By boycotting the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games, could the global community be able to send the correct signals to China that it should stop its violent crackdowns on Tibet and resolve the political issues by holding parleys with Dalai Lama? While nearly every country is committed to be a part of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the French President Nicolas Sarkozy has left open the possibility of boycotting the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony to be held on the August 8. Other countries have opposed any boycott but at the same time have urged China to show restraint in Tibet. As for the Tibetans, they have found this time (just before the opening ofthe Olympic Games) as the ripe time to highlight their state since China invaded the country in 1949. Various organizations have voiced their protests against China as the Olympic torch is being relayed around the world.
The Olympic Games, where players from every nation converge as a sign of peace and amity, has often been used as a platform to push forward domestic and international issues to attract the attention of the international community. The first Olympic game to be boycotted was the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. The 1956 Olympics was boycotted by Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland as a protest against the Soviet repression of the uprising in Hungary. The same Olympics was boycotted by Cambodia, Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon on the Suez crisis issue. In 1972 and 1976, a large number of African countries threatened to boycott the Olympics if the IOC did not ban South Africa, Rhodesia and New Zealand from the games. The IOC conceded to ban South Africa and Rhodesia but their refusal to ban New Zealand from the games led the African countries to withdraw their players after the games had already started. In 1980, sixty-five nations refused to compete at the Moscow Olympics in protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Anti-US sentiments made the Soviet Union and 14 of its Eastern Bloc partners to boycott the Los Angeles games in 1984.
It remains to be seen whether this year’s Olympics will see any further protests and possible boycotts.
Via: Yahoo
