Boycott the Beijing Olympics
Not since Hitler secured both the Summer and Winter Olympics for Germany in 1936 has the IOC been so compromised. While it will never be be proven Beijing most likely got the 2022 Winter Olympics by bribes and threats to the IOC voters.
Even if they had secured the Games legitimately they should be boycotted or better yet moved to another country that respects human rights. In September 160 human rights organizations called on the IOC to move the games. Trump and Pompeo supported moving the games or boycotting them. Canada has followed suit unless China stops killing the Uyghurs. Conditions in China are much worse than in 2008 when they hosted the Summer Games. Hong Kong is being repressed and religious freedom is under daily assault. Btw , the stadiums built for the Summer Games are now used for public executions.
If the Games are not moved or if the U.S. and other Western democracies do not boycott, I for one will refuse to watch. And I will join in any boycotts of corporate sponsors and the athletes they support.
Make no mistake. China will play hardball and will retaliate as they did against Houston's G.M. when he questioned China's human rights record. Remember how David Stern and Lebron showed spines like wet noodles when that happened ? We should do it anyway.
Re: Boycott the Beijing Olympics
Wasn't it in Beijing just a few years ago? Or was that the summer Olympics?
Re: Boycott the Beijing Olympics
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Raziel
Wasn't it in Beijing just a few years ago? Or was that the summer Olympics?
The 2008 Summer Olympics were held in Beijing. Human rights have been going downhill in China ever since.
Re: Boycott the Beijing Olympics
Ummm I think there's always going to be someone upset about who gets to host Olympics, and so on and so forth.
(I missed the 2008 summer Olympics on TV due to work and still regret it. Anyhow someone has to host the games. China is not anyone's first choice but I guess they did a good job in 2008?)
Re: Boycott the Beijing Olympics
It might make too much sense to have a permanent location for the summer Olympics and one for the winter Olympics. They are financial disasters when moved around.
Re: Boycott the Beijing Olympics
Quote:
Originally Posted by
slowpoke
It might make too much sense to have a permanent location for the summer Olympics and one for the winter Olympics. They are financial disasters when moved around.
It depends. L.A. in '84 ; Atlanta in '96 and Salt Lake City in '02 all made money. Sydney in 2000 and London in 2012 both did O.K.
Re: Boycott the Beijing Olympics
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SnuffleUffleGrass
Ummm I think there's always going to be someone upset about who gets to host Olympics, and so on and so forth.
(I missed the 2008 summer Olympics on TV due to work and still regret it. Anyhow someone has to host the games. China is not anyone's first choice but I guess they did a good job in 2008?)
Name one place that has hosted that has a human rights record nearly as bad as China ? Russia ? Hardly a shining example but nothing compared to the Chinese.
Re: Boycott the Beijing Olympics
OK, that makes more sense. Winter Olympics are a bit different than Summer Olympics. I was a little confused as to how they got them again, but whatever.
I want them to go back to Athens.
Re: Boycott the Beijing Olympics
"Hosting the Olympics tends to result in severe economic deficiencies for cities. Unless a city already has the existing infrastructure to support the excess crowds pouring in, not hosting the Olympics may be the best option. "
https://www.investopedia.com/article...g-olympics.asp
Re: Boycott the Beijing Olympics
Re: Boycott the Beijing Olympics
Quote:
Originally Posted by
slowpoke
"Hosting the Olympics tends to result in severe economic deficiencies for cities. Unless a city already has the existing infrastructure to support the excess crowds pouring in, not hosting the Olympics may be the best option. "
https://www.investopedia.com/article...g-olympics.asp
No argument. Generally hosting the Games results in a loss i.e. the revenue does not equal the cost of the Games. That is the general rule. I could only come up with 3 ; maybe 5 examples of exceptions.
Re: Boycott the Beijing Olympics
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Eric Stoner
It depends. L.A. in '84 ; Atlanta in '96 and Salt Lake City in '02 all made money. Sydney in 2000 and London in 2012 both did O.K.
I read that the 2004 Olympics was a major factor in Greece's economic collapse.
I'd like to see a boycott of the Winter Olympics in China, but I doubt very much it would happen.
Re: Boycott the Beijing Olympics
Unpopular opinion- China has surpassed the United States in many ways. We have to accept that. Hosting Olympic games is one way of showing that to the world.
Re: Boycott the Beijing Olympics
Quote:
Originally Posted by
eagle2
I read that the 2004 Olympics was a major factor in Greece's economic collapse.
I'd like to see a boycott of the Winter Olympics in China, but I doubt very much it would happen.
It certainly was. They had no business hosting.
Re: Boycott the Beijing Olympics
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SnuffleUffleGrass
Unpopular opinion- China has surpassed the United States in many ways. We have to accept that. Hosting Olympic games is one way of showing that to the world.
It may seem that way on a superficial basis. First of all, look at the costs. Human rights violations ; forced abortions and sterilizations ; labor camps ; slave labor ; persecution of ethnic minorities; bullying of neighboring countries; air and water pollution etc.
There are efficiencies that we ought to envy. It does seem that they can do things that take us much longer to do ; when we can do them at all. But at what cost ?
Letting them host the Olympics is an international sign of approval. Moving the Games or boycotting says that their behavior is not acceptable.
Re: Boycott the Beijing Olympics
Or just beat them. Last time Beijing hosted the Olympics they had a bunch of 12 year old Gymnasts that they insisted were "of age" (Didn't look like it to me), this time it'll be a bunch of kids ice skating. Whatever.
Re: Boycott the Beijing Olympics
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Eric Stoner
It may seem that way on a superficial basis. First of all, look at the costs. Human rights violations ; forced abortions and sterilizations ; labor camps ; slave labor ; persecution of ethnic minorities; bullying of neighboring countries; air and water pollution etc.
There are efficiencies that we ought to envy. It does seem that they can do things that take us much longer to do ; when we can do them at all. But at what cost ?
Letting them host the Olympics is an international sign of approval. Moving the Games or boycotting says that their behavior is not acceptable.
This reminds me of the Robin Williams joke that compared the United States to a meth lab (the punchline is Canada has to put up with us as if we're an unwanted presence in North America.)
China is a weird horrific place, because communism. The individual has no value.
The United States sounds great in sound bites but we (Americans in the US) are oblivious to our own failings. Rampant poverty? Disturbing amounts of gun-related crime? Neglected children and senior citizens? Ugh....
I don't have time for a huge debate weighing the virtues of Westernized nations versus non-Western nations that "get sh*t" done via questionable means.
I will say, it's nice that we as humans can enjoy something like the Olympics. & We should really just designate a handful of nations to host in perpetuity and leave it at that.