I am really looking forward to the Olympics!
 

I think these may be the most politically interesting games of my lifetime. I truly believe China will regret hosting the games when all is said and done.

I feel confident that we will see many of the following events in the next few weeks:

1. Journalists having tapes confiscated or being harassed by the Chinese police for content of their journalism;
2. Journalists reporting on the oppressive measures being undertaken by China;
3. Mass demonstrations by Chinese citizens (Falun Gong, Chinese citizens who have been evicted to build a venue for the games, Tibetan monks, etc.), perhaps even with a dramatic and tragic event in a place like Tiananmen Square with a monk lighting himself on fire while the world media watches;
4. Athletes who pull out a Taiwanese or Tibetan flag after winning a contest or on the medal stage;
5. Possible terrorist attacks from extremist organizations; and
6. Protests by foreigners allegedly visiting China for the games but really visiting to make a political point in front of the global (and Chinese) media and people (Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, religious organizations, etc.).

It will be absolutely riveting to see how China responds to each new issue. Can they oppress speech when an athlete does something? How? The world is watching. Can they let the speech be broadcast? Will that influence others to do something similar? Will it cause China to lose its hold on the people's rights? China has never been under a microscope like this, and they clearly care about looking good. They will stage far and away the most expensive games of all time. Look at the dramatic steps they are taking to clean up air pollution!

What will be the long-lasting effects of the games? More freedom, more integration into the world market and world social structure? Enhanced human rights and recognition of religious beliefs? Or will they take the route that Waters thinks they will take and repress and oppress? I believe it will be the former, which is why I can't wait for the games and support the games being hosted in China. I hope I am right.

I'm sorry you like to see the Olympics, which ought to be about the athletes and their drama and achievements, fucked up like this. You'd probably have loved the 1972 Olympics.

When I saw your headline I thought you would talk about the great 100 meter dash matchup, or the candidates to be this year's swimming phonoms.

Don't get me wrong- I love the contests too, but they have far less power to shift global affairs than the political aspect of these games. I will enjoy watching Phelps swim and the USA basketball team. I am excited to see if USA soccer can make some noise. To me, though, these games have the competition aspect just like all other Olympics, so what really sets these apart is the political dynamic. And yes, I would have loved the 1972 Olympics too.

I hope China rises to the occasion and doesn't misbehave.

My favorite event is the 100 meter dash.

The US basketball team doesn't excite me.

Maybe they can host a marathon reading of Moby Dick and a Green Tea sipping contest to really get your adrenaline pumping!

;)

I love the athletic contests. I generally root for the U.S. conestants, especially in track and field and swimming. I just think the U.S. basketball team is a bunch of multi-millionaire prima donas who play at half speed. This is not their premier event like the Olympics are for the individual events.

I love watching rowing, track cycling and track & field. Nobody works harder for less fanfare then those rowers.

I love the Olympics. I plan on watching as many events as possible and now that I have DVR I should be able to eventually watch most everything. I am in the camp that feels China should never have been awarded the games. Sure, there are possible positives that could result, but the negatives in my opinion outweigh those positives. Holding the games in China inevitably makes the games more about politics and less about sports. The Olympics are about the highest level of competition amongst athletes who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of excellence in their given field. I dread hearing story after story about the Chinese govt. and their responses and reactions to whatever happens.

I understand Cali's position, in that the Games will put China under a much needed microscope, but I am more in agreement with SU that the games should be about the athletes, not politics. That said, it will be interesting as an aside to see how China handles it.

I hated that Carter didn't allow the US to participate in Moscow. It didn't do much to change the situation in Afghanistan and only punished the athletes. And when the Soviets boycotted the Games in LA, I thought it was wrong to punish the athletes again for the petty reason of "Well, you did it to us first."

I just hope that the focus is going to be on the athletes first, second, third, fourth, and so on and that politics are just a footnote in the overall coverage of the games.

The paranoid side of me tells me something bad is going to happen during the Olympics. And it's most likely just the paranoid side of me. At least I hope it is anyways.