Thursday, July 31, 2008

Further Olympic Abominations

I wasn't going to rant on this, really I wasn't but as I live by myself this is my forum to vent until I come across a real live human being who is tolerant of my soap-boxing.

The IOC (International Olympic Committee) have been spouting for years about how these Olympics would be free from human-rights abuses and censorship, despite the reputation for just such offenses by the host country.

Now (overnight depending on where you live) they come out and admit that they knew all along that Internet censorship would be in place, heavier than usual, while the Olympics are on. And yes this applies to foreign journalists as well. That is on top of an increased number of people being arrested for "possessing state secrets" and the foiling of fake bomb plots.

It physically makes me sick at the hypocrisy, the lack of integrity, the lies - no not by the Chinese government - I expected nothing less from them, but from the IOC.

Even as I type this I wonder why I genuinely expected anything different about any Olympic farce, particularly the one that is being foisted upon us in a week. My cynical hat must have slipped off for a minute - my bad.... sigh ....

2 comments:

Alison said...

I am all for supporting athletes when they train so hard and dedicate their lives to a sport - but I don't think the Olympic games are about supporting athletes any more. Especially these games. I will not be following them either.
I also have a problem with anyone- be it an individual, an organisation or a committee- claiming that the Olympic games are inclusive and non-discriminatory. Purely from a disability perspective, the LAST thing the Olympic games are, are inclusive. The special olympics get hardly any support or coverage and apart from that, creating a whole different event for people with a disability is incredibly exclusive! They couldn't have removed people with a disability from the games any more if they tried. If they really wanted to be "inclusive", EVERYONE would compete at the same time.
But that is a whole new soap box. lol.

I'm with you - There will be no politically fuelled Olympic garbage entering our home or car!

Anonymous said...

Ok, the Olympics are a forum for non professionals, preferrably not drug enhanced. Personally I gave up watching when the American basketballers were included.

Thinking, whatever happened to the Commonwealth games?

The sheer amount of money used up in this crap gets me, and Australia is not lily white ethically either. Remember when they moved the homeless and korris out of Sydney before the games here...