I agree with both Vanilla and Foxy.

However, to rid the Olympics of the political grandstanding from various countries as to
hosting this event and all the hoopla that goes with it, would not it be better for the Olympics to be hosted only in Greece? Greece could certainly do with the economic
advantages.

The IOC could well establish a permanent infrastructure for the Olympics in that country.

A recognition of the classical origins of the Olympics would bring to this event something more significant than is now apparent.

I am in the camp with Passy and Lev on this (as per your article on the other side) :).

However I do agree Graeme that many people don't really know much about the history of Tibet and there is a tendency for some to jump on another "freedom" bandwagon without knowing all the facts. The presence of a 'rent-a-crowd' does not in itself diminish the argument.

I think China's history of human rights speaks for itself but to some extent photojack makes a good point in his comments earlier on this issue. A friend just returned from Beijing and stated some of the media commentary is unjust. For example the slums that were knocked down did not (apparently) leave the tenants homeless as reported in some Western media. In fact they were moved into other accommodation. The point was they had no choice in where they were to be housed which obviously impacted greatly on their work and family connections.

Sydney did the same when they moved a number of residents out of Redfern to regional Australia and suddenly managed to find housing for the homeless.

I also have no interest in the Olympics but as Vanilla said it has been political for quite some time now and that is the reality.

U.S. Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. who has represented the U.S. Government in China said that protests can help pressure the Chinese Government to "undertake a healthy dialogue" with Tibet.

Apparently the Governor feels that now may be the right time.

"China had to anticipate protests when it bid for the Olympics seven years ago," said the Governor. Suggesting reformers within the Chinese Government were behind the push to get the games.

"This is unprecedented for the Chinese to subject themselves to this kind of scrutiny and spotlight, and they knew in 2001 that would be part and parcel of hosting the Games," he stated.

"The reformers won out years ago by saying this is a good thing. There will be change."

As the Governor pointed out, the top leaders of the Beijing Games are relatively young and high-ranking members of the Communist Party's Politburo. Xi Jinping, the Head of the Beijing Organizing Committee, is seen as a successor to China's current leader.

The current controversy over Tibet according to the Governor is, "Just the beginning of a litany of issues that will be brought up."

The Chinese appear to be, "...willing to embrace greater change moving forward."

We can only hope this is true ...

o sung wu,

You are correct that since the Olympics has moved from an Amateur athletic event, to that of the Professional domain - with all the massive financial benefits attracted to the latter, the whole ethos of the Olympics has been sullied and corrupted.

In many instances, it would be fair to say that the Olympics has become a proving ground for pharmaceutical industries. Perhaps this should be publicised with pharmaceutical companies strutting their stuff, indeed, financing the games, along with seminars and papers demonstrating how their products not only enhance the performance of athletes, but can also do the same for the general community. :-[

Similarly, some of the training methods developed could enhance the daily life of the average person.

Unfortunately, you would be right about some of the protestors along the route. During the Vietnam War, numerous protestors didn't even know where Vietnam was.

Professional dancers show the same dedication, discipline and ongoing training for their art with miniscule reward comparable to Olympic athletes.

People - and it must be admitted many are unpleasantly gingoistic in the their enthusiasm - go into hysterics of joy because one of their country won an event by .00 of a second; ... and the sights on the guns used ... and just how old are the children competing in the gymnastic events ... Do athletes trained in tertiary institutions have to pay HECS?

Again, I agree with o sung wu's comment: "I couldn't give a 'tinkers cuss' about the Olympics. If they put a shark in the swimming pool things might brighten up; or if athletes' sports were relevant to today's needs, then perhaps one could raise some interest. Fencing and a couple of other events are fine as these involve both mental and physical skills - but other sports ...

One can't even state that Olympians, as a class, embody the ideal of good health; and this is apart from those using performance enhancing drugs with the ultimate damage wrought.

The Olympics do give pleasure to many people ... so I suppose that's something ..

I just read a news article on this subject and it got me mad for a minute ...because i knew that when it said, these "violent protests" i thought many not so discerning people would condemn the protests in general.

Because the fact is, only a handful of individuals were shown to be remotely violent on the news last night. And some of them were police.

So having seen that there were only a handful who were like this on the news and hearing some condemn the "violent" protests across the globe for the actions of these few hardly violent protesters, I'm left thinking why "ordinary folks" are so beholden to media, even as they distrust it...do they simply not think about what they see and who they condemn? Or is there a political agenda to be gained from portraying the protesters as spoilers, rather than simply people choosing to voice their concerns? I think there is. A lot of interests rides on these Olympic Games. In San Fransisco, many were deprived from viewing the Olympic Torch simply because authorities couldn't stand managing the disruptions and protests and the bad publicity. And I do not accept for a minute that the actions of several individuals constitute the ENTIRE PROTESTS on this issue. It's false, but the media are milking it and playing with people's emotions.

You make a good point Steel. Many of the protestors are from the Tibetan community or Falun Gong who have taken issue with China on human rights abuses for some time.

It is always the actions of the minority that the media jump on - bit like the anti-globalisation demonstrations.