To Boycott or Not

An Olympic Boycott to protest the Tibetan Cause- it's the possibility that's been raised by the EU president Hans-Gert Poetterin. Remote as the chance that anyone would take up the challenge and then what limited effect it would have on China - the government has zero tolerance for any interference in its domestic affairs- it did nonetheless manage to appeal to me on some level. Could there be a better way to protest China's treatment of the Tibetans than to refuse an invitation to the grand coming out party of the Games in Beijing. Nothing would hurt Chinese national sentiments more, but then I'm not sure what it would achieve other than a wounded national pride. More good might come of participation with all the publicity that it entails for the Tibetans' plight.

I'll admit the subject's not an easy one for me.There was a time when the mix of politics and sport would have struck me as a cardinal sin. As a one time Olympics buff I once knew - probably still know- every statistic of every Olympics athletics results by rote, times, places names, the small aside stories dating back from the first modern Olympics in 1859 to 2004. Its knowledge that I tended to keep to myself knowing full well how low on the cool register public recitals of arcane sports statistics can leave you.

Today the stories that are of interest to me depend on how they are told which often means the political overtones. For example, consider for a moment the tale of one of the great middle distance runners of all time, two time Olympic champion Lord Sebastian Coe ( the title bestowed at a later date) who I have recently learned is of one quarter Indian descent, from his maternal grand mother. Coe was the winner of Olympic golds in two successive games in the 1500m, the only man to have ever achieved this feat. There's a high likelihood he would have won a third in the 1988 Olympics 1500m had short sighted selectors not snubbed him. Denied an opportunity to compete he was rumored to have been offered a chance to represent India by officials there, an offer he is said to have declined. The story has new dimensions now; there's a political edge and an unintentional historical resonance. Coe the Indian over achiever held back by the intrigues of an old boys British network akin to IAS of colonial India.

The spin, while more dramatic would be a lie ; Coe today is a reigning big wig of the IOC , he's the individual most responsible for London's winning bid for the 2012 Olympics. The Indian heritage is a genetic artifact that's most likely made a significant contribution to the athletic ability but has made little to the cultural disposition of the former Tory MP. The connection does, however, touch a chord with a large audience, and that is precisely the point. Everything is political these days it seems. Furthermore, the dichotomy of antitheses, sport and politics one pure and the other corrupted is a thing of the past. Athletics has seen its pristine image fall in successive waves of performance drug scandals. Sport today seems to be about money, nationalism, and propaganda as much as it does about the ideals of the original Olympic motto, citius , altius, fortius (faster, higher.stronger)

But beyond the cynicism, the number of Athletes who possess the talent thats required to compete at the Olympic level are few, their ability on short loan and the window of opportunity often very small. Timing is everything, one missed Olympics can mean the difference for many between Olympic glory and being past their prime. And its not all about victory, to make it to the Olympics is a distinction all in itself. The Olympic A qualifying standards are based on the top ten times in the world, the B on the top 100. These are standards to compete. Most athletes must go through intense contests in their own national championships with only a few able to advance to the next stage. With all the challenges considered most athletes would not turn their noses up at being part of that august rank of individuals.

There are also the surprises. One of my favorite moments in the Olympics was Liu Xiang's win in the 110 meter hurdles in 2004 in Athens. He crossed the finish line in a new world record and left a world class field in his wake. The shock it sent through some commentators and observers was almost funny to observe. There were People there who were stunned into silence that an Asian man could win the event, you could almost hear the exclamation in their thoughts. I hope for people like Liu Xiang and for the Tibetans that this thing can work out for everyone, but that may just be me dreaming.