Olympics and Politics

Recent protests in Tibet and the typical Chinese hardheaded response has caused unrest and demonstrations around the world. China, deservingly so, has gotten a lot of bad press as a result, but maybe not bad enough. For instance, the Communist Party of India has termed the latest developments as "China's Internal Affair" and has advised others to stay off the issue. This is unfortunate, considering how China has suppressed the freedom and culture of Tibet for more than 50 years. All that Tibetans are asking for now is autonomy, not freedom. Even then, Chinese government is not willing to yield. In fact, they are systematically trying to dilute the cultural identity of Tibet by moving more and more people from other parts of China to Tibet, thus making Tibetans a minority in their own region.

The timing of the protests has assumed greater significance due to the Olympics games, which are scheduled to be held in China this year. There have been some miffed calls for boycotting the Olympics by various individuals and organizations. People opposed to boycott are arguing that sports cannot be mixed with politics, something I believe is very naive to say.

The fact is, Olympics have been used for political purposes a lot in the past, and will continue to have a great political significance in future as well. A chronological list of instances where Olympics were politicized can be found here. As for the 2008 Olympics, China is banking hugely on the sports event to showcase and promote their country, hoping to improve their image around the world by leaps and bounds. Isn't that politics? So, I ask the people who are criticizing the Tibetans and their supporters for 'politicizing' the Olympics: Isn't that what China is doing as well? When China and other countries can use the Olympics to achieve political gains, why shouldn't the bruised and battered Tibetans do the same?