Sports and Politics are not different

As the Beijing Olympics in China rapidly approach, questions about China’s treatment of Tibet and human rights violations have melded in many people’s minds the vexing question of where sports ends and politics begins. Daniel Cohn-Bendit, a Member of the European Parliament from Germany and co-president of the Greens/EFA party, said he already knows: it doesn’t.
At a news conference in Brussels, he said it’s up to sports bodies, especially the International Olympic Committee, to admit that sports and politics intertwine and won’t be separated. “The International Olympic Committee would have us believe that sports and politics should be kept separate. Let’s not deceive ourselves. Sport was political when the United States decided against sending Jewish athletes to the 1936 Berlin Olympics to placate the Nazis. It was political in 2001 when China paid dictators to vote for the Chinese Olympic bid and it is still political in 2008 when the Olympic marathon will start under the enormous portrait of Chairman Mao in Tiananmen Square.
The greatest political stage for the Olympics is the opening ceremony, which will seek to glorify China and its system. It is right, therefore, to continue to call heads of states and governments to boycott this ceremony unless substantial and immediate progress is made in terms of human rights in China. At the same press conference, Gelsang Kyaltsen, special envoy of the Dalai Lama said: “The situation in Tibet continues to be very alarming. The Chinese authorities have sealed off Tibet from the rest of the world and turned it into a huge prison. Tibet must be opened to international observers and media.
The meeting between the Dalai Lama and Chinese authorities on May 4 was welcome, MEPs and his representative said. But, they said, while the Chinese authorities have shown interest in restoring stability to Tibet and smooth running of the Olympic Games, they have as yet shown no commitment to engage in dialogue beyond these two points.
They said the Dalai Lama has consistently made clear that he seeks Tibetan autonomy and not separation from China, and that he supports China hosting the Olympic Games. “We cannot accept Chinese accusations that the Dalai Lama has stirred unrest or is trying to sabotage the Games,” they said.