Netizens debate the Olympic stand-off

NDTV Correspondent
Tuesday, April 8, 2008 (New Delhi)
At precisely eight minutes past 8 pm on August 8 - the eighth day of the eighth month of the year 2008 - the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, this year's Summer Olympics, will officially open in Beijing. But with the relentless protests around the world and the increasing calls for boycott, are we looking forward to a peaceful Olympics this time?Though the modern Olympics, ever since its inception in 1896, have rarely been short of discord and dispute, Beijing may outmatch all previous events and turn out to be the most controversial Olympics in over 20 years. The Olympic flame represents the positive values that Man has always associated with fire. It spreads a message of peace and friendship amongst peoples.But, with the ongoing Tibetan uprising in China, the run-up to the Games have got mired in an intriguing mishmash of ancient history and modern politics. With 30,000 foreign journalists expected at the Games, the Communist state will come under the global glare as never before. A host of civic groups, Tibetan supporters, environmentalists and religious organisations see an apposite opportunity to highlight human rights abuses in a country that ordinarily cracks down hard on any coordinated criticism. And for the first time in the history of the Games, there have been attempts to sabotage the torch relay at several places. But is this the right opportunity to show our solidarity for a cause which is bound to have political repercussions? Shouldn't sports and politics be kept apart? Or, is the influence of politics on the Games, or for that matter on any sport or sporting event, inevitable? What do you think?Join our debate. Voice your opinion.

Sachin Tendulkar, Amir Khan and others are getting ready to carry the Olympics torch in relay saying that we should not mix sports and politics, thereby belittling the Tibetan issue as mere politics and not that of freedom. Moreover, these worthies are not worried about mixing sports and money. In fact it would seem that many sportsmen, particularly in cricket, have more of money in mind than the game itself.