Open Mic: USA Vs China Part I: Political Stakes In The Olympic Games

            The 2008 Olympics have been historically groundbreaking. Michael Phelps has won six gold medals and has broken world records on every race along with the return to dominance for the US basketball team. However, the political aspects and international power struggles behind this year’s games are being under looked. The Chinese government has trained since 2001 (the year Beijing won the bid) to use these games as a platform to prove China’s legitimacy as the world’s new superpower and the future replacement of the United States in world affairs. Similar to the Nazi Germany in the 1936 Olympics, China, as an authoritarian regime with human rights issues, has utilized the games to showcase the resurgent might of their nation, while putting a benevolent charade to the international community. In both Olympiads, he success of these games and performance against the US are critical to the success of these propaganda campaigns. China, at every cost, is using the Olympics and their athlete’s to create a reputation that it is the new world power while covering up the dark side of their authoritarian regime.

            The first component of the China’s Olympian indoctrination is painting an artificial façade of China greatness. First, the Communist Party has gone to the extent of faking fireworks and lip synching young girls for the opening ceremonies. Second, they have bought of the IOC to allow mass censorship of both television and the internet along with restricting access to certain parts of the city such as Tianmen Square during the Beijing games. Also, 1.5 million people also have been displaced due to construction of athletic facilities.

            Part of China’s plan includes corrupting the integrity of the games to maximize its gold medal count. A blatant example of this is the Chinese women’s gymnastics team. With the aid of fake birth certificates made by the Chinese government, the women’s gymnastics team cheated in all of its events by using thirteen, fourteen, and probably younger girls to compete even though the Olympic age limit. Previous documents and the losing baby teeth during competition prove this to be true.

Along with the gymnasts, young athletes (such as pre-NBA Yao Ming) are forced to live in boot camp style training camps that last for their entire childhood. These children live at the camps and only get to see their parents only a few days a year. The conditions at these camps are cutthroat conditions that include whippings and beatings. The Chinese government exerts complete control of these athletes lives and they cannot make their own choices. As a result, these people’s entire well being is based off Olympic performance. Failure or injury can result in losing your livelihood as players are dismissed with nothing from the government when they are no longer found useful.  Overall, the Chinese government is sacrificing the individual freedom and life force of athletes for the reputation of gold medals.

Part II will be coming soon to Bleacher Report.

Since later parts of this series have to do mainly with politics and not sports check out Part III and IV on my website, which will be published within the next few days.

www.commonsensemag.com

Sources:

http://en.epochtimes.com/news/8-5-12/70465.html

http://boycott2008games.blogspot.com/2006/10/mistreatment-of-chinese-athletes.html

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/20/asia/20olympics.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concerns_over_the_2008_Summer_Olympics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China#Politics