The 2008 Beijing Olympics brought a world focus on China. But as the Olympic Torch got closer to its destination, not all of the banners were waved in celebration. So what were the main arguments for and against China hosting the 2008 Olympics?
Louise Jackson highlights both sides of one of the most controversial sporting debates ever...…

Although the fun and games are now over, many still believe that China should not have been given the Olympic hosting honour, due to their long running catalogue of human rights offences. The Olympic torch itself was frequently attacked by protestors and celebrities such as Stephen Spielberg, boycotted the event altogether. Despite the anti-games sentiment, a majority still looked forward to and watched the games. For those still unsure of the main arguments as we approach our own hosting of the games in 2012, here’s a quick recap…

Against the Beijing Olympics

“This is a noble move by Spielberg - he will certainly go down in history as someone who gave human lives precedence over fame and money”.

The Sudanese rebel leader, Abdul Wahid Mohammad Ahmed al-Nur, on director Steven Spielberg’s move to pull out of being an artistic adviser for the Beijing Olympics, after issuing a statement accused China of not doing enough to end the "continuing human suffering" in Sudan’s Western Darfur region.

China's death penalty
China currently has 68 crimes that are punishable by the death penalty, from more understandable things like rape and murder to smaller crimes like tax fraud and bribery. When China was given the privilege of hosting the Olympics, it was under the condition that they decrease the number of crimes punishable by death. This sadly hasn’t happened.

China in Tibet
China invaded the peaceful, religious country of Tibet in 1950 and still treats Tibet as its territory today. Ever since their Communist occupation, many native Tibetans have been beaten, imprisoned and banned from practising their religion – Buddhism. They have even been imprisoned for simply displaying pictures of their religious leader – the Dalai Lama. Tibetan women have been forced to have abortions and sterilizations to help reduce the growth of the Tibetan population and ultimately destroy Tibetan national and ethnic identity.

China's persecution of religious practices
In China itself, human rights are being taken away regarding freely practicing a chosen religion. Christianity along with Falun Gong, (a system of human development related to Buddhism), are the two main belief systems where persecution leads to punishments including, prison sentences without trials, and long periods in labour camps and mental institutions. There are 38,000 documented cases of torture in relation to Falun Gong. Methods include stun guns applied to the face, mouth or genitals.

The Olympics and Chinese people
The Chinese government have been accused of disregarding their own people in the run up to the games in various ways. News websites that give a true picture of what China is doing in the world and of the anti-Beijing protests have been blocked and there is said to be a lot of internal propaganda operating as a way of keeping people under communist control.

The games themselves greatly disrupted the Chinese way of life through the accelerated demolition of the city’s traditional layout of housing know as hutongs. The hutongs, are people’s home and are considered of great historical importance as they date back six hundred years. In the arena of international relations and city development, they are viewed shamefully. Here they represent backwards living, not the modern Beijing the government wants to portray internationally. The process is said to have displaced around 580,000 people (Sheffield and its borough have 530,300 people).

China and Sudanese civil war
China is also being partically held responsible for the ceaselessly cruelty in the western Darfur region of Sudan by continuing to suppyweapons to the Sudanese government, in order to clear the land of its people in barbaric ways. Around 200,000 people have been killed and two million forced from their homes in the five-year conflict. China uses 70% of Sudanese oil to make up 7% of its own. Many believe China is partically funding Sudan’s devastating regime, thus helping it continue.

In support of the Beijing Olympics

“I believe in the Olympic values, the ideals.
I think sport on a global scale is a brilliant thing, it transcends culture, race and money,"

Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq on why she chose to carry the Olympic touch, despite acknowledging Beijing’s terrible human right record, after being wrestled for the touch by an anti-Beijing protester.

Sport not politics
Many, like Konnie Huq, believe the Olympics should always be about setting aside political and cultural differences to allow for universal and equal athletic competition. There is the argument that the greater the divide over issues, the more reason we should come together for the Olympics. If we can compete fairly in this arena, maybe there is hope for us coming together over international concerns?

If people have issues with China’s politics, many believe they should take it up elsewhere, rather then ruining in for hard-working athletes who may have looked forward to an Olympic moment their whole life. It isn’t their fault that that moment happens to be in a country with serious issues, and because it’s such a big event, they must pay for its spotlight political use. Is there any point not sending teams and using athletes as a stick to beat the Chinese with? In line with equality in sport, there should be equality in who can host the games. Why must everyone be punished for the actions of a few?

The boycott is hypocritical
Many also believe we shouldn’t take the moral high ground when many other countries, including the USA and UK are contributing to bad things in the world. Is it fair to put all suffering on China’s shoulders? Should we do any more or less about any wrongs to tie in with any event? At what point is something worth boycotting? When it comes to Britain’s turn in 2012, will those who protested the Beijing Olympics do the same of the London games, considering we neither are entirely innocent?

Uniting nations
The Olympics gave a boost to the Chinese economy and provided many with good jobs. Had the games not happened, these debates would be less central. Healthy debate should be encouraged for every Olympic host country, but not disruptive behaviour. The spotlight on China now hopefully means more people will be concerned about their actions and more will hopefully be done to stop their horrendous human rights record from expanding further. The Chinese government now know the world will be watching them very closely in the coming years.

Now you’re more clearly informed, you’ll have your own opinions on whether you believe Beijing should have been able to host the games. Like many, I disagreed with the things China has done and continues to do, but I did enjoy watching the games. I feel that politics should stay out of sports and that inspirational athletes, across the world, deserve this event for themselves. It’s sad that a universal celebration of people’s talents became a rowdy, tense matter, but it’s important we understand why. After all one of the main reason it was boycotted, is to make us all more aware. As we now look forward to the 2012 Olympics here in the UK, it will be interested to see if any debates arise over our dealings in the world.

By Louise Jackson