Fast Talk

If the opportunity for their 'right' to host is taken away, what does anyone learn? Perhaps the issues or ignorance of the violators of those human rights could be addressed with the impact of the media through the Olympics

No, the actual event of the Olympics is not defined by religious or by political views.
The right to participate is defined by your own conscience and you have the right to reject participation - since its own responsibility.

Good question - several years too late. We're already seeing the consequences of that decision with the clashes in Tibet. All the world will watch as it plays out now through this summer with Beijing as the stage. Should be interesting...at least what we're "allowed" to see/watch.

Well if you're talkin about china, then yes i mean when you think about if we denied them rights we wouldn't be much better. I believe that everyone should be free and equal and we should try to establish that all over the world. one person can make a difference and someone should. When someone leads people follow.

Wasn't this question a hot topic in the 1960s? The United States made its position clear by boycotting the Olympic Games then. The interlaced economic fates of China and the US make it a bit less clear-cut this time around.

No. Period.

Not going to the Olympics, as a political protest against China, would only hurt the athletes. China could care less if the athletes, and the associated Western media, did not show up for the games. It would actually make their lives easier. The Western media should take the opportunity to go to China, and cover the Olympic games – as well as the culture over there.

The question should be, "Should the country with the most people by-far in the world, that flagrantly disregards fundamental human rights be allowed to bully its way into the Olympics?"

it could be a nice thing, but don't forget the salary.

Even for a man it's fastidious but of course especially in some country it's difficult for women, depens of the carecter...

It should be one of the best idea to motivation the employer.
sometimes is the reason everywhere...

I think that there is a lot of truth in this sentence.

While I was working for a well known company in Switzerland I have made the experience that women really have to show more what they are able to do. Because they are often underestimated for they men colleagues.

Absolutely not but do you think that will stop them? Of course not because greed will always trump decency.

The Olympics is a law unto itself but in the world of massive galactic-size political entities which of any huge international representatives are not these days? Give me some free tickets to all the key events at the Beijing games and I definitely will make a point of speaking to as many of the watching sports spectators as I can and I will ask whether any of them really think countries accused of human rights violations should be hosting such an event; I will also find out for my own curiosity how many of them arrived with sponsored tickets and are a law unto themselves, while I wait patiently for the odd informed and intelligent response from an ordinary mortal who had to pay for their tickets......M.

Of course. It's de best way to show everybody around de world their pathetic political and social system.
A big step to change.

Absolutely not.

1. The website needs serious work.

I tried to send an article and when I hit the "e-mail this article" button, i was redirected to a page that appears as though one could send an e-mail, however, there is no submit/send button. Not very helpful.

When I tried to sign in, I realized that I had forgotten my password. When I got the e-mail it said I would be redirected (which I wasn't) and then when I finally found "my settings" I went to the appropriate page and attempted to reset the password - only to be reutrned again and again to the same making it apear as though the change did not go through. As it turns out, it did, but it was not readily apparent.

PLEASE FIX.

Yes, I think they should be allowed to host the games. However I believe that the games can and should be used as leverage against said country to correct their behaviors. There should be international pressure for the countries that host the games to be international MODELS for truth, justice, and fair competition.

Absolutely not. But look at all of the crazy stuff that is going on now. Unfortunately, this might be the least of our worries....I hate being so cynical....

Yes. Hopefully by doing so pressure can be brought upon them to correct their disregard of human rights.

No, absolutely not! I support savedarfur.com and I am appalled that China is able to host the Olympics when they are the number one purchaser of oil in the Sudan which supports the government and the jungaweed in terrorizing and murdering the people there. I am boycotting the Olympics. I will NOT watch one minute of them.

NO!!!

Let's not dance around the topic. The question is a barely-veiled question with regards to China. It seems a bit silly to answer this question since it is a reality (they ARE hosting). A useful question is "Should a country (I'll say, the U.S.) attend the Olympics in China?"

No. Never. But then again, countries that allow those other countries to host the Olympics shouldn't be allowed to field atheletes, either. I've lost what little respect I have for the 'Olympic tradition'. It's money, it's greed, it isn't sport. China is hosting the Olympics so that the Walmarts of the world can market directly to the largest emerging economy on the face of this earth. Period.

The absolute answer should be no, but who cares about human rights when gold medals and national pride are at stake.

Don't think so.

Every human being should be treated with Dignity thus then need to adhere and to respect the Human rights...

At one time or another all? countries have had a flagrant disregard for fundamental human rights and generally find a reason to rationalize their position.

Yes. Because it will both "hurt" them enough as well as positively drive them to change their ways through the interaction with millions of people who come and visit them and bring an awareness that yo can also organise a country differently. And they can't beat down protests, because they'll confirm the image we have of them - see the leading question- and at a systemic level, the harder they push back, the harder they'll drive towards an eventual collapse of their model.

Ideally No.
But practically aren't such things happening?

a bright flame braving the overcast haze;
from a torch whose embers have remained unfazed;
eons ago a run that none foresaw;
would be the harbinger of the greatest sporting event one ever saw;

over the eras the bright Olympic torch flared;
overcoming many a trial,over riding many a strife,
spanning different lands and garbs,
spanning different colours and races,

the spirit of the game always held at great heights,
is becoming one of force and might,
the dragon is raging fury with all strength,
taking its cruelty and dominance to new lengths;

sport has never been a prisoner of times,
preferring to be freedom's alter ego at all times;
can one honour and celebrate the walk of life?
when you crush freedom and humanity in your stride;

dragon has always been a symbol mythical;
symbolising a vast form of being flying regal;
an injured wing span will the same impact on the flight;
as what China is doing, if it feels, is doing right

cheers
sriky

Now is not the time to be asking this question. Pressure should have been brought to bear six years ago before the IOC awarded the games to Beijing. The cities bid, not the countries. Toronto, Canada had submitted an excellent bid but the prevailing opinion back in 2002 was that an emerging economy in Asia would be more reflective of the Olympic Spirit. I seem to recall comments about giving China the impetus to change its' views with regard to human rights, a carrot rather than a stick approach. Ignorance trumps logic once again!

We are a country that flagrantly disregards its own constitution and has done so since it was written with slavery then and with torture in Iraq. I don't believe America in it's present state is above China in regards to hosting events like the Olympics.

There would be a shortage of host countries then. Consider a country that does not even provide health coverage for its citizens! How about a country that monitors telephone conversations without an order from even a FISA court? Seriously, who gets to define "flagrant disregard for fundamental human rights"? Remember when the UN was supposedly only for "free" countries?

No. Rule number one: NEVER reward bad behavior! Those that say (and there are some posts in this thread) that they will be encouraged to change, are naive and do not understand how deeply the communist dogma has been burned into the Chinese leadership. The only what that China will change is by blood. There is too much money; too much power for it to change by any other means. It makes me sad to think of all those that will die when China's civil war comes but it will.
Perhaps the problems in Tibet under the magnifying glass of the Olympics will be the spark.

I agree with Martijn Sjoorda's response. The eyes of the entire world will be on China leading up to the Olympics. This could do more harm than good as far as perception goes. Also, where do you draw the line? Colonialism, slavery, genocide, too many countries have blood on their hands.

I also firmly agree with Martijn Sjoorda's response to the question. International shame is perhaps the best approach.

First, China didn't bully into hosting the Olympics, it rightly earned its place. People voted for it!

To isolate or punish a country is not the way to help them solve problems. The Chinese has worked hard to organize a good game for everyone.

No ; look at the credibility that Hitler assumed, from the 1936 Berlin Olympics

What a ridiculously loaded question.

First, you only think there are flagrant abuses of human rights if you believe everything you read in the newspapers -- which get their stories from naive reporters based in Beijing or from human rights activists organizations who pathetically rant and rave about relatively isolated examples or pet causes.

Second, the modern-day Olympics is a sporting event designed to bring nations and cultures together.

Third, China's hosting of the Games will bring it further into the international community, and it ought to be applauded and encouraged.

Hooligans marching with placards are making fools of themselves. They are the ones who ought to be criticized.