Somehow, I just don’t recall any other past Olympic years having so much controversy involved. Is this just a sign of the times, are we becoming less enchanted with the idea of a global arena for our athletes to display their talent and abilities, or is it that people have a problem with the 2008 Olympics being held in China? Whatever the reason, it seems that these summer Olympics have been plagued with controversy right from the onset.
Even before the Olympics began, they got off on a bad footing with many athletes stepping off the plane wearing face masks. Could this be viewed as a snub at the Chinese government for the poor quality of air in Beijing? Or, it could have just been for the fact that the athletes were concerned for their own health. After all, the endurance of their bodies and lung capacity would be put to extremes during their particular events. Breathing in smoggy air would definitely not help them perform to the best of their ability, so it only stands to reason that they handle breathing issues in the best way possible. Yet, in no other Olympics in the past, did the athletes don face masks when entering the country. Thankfully, we have seen little of these face masks since.
Then of course there were the protests against China occupying land that is still very much considered the country of Tibet, which should stand as a separate nation on its own. This became the perfect venue and time to display the world’s anger, frustration and disagreement with the Chinese government. I’m not sure the Olympics is the place to be doing this. It, after all, takes and distracts from the actual purpose of the Olympic ideal. Then again, maybe it IS the perfect time. What better way for the world to show the Chinese government that their human rights issues must be addressed. However, these protesters were quickly whisked away by the authorities, out of the view of the media. It would appear that out of sight, out of mind is a premise that the Chinese government readily adheres to.
Which brings me to the next little controversy, that being of the young singer who was lipsynching the anthem during the opening ceremony. It was openly admitted that this was because the actual singer, although having a great voice, was just not “cute” enough to be placed on center stage, with the entire world viewing, either in person or via the media. How must this have made the young singer feel? And in who’s opinion was this decided to be a necessary action? I doubt the world would have cared how the child “looked. They would have just enjoyed her beautiful voice all the same!
Even before 9 year old Lin Miaoke lip synched to 7 year old Yang Peiyi singing the anthem, it was revealed that part of the opening ceremony was in fact computer generated and not filmed “live. A certain set of footprints had to be super imposed by computer graphics in order to get the full effect of the theme. This was in part due to angles the camera wouldn’t have been able to achieve otherwise. Although this had no bearing on the beauty and skill presented at the opening ceremony, many still chose to chastise the organizers of the games for deception.
Of course, one cannot forget the tragic murder of the American tourist, Todd Bachman (father-in-law to the US Volley Ball team’s head coach). While him, his wife, their daughter and a Chinese tour guide were visiting one of the sites, a deranged man attacked the group. Mr. Bachman was tragically stabbed to death, while his wife and the tour guide were severely injured. This definitely cast a dark shadow over the Olympics and prompted the authorities to step up security for the games.
And now we have the incident of the Swedish wrestler who threw down his “bronze” medal during the wrestling medal presentation ceremony, remarking that he wanted the gold medal, as he stormed off the podium. Yes, a bit childish to say the least, and definitely not in true Olympic form, where most athletes would just be thrilled to be in one of the top 3 standings. He cited bias in the judging and although this might often be the case (many an athlete has lost a medal standing over the years because of judging), however, this is not the proper way in which to handle the situation, much to the embarrassment of the Swedish contingent.
Not as serious, but still controversial, there has been some disgrace over the sale of a certain souvenir. To be specific, vendors are selling goldfish key chains, with actual live goldfish in a heart-shaped, enclosed baggie, bearing a mascot logo on the front. Obviously, these little fish will inevitably die a short time after purchase, enraging animal activists. There is just no way that, without proper oxygen within these enclose baggies, as well as the limited confined space for the fish to swim, these unfortunate little goldfish could possibly survive for any length of time.
With still 10 days left to go in the 2008 Olympics, one has to wonder, what could possibly happen next?
As far as our Canadian athletes, we have yet to stand on the podium for any medals. Although our athletes seem to be doing quite well in many of their events, it’s just not good enough for the medals. I don’t think we have ever showed so poorly in any previous Olympics to date. Well, there is still time, and we are hopeful. OR, could it be that the Canadian government has put all their resources and money into our winter athletes, being the 2010 Winter Olympic Games will be held in British Columbia. Still, the Canadian government really needs to step it up a bit in providing funding for our young amateur athletes, if they are to compete on a world-wide scale, otherwise, this could possibly spark some controversy of our own.
