A boycott of Olympic proportions

For what it’s worth, my two cents on the subject of Olympic boycotts.

The consensus among at least some athletes is that they will not be pawns of the government on this issue. This is in itself a morally sound position – in a democratic society, it is not the place of the government to make such pronouncements. The decision should be left to individual conscience. In any case, they need not worry. The position of the government, unsurprisingly, is that they do not favour this course of action.

However, the athletes should be aware that they may yet end up being unwitting pawns – not of the Australian government, but of the Chinese authorities. There is a significant risk that China will interpret global participation in the Games as an indication of international approval of their domestic policies. The hope that placing China in the spotlight would help ensure a greater degree of individual freedom for its citizenry turned out to be misguided. As the recent events in Tibet demonstrate, China has shown little inclination to improve its human rights record, despite increased scrutiny from outside. Such inaction should not be rewarded. Until it cleans up its act, China should not be permitted to participate in the Games, let alone host them.