It looks obvious

I was never a big fun of the Olympic games. I resent the connection between sport and nationalism in principal, and it is practical applications. The importance that dictators, like Hitler and Stalin, gave to the Olympic games is the best example for the fallacy of tying between personal, or group, achievements and national, race or type of regime greatness. This years games, in Beijing, are yet another example of the hypocrisy behind the Olympic spirit and I can only wonder if wining a medal in these games is worth the efforts.

It is not a simple decision for athlete, that regard the Olympic games as the highest event of their career, to decide not to participate in the games. However the price of knowing that in preparations for the games the chines increased their Human Rights abuses should be to high for a moral person to pay for a medal:

Earlier Tuesday, China’s Premier Wen Jiabao denied that Beijing was attempting to silence opponents of the communist regime ahead of the August 8-24 sporting extravaganza.

"As for the critics’ view that China is trying to increase its efforts to arrest dissidents before the Olympic Games, I think such accusations are totally unfounded. There is no such question at all," Wen said at a press conference following the closure of China’s annual session of parliament.

[...]

His e-mails and Internet postings have publicised rights abuses throughout China and he has also played a prominent role in aiding other activists.

These included Yang Chunlin, a former factory worker who was put on trial for subversion in northeast Heilongjiang province last month after attracting 10,000 signatures to his petition entitled "We want human rights, not the Olympics."

Yang, 52, also represented by lawyer Li, has denied the charges and the court has yet to hand down a verdict.

Others detained recently include organisers of petitions calling on China’s parliament to safeguard human rights and end corruption, according to activists.

The games were, for many years, a nice cover for tyranny, racism and human rights abuses. It is time for those athletes who are truly believe in the spirit of sport to say enough and to not participate in the Beijing hypocrisy.

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