With less than 100 days before the Beijing Olympics begin, many wonder whether or not US athletes should protest China’s poor human rights records in Tibet, Burma/Myanmar, and Darfur.
Though the issue of “to protest or not to protest” can be argued from both sides, my opinion is that we should not protest, and I hold this opinion for three reasons.
The first and foremost reason is that the Olympic Charter’s Rule 51 states that “no kind of demonstration or political, religious, or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues, or other areas.”
Not respecting this rule may result in disqualification from further competition, according to the by-laws set forth in the Charter. I would hate to see people removed from the Games in such an unsportsmanlike way.
Of course, it will be up to the athletes to decide if they want to adhere to this rule or not. But one needs to realize that the rule has been enforced at prior Olympics, so there is no reason to think that the Beijing Olympics will be any different.
In 1968 United States’ runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos were banned from further competition at the Games after raising black-gloved fists and bowing their heads during the 200-meter medal ceremony. This was an act of protest against the oppression of African Americans.
The most recent example of political propaganda disqualification came in March 2008 with Milorad Cavic, a swimmer from Serbia.
Cavic was disqualified for wearing a T-shirt that said “Kosovo is Serbia” on the medal podium after winning the gold medal in 50-meter butterfly at European Championship in Eindhoven, Holland. The T-shirt alluded to Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia, an act that a majority of the Serbian population considers illegal.
Though Cavic’s removal from the competition was affiliated with the European Swimming League (LEN) and not the International Olympic Committee, the example proves that international sports federations are determined to detach politics from sports.
The second reason concerns the potential economic consequences that a protest against the Chinese government might bring to the US.
The Chinese are well aware that the US owes them approximately $2 trillion. They also know that the US imports more products from them than from any other country in the world, accounting for $321.5 billion.
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