China unofficially declared its emerging-superpower status on 08/08/08 for the whole world to see at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics; and they did it in style.
It was blatantly obvious that the organisers had a point to make - that China is the next big bad wolf and she's here to stay. Bush must have been green with envy when he saw with his own eyes the perfectly synchronised dances and the most breathtaking torch lighting ceremony ever seen in the history of the Olympic Games. It's a safe bet that he only grudgingly joined the billions of people the world over in their applause for the awe inspiring grand opening ceremony.
But in his defence, Bush has always had the best interest of his own country at heart. The fact that it was at the expense of decency and every form of moral democracy is a different matter. Anyway, he has been criticised enough. The poor guy has only a few months left at the White House, so, just give him a break, we say.
China has been at the receiving end of all sorts of allegations of human rights violations, population control, media control and every other form of control for some time now. And more often than not, it has been the US at the forefront of those pointing their fingers at China. Sure, China is no saint. She's had a notorious track record of a lot of unethical practices, ever since Mao took over. Beijing maintains an iron grip on the media and continues to oppress and suppress any and all kinds of dissent.
But then, the US is no angel either. Their human rights record is as bad as China's, if not worse. Iraq and Abu Ghraib are a case in point. 'Nuff said.
Washington feels threatened by Beijing. They'll do whatever it takes to maintain the status quo, including aiding and abetting uprisings in the countries that threaten their supremacy. Only the US is allowed to be the world's only super power. And world sports, particularly athletics, is something they've been symbolically using as a sign of that power and dominance. The Olympic medals table have been dominated by the US for decades. But now, the tables have turned.
Winning is a mark of supremacy and as the games have shown us somewhat; US supremacy is being gradually challenged. With Jamaicans winning the 100m men's and women's events, the little country in the Caribbean has become the fastest country in the world, an event USA has dominated for years.
Now China has joined the bandwagon, to prove something, to prove that they can do better than the US. So have a lot of other countries. Everyone is out to strike gold, at whatever cost.
Along with politics, drugs and money have come in to the picture. It's no longer about the way you play the game, it's about winning. At the start of the games, President of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge urged athletes to reject doping and cheating. "Make us proud of your achievements and your conduct", he said.
Would this be the case? Or would these come to light only after the games?
Eight years ago, the so called golden girl Marian Jones won five medals at the games in Sydney, three of them gold. Our very own sprint queen Susanthika Jayasinghe was one of the lucky athletes who got to run alongside her.
Looking at her, it was hard to say, she would be someone who would resort to drugs. But she did. Not only did she take drugs, but she denied using it, thereby lying to various agencies, including the two grand juries. Her punishment - a jail term. This is just one of the many such cases.
Would this ever stop? Will they ever play fair? They say it's the way you play the game that counts. But if these athletes cannot stick to that, what message are they giving the youngsters? Morality and sportsmanship are getting lost in the way. Personal glory at whatever cost has taken precedence. Why? For Sponsorship deals? Pressure? Greed? Does anyone really care?
The ugly side of Olympics will always remain.
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