At last the circus that passed for an Olympic Games is over. The hastily constructed venues will eventually collapse and, just maybe, many of the thousands, who were “relocated” during preparation, can return to the areas they once called home.
I’m happy to say that I wasted no more time watching than necessary to confirm my original suspicions as to what the event would be about. I had no interest in witnessing the facade attempting to cover the deception and iron-fisted control of a government that has about as much regard for freedom and human rights as a squeegee has for a bug on a windshield.
Modern Olympics have always operated in the shadow of corruption and political agendas but rarely so blatantly as the shameless display witnessed on this occasion. Throughout the Games, stories trickled out of jailed dissidents, banned websites and curiously empty protest zones. Questions about China’s continuing political repression hovered constantly in the background. The affair became a show of glitz and glamour for the locals, with stringent visa regulations limiting the influx of foreign tourists.
Beijing residents, who were always up to date on the medal count, often became agitated when the foreign press raised questions as to whether several medal-winning Chinese gymnasts might be underage. Polite applause for foreign competitors occasionally degenerated into boos or, just as bad, half-empty stadiums…this despite vows that all Olympic tickets had been sold. By the end of the Closing Ceremony one thing had become clear: The world may have been invited to watch Beijing 2008 but this was China’s Games; everyone else was just a bystander…not because the Chinese athletes performed so well but because their government performed so badly.
What happened to the concept of international competition among the best amateur athletes in the world? Sporting events are about more than just taking center stage; neither the spectators or the athletes had the slightest idea of how to conduct themselves. They seemed to mirror the attitude of their government which insulted the very spirit of The Olympics before The Games even began.
I salute the performances of our incredible American athletes and seriously talented competitors from all other countries who competed in the spirit of true Olympians. I look forward to the next event four years hence with hope that the disease incubated in China does not become contagious.
R.S.F.
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