Beijing Olympics: to Protest or Not to Protest

Finally, China knows that economy is currently the United States’ “Achilles' heel,” as the dollar declines and the price of gas soars in international markets.

Taking into consideration these facts, and noting that the Chinese posses great respect for their nation and their government, it is my guess that the economic relations between the two countries will be the first to suffer if the Chinese become upset with the United States.

And, at this moment, economic stability is a major concern for America.

Finally, the third reason is the fact that there are other ways for athletes to protest China’s poor human rights performance.

Take the 1936 Jesse Owens story as an example. Instead of openly demonstrating against the German regime at the time, Owens simply went to Berlin, won four gold medals, broke three Olympic records in the process, and proved the Nazi ideology wrong through his athletic endeavors.

Why can’t these same endeavors, which define what the Olympics are all about, be used in Beijing to prove a point about human rights?

Moreover, at other times when politics were openly protested through sports it ruined the spirit of the Games, especially during the 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. It shattered the dreams of many Olympians who wanted to take part in the competition.

I highly doubt that any athlete or any country benefited from not sending their finest men and women to represent their people (not regimes or political ideologies) in the best way possible. 

Being an Olympian is a job that has many responsibilities. Aside from making sure that his or her country is represented at its finest, an Olympian also needs to respect the Olympic Charter.

In addition, an Olympian needs to be aware that his or her actions might backfire—on him or herself, or on the nation.

Finally, an Olympian’s best arguments lie in his or her physical and mental fitness—not in political opinions.

Therefore, I hold that protesting against the Chinese human rights record at the Beijing Games will not result in any good for anybody—not for the US Olympians, nor for the people they represent.

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