Let those games begin . . . Or will they?
Summer is just around the corner, and as it begins and the Stanley Cup playoffs come to an end, we will soon be watching the Summer Olympics. You must be thinking, "isn't her column supposed to be about politics?" Well these days, it seems that the Olympic movement is all about politics.
First and foremost, in its 2008 budget, the Conservative government committed more than $20 million to try to get more Canadian Olympians on the podium. The Conservatives will contribute $24 million over two years, and then $24 million a year ongoing, to the Road to Excellence program.
This program is designed to help Canada's summer athletes by providing such services as coaching and training camps. The goal of the program is to help more Canadian athletes compete at a world-class level, particularly at the Summer Olympics.
Canadian athletes that reach the podium at any future Olympic games will receive $20,000 per gold medal, $15,000 per silver medal and $10,000 per bronze medal. Countries like the United States, Australia, England, France and Spain already give their athletes money if they win at the Olympics. The United States will give their athletes $25,000 for a gold medal. In the past, Russia has given a million dollars for a gold medal. Sylvie Bernier, gold medal winner in the Women's three-meter Springboard Diving at the 1984 Summer Olympics, mentioned that some countries pay up to $180,000 for a gold medal.
The awards will apply to all Olympic athletes, including those playing a team sport. Canadian athletes competing at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing will be the first eligible to receive the money.
I feel that this is a good initiative from the Conservative government. It will surely be seen as a helping hand and not a hand out! Most Olympic athletes go through a life of gruelling training, personal and family sacrifice. I completely believe that $20,000 will not become a motivating factor. You will surely agree that Olympic sports should not be about money; however, in the end, it definitely seems like it is, maybe not so much in Canada, but surely in other countries.
The 2008 Summer Olympics seem to be about everything but sports. They are about human rights, diplomatic relations, PR, Darfur, the Dalai Lama, propaganda, sponsorship and even the environment. It is also about our own materialistic consumerism. Let me explain.
As I watched Sylvie Bernier being interviewed last week on a talk show on Radio Canada, she said that the boycott of the Beijing games was not the answer to China's lack of respect of human rights. Bernier, who is the "Chef de Mission" for the 2008 Olympic Games, said that there could be greater impact if people stopped shopping at Dollar Store instead of boycotting the Olympic Games.
She seems to believe that if we open ourselves to China, only good can come from it. She also seems to believe that China will be put under a microscope when the media machine that surrounds the Olympic games takes over the city.
In response to her comments, I wonder if the side of China that we will get to see will be controlled. Reality is not always shown to the world.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper confirmed in April that he will not be attending the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games, but refuses to call this a boycott. We all know that the prime minister met with the Dalai Lama in October 2007 and gave him a welcome like any other head of state. China, at the time, labeled this official meeting "disgusting conduct." The prime minister has in the past criticized China's human-rights record but insisted that his decision to miss the opening ceremonies was not due to public pressure.
Also, the following heads of state will not be attending the opening ceremonies: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has also hinted that he may not attend. As for U.S. President George W. Bush, he has publicly stated that he will be attending!
Prime Minister Harper is consistent with his actions. For him, attending the opening of the games would contradict the message he is sending to China. Some might say that he is playing a difficult game and that China will surely retaliate by not attending the opening of the 2010 winter games in Vancouver.
This will surely be an interesting summer. We should all hope the politicians stick to politics and the athletes get to be the best that they can be without worrying about the political climate, although some athletes are willingly becoming political and using the games as a platform to reflect their beliefs.
Who can forget the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City? Two black American track and field runners, John Carlos and Tommie Smith, made a controversial stand against racism in the U.S. by giving the black power salute as the anthem played. Because of their actions, the Olympic Committee barred them from competing. Back in the U.S., they were subjected to death threats and their actions were the subject of widespread debate. However, they did receive support from civil rights leaders. And they were honoured for their actions on numerous occasions years later.
As I write this column, I realize how a sporting event that should be bringing the world together is turning out to be a vehicle for ideologies.
In the history of the Olympic movements, we are reminded of how Hitler used the Olympics as an instrument of propaganda. In 1968, 1972 and 1976 many African countries did not participate in the games to bring awareness to apartheid. In 1980 the U.S.A., Canada and 63 other countries boycotted the games to contest the occupation of the Soviets in Afghanistan. In 1972, the summer games were held in Munich, Germany and 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage by a terrorist group. A liberation attempt led to the deaths of nine of the abducted athletes. Also, during the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, a bombing killed two and injured 111 others, an act committed by a U.S. citizen.
If the Olympic Games are all about the celebration of sports, history has taught us that they are about much more. These days, it makes us think about what is wrong with the world. Is it also a reflection of how we are truly still searching to find equality for all and basic respect for human rights. Canada will not be protected from this movement as Aboriginal leaders have already talked about protests and blockades during the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.
The National Assembly of First Nations' Chief Phil Fontaine has warned the government.
Fontaine is appearing as a sell-out for suggesting the Olympic Games are going to benefit aboriginal people.
Young aboriginals believe that the 2010 Olympics will not end poverty and unresolved land claims, offer better schools or safe drinking water on reserves or put an end to the terrible situation that causes families to give up their children to state care.
Considering the international media pressure on China's government, they will have to act fast if they do not want to be perceived as the next Beijing.
* Marie-Claude Blais, of Moncton, is a lawyer with a general practice in the city. She shares the On The Issues column with Dave Barnett in this space on alternating Saturdays.
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