China and the Olympics

Gi, we are so concerned about Tibetian culture. Lets see if west will use NATO in Tibet as they did in Kosovo where Serbian ancient culture is being wiped out under the noses of UN and NATO. Oh yes, NATO only goes against defensless-1st they use media to demonize the Serbs then they used big guns. Of cause, demonization if China started sometimes ago, but China is little harder nut to crack. Demonization must continue.

I am so sick and tired of Americans taking the moral high ground. Especially after reading Monty's latest blog. Does the US ever use sports to display itself as a world power? Duh, yes! So please Monty, stop pointing the finger at other nations, without looking at your own paymasters. Your country is the one that should be boycotted always, if it's dirty worldwide actions were ever taken into account. Please americans, get off of your moral high-horse, you don't belong there anymore.

How come Mr Montgomery seem to worry about the national identity the tibetans are loosing and has not the same feelings for Serbia nor the Serbs from Kossovo (which in the fifties where not a majority? Chavez is right you are playing your game without any retenue or any moral ground...Very clearly all comes down to Force and not laws unfortunatly for the weekests,align or perish.

Monty, just to let you know that we highly appreciate your concern about Tibet and China, how about some analysis on Native Americans and their rights? We're looking forward to that.

Felix, don't worry about that. The great American democracy has provided its native tribes with reservations where they can drink or gamble themselves to death at their own leisure. Such a wonderful country this is.

It is obvious that everything is politics, even the Olympic games that have been given to China anticipating the turmoil in Tibet.

I very much doubt we in the US will get any information about possible demonstrations in China at the Olympics. With the way in which US media sanitizes Olympic broadcasts, the only time we're slightly reminded that there are other countries participating in the Games is during the Parade of Flags at the Opening Ceremony (and even here cameras zoom in on Western European nations, and take a commercial break once we get to a collection of African countries - just watch: we'll take a commercial break after Germany and come back just in time for Italy, maybe Ireland if you're lucky). We'll basically see only Americans participating, and when Americans aren't particpating, we'll be hearing for days on end about the Americans who will participate. We'll cut out the unnecessary stuff like events Americans didn't place in, as well as any awards ceremony where the national anthem is someone else's country (though we'll probably give a few to China, and maybe one or two to Canada). We'll then cut to another commercial where we can be entertained by dancing Pygmies, smiling Arabs, and hip-hopping monks all sharing a Coke at the same time (this is supposed to be the consumer-related good promoting globalization). If the last few Olympics were any indication, the ratings will be incredibly low, with little interest by most viewers unfortunately.

Oh yes, and don't forget the obligatory Olympic flashback to Berlin 1936 - they always show that. Now if only the Dalai Lama could pull a Jesse Owens and upset Hu Jintao.

RE: Athletics and Politics

The world disallowed probably the greatest modern collection of Serbian footballers since Mitic, Dzalic, and Sekularac to mention a few names to participate in the World Cup and European Football cups in the early nineties.

The names included Jugovic, Mijatovic, Mihailovic many coming from the victory of Red Star Belgrade in the UEFA cup of 1989.

The world missed seeing artistic Yugoslav football at its finest. Truly a shame.

Instead, we get to see predominantly American athletes overdose themselves with banned drug substances and claim victory on the pitch.

Today's news: Sarcosy is likely to boycott opening of the Olypmic games as a stance against China's amiss on the issue of human rights. This stance is representative of using political power through sports. Stepping back to few weeks ago we notice that Milorad Cavic is not allowed to raise a political issue in the midst of a sporting event whose spot light he captures. Let us bring a conclusion that Sporting events may not be the right place to express a political backing . . . for Everyone. For Milorad Cavic as well as Mr. Sarkosy. Let us - lastly - be consistent.

Btw, Kosovo as a precedent for unleasing US' political ambitions in China with a double-strik (Tibet and Taiwan). Slam dunk!

yes -- the olympics is a testament to what are the highest values of humankind -- but inevitably it also highlight all of humanity's faults, which are deep, and ubiquitous.

we need to support human rights struggles wherever and whenever we can; tibet is no exception. we need to find non-violent means to express our antipathy of china's human rights policy, which is dismal to say the least. these are not "internal" affairs! -- that is the worst lie carried over from the 20th century. one world, one humanity. do not blind your eyes and cover your ears while others suffer simply because they are across a border.

personally, i look forward very much to the day when kosovar athletes can compete in the olympics under their own flag, for their own nation, like every other free nation. we owe that to them, and we must fight for it, in a non-violent way.

never let the forces of repression keep you from doing what you know to be right...

roberto from frisco

The Dalai Llama is not accusing the Chinese, he is stating an undeniable TRUTH, to which the free countries of this world owe their acknowlegement!

"Thus, sixty-five countries boycotted the Moscow Olympics in 1980 to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Moscow and most of the Warsaw Pact returned the favor at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984."

Yugoslavia did not join any of these boycotts, and it was almost lonely socialist country in LA 1984. And rightfully so. Sport is something positive, and politics should not mix with it.
Just recently Milorad Čavic have been suspended from European Swimming Championship for wearing shirt with text "Kosovo is Serbia" written on it. This was taken as political statement, and he was suspended. While punishment(suspension) may look a little harsh, in the end it was a right decision. Politics should be left out of sports.
I personally believe that all the nations without established state should be allowed to choose their destiny. This, of course, does not apply to those who already have established states. Should this be given to a minorities, just about every border in the world could immediatelly change, and would be changing every few decades or so. Unfortunatelly, princip of self-determination as advocated by former US President Woodrow Willson is being ignored on regular basis.
Just I personally don't disagree with Čavic's "Kosovo is Serbia" shirt, I have nothing against "Free Tibet" or "Free Kurdistan" shirts either.
However, every sportist wearing it, would be using sport to make a political statement and should be suspended immediatelly.
Politics don't belong to sporting events.

This is just a cousinship story of Chinese Shanghai Virginia campus gunman in March 2007.

in last year,lots of major english medias point a Chinese Shanghai exchange student
to be the criminal(gunman)， but finally the criminal has been proved to be a Korean by DNA test. I would say a lot English medias are working depend on nothing about truth and evidence but almost only their imagination and hearsay.

or they just like to blame even slender by subconsciousness, maybe not only because subconsciousness.

Dear Mr. Montgonery,
You are ansolutely right that hosting the Olympic games has become an important way of praising ones system. But does that expansive PR action bring lasting results? Few years after 1934 the world was appauled of Nazism. The Western boycot somehow promoted the Soviet sysytem, so many people even in the West were impresed by the opening ceremony in Moscaw and even Western athlets condemned the boycot. Yet in little over a decade the Soviet Union disappeared from the map of the Earth. The Sarajevo Olympics was a triumph for multiethnic Yugoslavia. In less than a decade the sporting fields became graveyards. The Beyjing Olympics were meant to advertise the rise of China to the status of a Suoperpower. It may well happen. It has been the Greates power in the world for much of the recorded history. But if it fails to achieve a modus vivendi with Tibetians and others, it will be "Power without Glory". And no Olympic games could change that.

yes -- the olympics is a testament to what are the highest values of humankind -- but inevitably it also highlight all of humanity's faults, which are deep, and ubiquitous.

we need to support human rights struggles wherever and whenever we can; tibet is no exception. we need to find non-violent means to express our antipathy of china's human rights policy, which is dismal to say the least. these are not "internal" affairs! -- that is the worst lie carried over from the 20th century. one world, one humanity. do not blind your eyes and cover your ears while others suffer simply because they are across a border.

personally, i look forward very much to the day when kosovar athletes can compete in the olympics under their own flag, for their own nation, like every other free nation. we owe that to them, and we must fight for it, in a non-violent way.

never let the forces of repression keep you from doing what you know to be right...

roberto from frisco

Gi, we are so concerned about Tibetian culture. Lets see if west will use NATO in Tibet as they did in Kosovo where Serbian ancient culture is being wiped out under the noses of UN and NATO. Oh yes, NATO only goes against defensless-1st they use media to demonize the Serbs then they used big guns. Of cause, demonization if China started sometimes ago, but China is little harder nut to crack. Demonization must continue.

How come Mr Montgomery seem to worry about the national identity the tibetans are loosing and has not the same feelings for Serbia nor the Serbs from Kossovo (which in the fifties where not a majority? Chavez is right you are playing your game without any retenue or any moral ground...Very clearly all comes down to Force and not laws unfortunatly for the weekests,align or perish.

This is just a cousinship story of Chinese Shanghai Virginia campus gunman in March 2007.

in last year,lots of major english medias point a Chinese Shanghai exchange student
to be the criminal(gunman)， but finally the criminal has been proved to be a Korean by DNA test. I would say a lot English medias are working depend on nothing about truth and evidence but almost only their imagination and hearsay.

or they just like to blame even slender by subconsciousness, maybe not only because subconsciousness.

The Dalai Llama is not accusing the Chinese, he is stating an undeniable TRUTH, to which the free countries of this world owe their acknowlegement!

"Thus, sixty-five countries boycotted the Moscow Olympics in 1980 to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Moscow and most of the Warsaw Pact returned the favor at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984."

Yugoslavia did not join any of these boycotts, and it was almost lonely socialist country in LA 1984. And rightfully so. Sport is something positive, and politics should not mix with it.
Just recently Milorad Čavic have been suspended from European Swimming Championship for wearing shirt with text "Kosovo is Serbia" written on it. This was taken as political statement, and he was suspended. While punishment(suspension) may look a little harsh, in the end it was a right decision. Politics should be left out of sports.
I personally believe that all the nations without established state should be allowed to choose their destiny. This, of course, does not apply to those who already have established states. Should this be given to a minorities, just about every border in the world could immediatelly change, and would be changing every few decades or so. Unfortunatelly, princip of self-determination as advocated by former US President Woodrow Willson is being ignored on regular basis.
Just I personally don't disagree with Čavic's "Kosovo is Serbia" shirt, I have nothing against "Free Tibet" or "Free Kurdistan" shirts either.
However, every sportist wearing it, would be using sport to make a political statement and should be suspended immediatelly.
Politics don't belong to sporting events.

Dear Mr. Montgonery,
You are ansolutely right that hosting the Olympic games has become an important way of praising ones system. But does that expansive PR action bring lasting results? Few years after 1934 the world was appauled of Nazism. The Western boycot somehow promoted the Soviet sysytem, so many people even in the West were impresed by the opening ceremony in Moscaw and even Western athlets condemned the boycot. Yet in little over a decade the Soviet Union disappeared from the map of the Earth. The Sarajevo Olympics was a triumph for multiethnic Yugoslavia. In less than a decade the sporting fields became graveyards. The Beyjing Olympics were meant to advertise the rise of China to the status of a Suoperpower. It may well happen. It has been the Greates power in the world for much of the recorded history. But if it fails to achieve a modus vivendi with Tibetians and others, it will be "Power without Glory". And no Olympic games could change that.

I very much doubt we in the US will get any information about possible demonstrations in China at the Olympics. With the way in which US media sanitizes Olympic broadcasts, the only time we're slightly reminded that there are other countries participating in the Games is during the Parade of Flags at the Opening Ceremony (and even here cameras zoom in on Western European nations, and take a commercial break once we get to a collection of African countries - just watch: we'll take a commercial break after Germany and come back just in time for Italy, maybe Ireland if you're lucky). We'll basically see only Americans participating, and when Americans aren't particpating, we'll be hearing for days on end about the Americans who will participate. We'll cut out the unnecessary stuff like events Americans didn't place in, as well as any awards ceremony where the national anthem is someone else's country (though we'll probably give a few to China, and maybe one or two to Canada). We'll then cut to another commercial where we can be entertained by dancing Pygmies, smiling Arabs, and hip-hopping monks all sharing a Coke at the same time (this is supposed to be the consumer-related good promoting globalization). If the last few Olympics were any indication, the ratings will be incredibly low, with little interest by most viewers unfortunately.

Oh yes, and don't forget the obligatory Olympic flashback to Berlin 1936 - they always show that. Now if only the Dalai Lama could pull a Jesse Owens and upset Hu Jintao.

Monty, just to let you know that we highly appreciate your concern about Tibet and China, how about some analysis on Native Americans and their rights? We're looking forward to that.

Felix, don't worry about that. The great American democracy has provided its native tribes with reservations where they can drink or gamble themselves to death at their own leisure. Such a wonderful country this is.

RE: Athletics and Politics

The world disallowed probably the greatest modern collection of Serbian footballers since Mitic, Dzalic, and Sekularac to mention a few names to participate in the World Cup and European Football cups in the early nineties.

The names included Jugovic, Mijatovic, Mihailovic many coming from the victory of Red Star Belgrade in the UEFA cup of 1989.

The world missed seeing artistic Yugoslav football at its finest. Truly a shame.

Instead, we get to see predominantly American athletes overdose themselves with banned drug substances and claim victory on the pitch.

I am so sick and tired of Americans taking the moral high ground. Especially after reading Monty's latest blog. Does the US ever use sports to display itself as a world power? Duh, yes! So please Monty, stop pointing the finger at other nations, without looking at your own paymasters. Your country is the one that should be boycotted always, if it's dirty worldwide actions were ever taken into account. Please americans, get off of your moral high-horse, you don't belong there anymore.

It is obvious that everything is politics, even the Olympic games that have been given to China anticipating the turmoil in Tibet.

Today's news: Sarcosy is likely to boycott opening of the Olypmic games as a stance against China's amiss on the issue of human rights. This stance is representative of using political power through sports. Stepping back to few weeks ago we notice that Milorad Cavic is not allowed to raise a political issue in the midst of a sporting event whose spot light he captures. Let us bring a conclusion that Sporting events may not be the right place to express a political backing . . . for Everyone. For Milorad Cavic as well as Mr. Sarkosy. Let us - lastly - be consistent.

Btw, Kosovo as a precedent for unleasing US' political ambitions in China with a double-strik (Tibet and Taiwan). Slam dunk!