As the opening of a major international sporting event gets closer, the evidence that politics and sport are inseparable grows and becomes irrefutable.
The Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, scheduled for February and March of next year, in Beijing, China, clearly show how the two movements mix, go together.
The Olympics are not just a moment of sport, peace and world fraternization among peoples, bringing together delegations from dozens of countries on the same stage and moment, as many people think and defend.
Under the concept of a lot of joy and emotion, the Olympics are always a promise of sports competitions, without cannons, with equal rules for everyone, although economic disparities cause imbalance. Promise, yes; reality, not so much.
The exorbitant expenses to host competitions, for example, depend on political forces. Therefore, governments use and abuse advertising when sponsoring major sporting events.
They cover up scams with the illusion factory. Spending, as a rule, hinders investments that would be more relevant to populations in general.
Another facet of the Olympics is the opening of doors to opportunism, when part of the protagonists takes advantage of the chance of exposure provided by the Games to take their shots. These are chances that offer themselves covered by a supposed cloak of goodness, but not very transparent and that can harbor evils.
The Chinese, who today are practically at the forefront of the world economy and maintain a closed political and social regime, will host the Olympics for the second time in just 14 years.
It is still a test of strength. Beijing, the country’s capital, will become the first city in history to host the Games in its summer (2008) and winter (2022) versions.
In the turmoil of international politics, the Winter Olympics are a soft spot for China as the event’s opening on February 4 approaches.
The United States seizes the opportunity to put pressure on the Chinese government over allegations of human rights violations. The sports scene became politics.
President Joe Biden expressed his intention in November not to send any diplomatic officials to the Games. The position was confirmed by the White House on Monday (6).
The United States mainly accuses China of crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, in the Uighi ethnic minority region (mostly Muslim).
The boycott, however, will not affect the athletes, who will normally compete in competitions and will have government support. Other countries can follow the North American position. Great Britain, Australia and Lithuania have already expressed themselves in this regard.
China, for its part, called the US action “sensational and manipulative” and announced that it was preparing a reaction.
Meanwhile, last Thursday (2), 173 countries of the UN (United Nations) approved the resolution of the Olympic Truce drawn up by China and the IOC at the 76th General Assembly.
The resolution calls on the various parties to resolve international conflicts by peaceful and diplomatic means, urging the fulfillment of the Olympic Truce during the period of seven days before the opening of the Games until seven days after the end of the Paralympics.
Politicians linked to the organizers, major investors in the sport and top hats defend that the Olympic spirit should be allowed to illuminate the dreams of young people, boost social development and create a harmonious and peaceful world. It is a fact, but it is also true that politics is never left out of the game.
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