The Olympics

The headline in the 'Süddeutsche Zeitung'; "Zum Abscheid ein Lob für China" (At the end of the games, praise for China).1 The IOC President Jacques Rogge praised the games and expressed his belief that China, through the games, has made certain progress in other, in my opinion, much more important areas. The legacy of the games has still to be assessed and I won't be jumping the gun on this one. Nevertheless, I have this sort of feeling that Mr Rogge doesn't know his arse from his elbow. The games we are told are to be free of politics, yet, Mr Rogge's comments express the sort of political support that the powers that be in Beijing seek. He would have done well had he concentrated on the successful organisation of the games or had he even confined himself to his statement that, "the world has learned about China, and China has learned about the world, I believe this is something that will have positive effects for the long term.”2 The question might be asked, what has the world learned about China? The world has learned that they can organise, that the people are friendly, that there is a certain optimism at large. The world has learned precisely what Beijing wanted the world to learn. As to the games themselves; some 5,000 tests produced less than ten positive results and one certain sprinter has shown an improved performance of the type unseen since the good old days of Flo-Jo and Ben Johnson. All in all, what a farce!
1 'Süddeutsche Zeitung', Monday 25 August front page
2 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/25/sports/olympics/25china.html?hp