Forum: World News

I watched the opening ceremonies and thought it was spectacular. I can't believe they put billions of dollars into the ceremonies, but didn't put out effort to clean the air in all those years leading up to the games. Pardon my ignorance, but is it even possible to clean the air at that point?

Anyway, I wish the athletes the best and hope that we can have a fun discussion about what's going on. Go teams go!

Not everyone thinks the Olympics are so wonderful. I personally believe they have gone from being an athletic completion to a political event that some countries try and use to their advantage. It used to be that the Olympics were a test of the athletes ability to excel in there chosen area of competition. Not that I ever thought professional pole-vaulter or whatever sport it is you compete in is a worthwhile profession, nor do they contribute to society, in my opinion anyway. It has been turned into a case of who ever has the best performance enhancing drugs that can’t be detected usually wins. Winning at whatever cost using whatever underhanded means. What ever happened to good old fashioned fair competition?
And now all this political madness about China. If they have such a dismal human rights record and Beijing is so polluted why did they give them the games in the first place? I wonder how much money changed hands? The Olympics should not be used as a political platform. The protesters should find a different forum to express their displeasure with the Chinese governments human rights policies and the treatment of the Tibetans. I think what China has done is Tibet is disgusting but the Olympics are not the place to air your concerns, it should have been done when they were applying for the games not during the games. Any threat of terrorism at the games is also unacceptable. Keep politics out of it.
Beijing is a polluted city, not a polluted as some others in China, but still polluted. Maybe instead of complaining about this pollution, the western world should hold China to the Kyoto accord as well. Reduce pollution while the nation is “developing” don’t try and retro fit a solution when it is too late. Of course it probably is already too late in China, judging by the amount of pollution I witnessed when I was there a few years ago.
More to be said about China pulling the visas of athletes who are likely to take a gold away from them in specific events. Another case of winning at any cost. These athletes have trained for at least four years to get to the Olympics, taken huge quantities of performance enhancing drugs that will likely shorten their life span and cause then all kinds of physical/health problems in the future only to be denied the right to compete because they could be the best in their sport?? What kind of crap is this???
I think the Olympics should be disbanded. Their original purpose has long since been lost. They are a lot of money making, or should I say grabbing, event that is not even fair anymore. No matter how hard the Olympic policing boards try to ban performance enhancing drugs, the athletes are still using them. The Olympics have no meaning anymore, they are just a bunch of over drugged jocks trying to get the best advertising deals they can, in other words it is all related to MONEY now, not athletics or competition or any thing remotely related to the original spirit of the games. These poor kids (aka athletes) should get a university degree instead of screwing up their health with drugs. Competing in the Olympics is no longer a noble ambition.
I won’t be watching as I think the events have no meaning anymore. The entire thing is a farce based on greed and politics.
That is my opinion anyway. I am disgusted at what a once noble event has turned into.

I guess I'm torn. The athletes train so hard and to them this is what it's all about - the game. But considering everything, can we take that away from the athletes? Does boycotting actually DO anything?