethief has taken a step back and looked at foreign and domestic hopes for the Games:

I think Will is right about expectations, and it’s too bad that both sides will probably be disappointed in some ways. If Chinese folks are satisfied with tourists coming here and being impressed with Beijing’s infrastructure and development, then that goal should be realized. But all those China critics out there will not change their minds just because the Olympics are here.

Did foreigners really expect that there was going to be some sort of sea change in politics or law over here just because of the Olympics? Could be, although that’s incredibly unrealistic wishful thinking, isn’t it?

After all the prestige, the construction, and the general hoopla, the Games are just an international sporting event. It’s funny that China’s WTO accession, which justifiably attracted a lot of international attention about 8 years ago, and really was about changing the law and economy of the country, didn’t get nearly as much coverage as the Olympics are getting now. No Bird’s Nest or Water Cube, no huge influx of foreign tourists — I guess that makes a difference, huh?

Full post as published by China Hearsay on March 21, 2008 (boomark / email).