Arena Boycott the 2014 Sochi (Winter) Games?

When someone puts a pink velvet glove on while accepting a gold medal and making that gesture - then I'll be impressed.

 

This is one of the more ridiculous things I've read this week. And I've read several posts by beezel.

Athletes are not government representatives. Their participation in the games is neither an endorsement of their own government's actions/policies nor those of the host nation. A Brit competing in Beijing was not - in doing so - endorsing either British involvement in rendition and torture or Chinese political repression or the occupation of Tibet.

If what you say were true, there would have been no athlete with a conscience at any Olympic games.

Or are you saying that oppression/murder/torture on the grounds of race, religion, political belief etc are fine and all athletes should be jolly proud to endorse them but oppression on the grounds of sexual preference is a totally different thing?

 

Whoops... black_saber

 

Explicitly, no. Implicitly, yes. Indeed one of the principal motivations athletes put forward for going to the Olympics is to represent their country. That country, like it or not, includes in a large way the government that runs it. You don't get to say "Not in my name" so easily, especially when you are being put forward as a representative of the country involved..

Oh, I'm sure many had consciences. Unfortunately, most chose to suborn them in favour of competing for a medal, or chose to look the other way when participating in Olympics hosted in some of the more brutal regimes that have crossed the Earth. The IOC has not done itself any favours on this ground.

No. Only that your argument that 'THEY IZ ATHLETES SO THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT POLITICS OF THE PLACE THEY COMPETE IN' strongly resembles your avatar.

 

You've won an award. Take your podium, Sir.

 

Well thankyaverymuch. FREEDOM FOR GLOVE-WEARING TYPISTS, NOW!

 

Apparently quite a few Ukrainian athletes are leaving Sochi to protest the violence in Kiev.

 

Well, I think these Olympics have gone brilliantly. Putin should be in charge of more stuff. I wanna know from where he imported all that fake snow. I think we should unify all of Latin America under one transnational flag and put Putin in charge down there. He'll whip all those drug-running South American cartels underneath the Latin American Union into shape in no time. Speaking of, that's probably where he got his fake snow. I think Putin should wear a fake Mexican moustache while he's down there, too.

 

Supposedly they had the snow in storage since last year as a 'just in case' measure.