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Not exactly the Olympic ideal

STEPHEN BRUNT

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 1:39 PM EDT 18/03/08

The Games have come a long way from Baron de Coubertin's original concept ...Read the full article

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  1. Matt O from Canada writes: "That's not part of Pierre de Coubertin's better world, but of the world in which his brainchild does business."

    You mean de Coubertin's world of rampant and violent European nationalism that would soon lead to the two most destructive wars in world history? Yeah, those were the good old days...

    The original Olympics were an enterprise steeped in statism, with the varying city-states of Ancient Greece dropping their weapons for a stretch in order to compete in races, wrestling, and poetry contests. No warm and fuzzy one-worldness there. De Coubertin certainly would have been aware of this history, and of the similar context he found himself living in...I think it is Mr. Brunt and others that are doing the idealizing here.
  2. j q from Canada writes: Mr. Brunt's apparent idealism masks his igorance of history. Beyond the colonial concessions which China had to endure during all of the first 30 plus years of the Olympic movement, the West chose to conveniently ignore any talk of human dignity during their Olympic moments in the sun.

    I guess no one noticed the brutalization of the Phillipines to install U.S. colonial rule during the 1904 games in St. Louis, or America's open support of Saddam Hussein during the 1984 games in Los Angeles. While the world arrived in Melbourne for the games of 1956, Aborigines were suffering radiation sickness in the areas used for atomic testing, while a policy of assimilation without voting rights was in full force. Such were the were the benefits of being wards of the State (both adults and children) as declared by the Northern Territory Welfare Ordinance of 1953.

    The topper has to be the millions dying from famine due to callousness and official policy in India while London prepared for its games in 1908. How the West can overlooked their own skeletons to ensure their games go off with out controversy is a story worth its own ink and paper.
  3. nobel savage from Canada writes: I don't see Mr.Brunt here stating anything other than facts, he's commenting on de Coubertin's 'idealism' and not his own. Good article once again from him. So since in keeping with the ranting theme here I'll state my 2 cents.

    As a Tibetan I'm undecided on a boycott of the games. And as a Tibetan I believe what ever the PRC is going to do they should do it quick! (So not as to 'tarnish' the 'sportsmanship' scheduled for Beijing this summer). If the PRC wants to 'wipe-out' the Tibetans, so be it. To me it would be a kind of 'Mercy killing' an assisted suicide if you will. Shoot ALL the 'noisemaking' Tibetans, to me it would be the HUMANE thing to do. I honesty believe this because the 'Tibet issue' is an ugly reality of a culture & people dyeing a very slow & painful death.

    When the games are played this year I will do what I do every two years, for 2 weeks I'll cheer our Canadians girls & boys and others too - usually some charismatic athlete's from a far away nation, who captures you 'spirit' - Chinese included. Culture is important to me, and sport is a part of that. This summer when at the ceremonies, Mr. Rogge will get up & make some fluffy speech about "one world one dream" you'll see smiling faces, i'll likely see ignorance, and with it the death of my peoples dreams.

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