Going about it all wrong

Athletes spend their lives preparing for the Olympics. They train endless hours and devote their lives to their sport. When their dreams are realized and they make it past the qualifying competitions, how awful would it be to have people not only ignore that success, but also mock and disrespect it to the point of absurdity? This is exactly what has happened with the traditional torch relay for the 2008 Olympics.

During the Olympic Torch’s rough trek it has been extinguished both in Paris and London, and was forced to change route to avoid a similar fate in San Francisco. In Greek mythology, the torch represents the eternal flame, but to the athletes of today, it is a representation of unity. In theory, the torch is supposed to stay lit from the time the relay starts in Athens until the closing ceremony. The torch has even been designed to withstand high winds and fire extinguishers, but even that couldn’t stop the protesters last week.

It’s one thing to disagree with and protest against a country. But to blow out the Olympic Torch is not just protesting the fact that the Olympics are in Beijing, but protesting the athletes’ right to compete in everything they’ve been gearing up for. There has been so much talk about boycotting China, yet I haven’t heard anyone address what that could mean to the athletes who have worked years for this.

The Olympic Committee decided seven years ago that China should have the opportunity to host the Olympic Games in an effort to open China’s door to the rest of the world. I don’t think anyone, except China, would disagree that the situation in Tibet clearly needs to be peacefully resolved. But angling it at the Olympics in radical and sometimes violent protests does not effectively or positively promote a change.

I admit that on the positive side, the protests in Tibet made international news, thus bringing the crisis of Tibet to a larger audience. But these violent protests go against the very fundamentals that Tibet stands for. The Dalai Lama himself has even threatened to step down from his position if the violence doesn’t end. The problems of Tibet haven’t been a secret for the last 50 years. Although the crimes may not be given daily attention, the occupation isn’t new at all. Instead of using an approach that could be widely understood and accepted, the protesters used the Olympics as a battleground, when the real battle is much further away.

Not to downplay the human rights issues that have plagued Tibet for generations, but this form of protesting is abusive and in no way constructive.

According to the International Olympic Committee vice president, Kevin Gosper, future Olympics may not do an international relay, instead keeping the torch in the country where the games will be held. They have decided not to stop the current relay, because they want to see how the rest of it goes before shutting down relays in the future.

The torch is reported to pass through London again for the Paralympics, meaning the torch will be carried by disabled athletes for that multi-sport event, but protesters have claimed that they will be as aggressive, if not more so, than the round for the Olympic Games. How far do these protesters have to go before they are satisfied? Isn’t the embarrassment to themselves and the athletes enough? Will they regress to being inhumane?

Right now, the only part of the Olympics that should be covered on the nightly news is the athletes either preparing for, or in the midst of, the intense Olympic trials. I am glad that the problems in Tibet are being called to attention, but why are we so aggressive to protest Tibet and not as aggressive in protesting the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp? Are there not horrific human rights violations being acted out this very moment there?

Apparently, it’s easier to point fingers at other countries instead of trying to correct ourselves. Nevertheless, being pro-China or pro-Tibet should not affect an athlete’s right to compete peacefully and fairly in the Olympics.