Petterson: 2008 ‘Genocide Olympics’ a disgrace

Companies sponsoring 2008 games should take a stand against business practices

By Mark Petterson

Friday, August 24, 2007

“One World, One Dream,” is the official slogan of the 2008 Summer Olympics, to be held in Beijing, China one year from now. One wonders what sort of world we would be living in if the rest of the world fails to protest the International Olympic Committee’s unconscionable choice of a venue. Threatening to turn the noble gathering of nations into a two-faced farce, it is a disgrace to the Olympic spirit to hold the Olympics in China. From Tibet to Tiananmen Square to the present day, the People’s Republic of China continues to inflict numerous and well-documented human rights abuses on both its own citizens and, implicitly, on the innocent victims of the conflict in Darfur, Sudan. Sounds more like a nightmare to me.

Coined the “Genocide Olympics” by a Washington Post editorial in December, the 2008 Games could be one of true peace and international brotherhood, or they could be a sham, where a sinister subtext lies beneath the Olympic rings.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably have at least a vague idea of the crisis occurring in Darfur, Sudan. Here are the basics: the Sudanese government in Khartoum has arbitrarily armed Arab militias called Janjaweed, who terrorize the mostly ethnic black villages in the southern part of the country. They rape, kill and burn entire villages while forcing the survivors to relocate to squalid refugee camps in Chad. By the most conservative estimates, already 300,000 people have been murdered and over 2 million displaced.

This is where China comes in. They are the number one economic and military ally of the Sudanese government, buying 71% of its exports and supplying the genocidal government with arms, both small and heavy, all while repeatedly ignoring and parrying U.N. efforts to place peacekeepers on the ground in Sudan.

Already many politicians, activists and humanitarian groups, most notably Reporters Without Borders, have called for a boycott of the 2008 Games. Congressman Donald Payne, Chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, has called for a boycott of the Games if China continues to sell illegal arms to the Sudanese government in Khartoum. “It would be the blood Olympics,” he said in an interview with VOA News. Eight congressmen recently introduced a bill in the House of Representatives calling for a U.S. boycott of the games. Even Steven Spielberg, originally hired to produce the opening and closing ceremonies, is considering quitting after being informed of China’s link to the genocide in Sudan. Certainly if the United States and 64 other countries could boycott the 1980 Moscow games because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, we have the will to push for change in a situation where so many people have been affected.

China’s official position is “resolute opposition to the politization of the Olympics.” In other words, they’re not going to listen. But if they won’t respond to reason and act with decency, we should refuse to support their inhuman ignorance of human suffering. Boycott the games. Boycott their sponsors, and let them know why you are doing it.

Don’t take my word for it, though. Find out for yourself. DreamForDarfur.org is a good place to start. As for me, however, I won’t be watching the Olympics next year. I won’t be counting the gold medals for Team USA, nor will I be cheering on the US Men’s Basketball team. All the medals in the world cannot outweigh the cost of human life that China and Khartoum are responsible for ending. And I won’t be drinking another Coke or another Budweiser, eating another McDonald’s hamburger, or buying another Adidas shoe until China, Congress, or the International Olympic Committee itself takes drastic steps to deal with this absolutely unacceptable situation.

For a complete list of sponsors of the 2008 Games, visit http://en.beijing2008.cn/bocog/sponsors/sponsors/.

Petterson is a Prairie Village junior in English.

Comments

Nyingtop (anonymous) says...

Steven Spielberg is a Communist Chinese Party (CCP) dog. He will be remembered in history as the Leni Riefenstahl of the Beijing games. CCP Government has murdered more than Nazi Government. Due to upcoming Beijing Olympics, many Tibetans in Tibet including Lamas are detained recently without public trial.

Let us bring this to the notice of IOC that China has budgeted $19.7 million for a 67 mile long highway on the side of Mount Everest for the Olympic torch's journey in Tibet. It is not just highlight of the relay but, more importantly, to underscore China's claim to Tibet. IOC knows China's occupation of Tibet is illegal and China is using Olympic stage provided by IOC to underscore this illegal claim. If IOC chose to remain mute in the face of China using Olympic stage to underscore their illegal claim to Tibet, we will expose the hypocrisy of IOC as IOC's stated ideals and statements are a stark contrast to its actions.

August 24, 2007 at 11:05 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

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