Blanket Of Dirt Over Beijing Olympics (UPDATED)

The Beijing 2008 Olympics are set to begin in less than 24 hours. I consider myself a fan of the Olympics, although I don't necessarily stay glued to the TV set for the entire games. This time around, I just can't get excited about the Games.

I'll take it a step further: I'm quite disgusted that China gets to host the Games and be the center of attention for 2 weeks or so. I have absolutely nothing against the Chinese people, but it's disturbing that the Chinese government will most definitely and justifiably consider this to be a huge PR boost. Sure, there have been and will continue to be protests with people asking to free Tibet, for example. But most people won't notice that. They'll instead notice the big show put on by the government (let's not pretend that China is just like any other country).

Journalists covering the Games not having full internet access in China...it's par for the course for a regime as oppressive as the smog that's covering Beijing. Perhaps it's idealist of me to think of the Olympics as an example of all people coming together for a common cause. After all, the Olympic Committee didn't have a problem in picking China to host these games. Perhaps I shouldn't mix politics and sports. But it's happened before, especially in countries where the powers-that-be are more interested in self-promotion than in freedom and democracy.

I wish the U.S. athletes all the best. Too bad my heart won't be totally into it.

UPDATE 12:50 PM 8/8: The Miami Herald's Linda Robertson, whom I'm not exactly crazy about, explains in her column why politics and sports aren't separate. Aside from a weak attempt at moral equivalence early in the column, it's a well-written piece. Read it here.