What Was The IOC Smoking?
With the start of the Summer Olympic Games just a few short months away, you have to wonder what was going through the minds of the International Olympic Committee members when the games were awarded to Beijing. Forget about the inevitable protests by human rights activists, and forget about the calls for boycotts that will only grow louder as the opening day approaches. The Olympic movement is supposed to transcend politics, so we must suspend disbelief and assume that the decision was made purely in the interest of athletics. Yeah right.
Beijing has what is quite possibly the worst air quality of any major city in the world, yet somehow, elite athletes are supposed to compete at their highest levels without being able to breathe. Already, the World Record holder in the marathon has refused to compete, and others are sure to follow his lead. Chinese officials have responded by saying they will postpone certain events on days when air quality is especially bad. This will only serve to put the athletes at a further disadvantage. In the months and weeks leading up to the Olympics, athletes follow rigid training schedules designed to ensure peak fitness levels on the day of their events. How can these Olympians be expected to train properly if they don’t know when their events will be held?
The 2008 games will undoubtedly be marred by protests and boycotts, much as we have already seen during the torch relay. Even if these are not the most protested games in Olympic history, they will certainly be the most polluted.