Poll: China: 2008 Olympics?

[Robert01]

The Olympic Committee will be voting today as to where the 2008 Olympics will take place. The three top prospects are: Toronto, Paris, and Beijing. Obviously, China has said for years that they "deserve" to host the Olympics. But seriously, I think it's a little too risky to send our athletes out there.

Some of the Chinese-supporters say that this will give China the opportunity to clean up their human rights record, which has been, to say the least, horrible. However, I don't really think that will work. Does the 1936 Olympics ring a bell to anyone?

Should they be able to host it?

 

[dyqith]

What's wrong with Beijing ? China send ppl to other places for the olympics....
Why can't we send ppl to them ?

What happen in the 1936 Olympic ?

 

[creation]

Yes what happend in that Olympics??

 

[urameatball]

haha... you're comparing 2008 olympics to something that happened almost a century ago??? LOL!!!

things change mister. and my bet will be on beijing for 2008.
Toronto has little chance because of politcal reasons.
and Paris is... well... it's alright.
But Beijing has given a LOT of effort in changing that city around in preparation for 2008 Olympics. My aunt visited Beijing last year and she said Beijing looks sparkling clean and amazingly well organized right now.

 

[glen]

What on earth could the current Chinese government do to make their human rights record worse?

 

[DannyLove]

i say give it to them. If they don't they are gonna get pissed BIG TIME! since they have invested 20 BILLION on it!

danny~!

edit: can you just add a option that says YES OR NO, i dont like those options....

 

[SSP]

Voting for Toronto.. but I doubt we will get it.

 

[Unsickle]

I'll be 27 then. Wow.

 

[glen]

<< since they have invested 20 BILLION on it! >>


What is 20 Billion compared to a single human life?
What has the current Chinese government done to show the slightest value for human life?
DON'T FORGET FOR A SECOND THAT EVERYDAY CHINA TORTURES AND KILLS ITS OWN CITIZENS.

 

[miniMUNCH]

I'm thinking...that better not happen or someone will have to set the Olympic committee up the bomb.

 

[syzygy]

no, no, no, no. they imprison countless dissenters despite the world knowing and heaping
one condemnation after another on them. for the olympics, they'll behave themselves for
the duration of the games, but before the games arrive they have begun to arrest anyone
they believe would pose a threat to their manufactured public image.

 

[Sugadaddy]

I'd much rather see the games going to Toronto, but unfortunately I think Beijing will get them. But you never know, Toronto seems to have done a lot in the last few days while Beijing hasn't. (could also be that all they talk about on Canadian TV is Toronto...)

 

[Redwingsguy]

well looks like its beijing

 

[RDMustang1]

Go Toronto

 

[iamwiz82]

Beijing is not under total communist rule, i believe. Doesnt Beijing have a more open trade and a more civil attitude than China?

I thought it was sort of a free zone in china.

 

[FettsBabe]

Good luck my &quot;canadian friends&quot; !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[crzyc]

<< well looks like its beijing >>



did you guys see that?

 

[DAM]

is there a way to track the voting online?




well, I saw on the news today that the committee will not be looking at human rights record too closely aka &quot;we want to give it to china.&quot; While I do not aprove of this, more than likely they will get it, I really doubt Toronto has a chance, if anything Paris, but like I said the committee seems to be wanting to give it to china, more than likely a political decision.



dam()

 

[Tripleshot]

Done deal. China wins bid for 2008.

They will be under the microscope now,and so will the olympic committee.

I would bet 2012 will be somewhere in the US.




BTW, this bid award could be used as a tool if there is any more saber rattling for the takeover of Taiwan. I expect it will be as such.

 

[DAM]

http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/east/07/13/beijing.win/index.html



beijing takes it




dam(sad)

 

[jaydee]

It's official now. China now holds the 2008 Olympics. I don't see a good reason for them not to have it. Although there are probably human rights terrorist groups ready to bomb it when it happens, which does put a damper on things...
Personally, I was rooting for Toronto, its about 2 hours from my house!

 

[shifrbv]

China has enough financial problems right now without squandering money they don't have on a public show like the olympics.

Just a month ago they were shooting farmers in the provinces because they refused to pay the increased tax rates (upwards of 80%) because they would not have enough money left over to eat. They were having trouble paying for healthcare and schools in the provinces and upped the taxes because of the worldwide economic downturn. There was widespread rebellion and many farmers have been killed.

They have no business hosting these games.

 

[TimberWolf]

For those with no knowledge of history, and/or can't do math:

The 1936 Olympic Games were held in Berlin, Germany; which was then under the government of Adolph Hitler and the Nationalist-Socialist Party. At this time, Germany was a de facto dictatorship, having dissolved (and outlawed) all vestiges of the previous democratic system under the Weimar Republic. The Nationalist-Socialist (Nazi) Party brutally repressed dissent with imprisonment and/or execution, dissolved trade unions, publicly sanctioned and supported violent repression of Jews and &quot;racially inferior&quot; minorities, and was pressing forward in developing a revitalized military / industrial base under central control of the Party. Party membership, although ostensibly voluntary, was required for civil-service employment; members were exempted from compliance with many existing laws, and could only be tried in special courts.

A fundamental aspect of the Nazi doctrine was the racial, physical, cultural, and moral superiority of individuals of &quot;pure&quot; Nordic (Aryan) descent. This rhetoric was widely diseminated and especially prevelent at the commencement of the 1936 Olympic Games.

Ironically, James Cleveland (Jesse) Owens, a US track team member, won four Gold Medals:

100 meter dash - 10.3 sec (tying the existing Olympic record),
200 meter dash - 20.7 sec (setting new Olympic and world records),
Running Broad Jump - 26 ft 5 3/8 in. (setting a new Olympic record),
400 meter team relay - 39.8 sec (a new Olympic and world record).

Adolph Hitler refused to acknowledge Jesse Owens outstanding accomplishment because he was black.
***********************************************

IMO - Giving the Games to the PRC amounts to the same type of fawning appeasement that European governments engaged in with Nazi Germany in 1936. And although the vote is secret, it would appear that the US gave it's vote to the PRC (rather than Canada) in order to position itself for hosting the Games in 2012 . . . :disgust:

 

[XMan]

fawning appeasement

I agree wholeheartedly.

Those who fail to remember the past are doomed to repeat it.

There are far too many people who look at China and see the world's largest market, and fail to notice the most repressive regime since Hitler's Germany and Stalin's USSR.

 

[CJZ]

This could be a good thing. When Seoul, S. Korea was awarded the 1988 Olympic Games, S. Korea was under harsh military rule (not as bad as China though). In 1987, civic groups, including for the first time the growing middle class, seized the spotlight and held massive street protests. The &quot;president&quot; was basically forced into retirement and the first democratic, although not necessarily clean, elections in almost 30 years was held. Hopefully by 2008, the Chinese people not merely satisfied by economic freedom will also have the will to seek political freedom.

CJZ