You might have heard or seen the news reports about the way in
which Olympic athletes will be gagged when it comes to talking
about China’s human rights and other abuses while they’re in
Beijing next year. However the head of the Australian Olympic
Committee, John Coates, denied that this was the case. He told
the eager media that the athletes were free to discuss anything
they wanted. He told them, “I imagine you’ll all be very keen to
obtain the views of our athletes and if they want to proffer
those, so be it. They’re free to speak.” But this was not all he
had to say.
He was quoted telling the gathered media scrum, “… what we will
be saying to them is that it’s best to concentrate on your
competitions and any major issues you leave them to me as
spokesman for the team”. So there we have it. John Coates will
become Australia’s official spokesperson on China’s appalling
record of human rights atrocities. Don’t hold your breath.
The Olympic Games has become a multibillion dollar exercise in
ego, pomposity and geopolitics. The Olympics is now a “movement”
according to its official website and propaganda. However I
suspect the real “movement” they’re talking about is the
movement of money from local communities to the pockets of the
elite clique that run the show and their friends in the
multinational construction companies that make a motza from
government funding of the Games.
For instance, the 2004 Greek games cost the locals well over
$US3 billion just to accommodate the athletes, support staff and
Olympic ‘guests’, that is, the 747 loads of freeloaders and
hangers on. This is without the construction costs of the
sporting venues and the upgrades of related facilities so that
the rich and privileged could move about unhindered by the local
‘discomforts’.
The total cost to the Greek economy has been estimated at
somewhere in the order of five percent of annual gross domestic
product or about $US12 billion. That is, the people of Greece
had five percent of the value of their entire labour output in
2004 wiped out of existence because of the ‘accommodations’ that
had to be made so the likes of John Coates could live the
lifestyle they have become accustomed to.
What a hoot the Sydney 2000 Games were. Fireworks, Cathy
Freeman, Roy and HG, the Bridge, the Opera House. Stunning! Yet,
it transpires, that the new venues and facilities built to hold
a couple of days worth of sporting events are costing the New
South Wales and Federal governments, that is the tax payers of
NSW and the rest of us, about $40 million a year to keep open.
And it’s expected that it will take another 10 years, at a
minimum, to get them to a break even point.
Montreal took almost 30 years to pay off its debts and the poor
old Spaniards had to fill in the huge rowing course they built
because it cost too much to maintain. Pity the young Spanish
rowers and canoeists who were promised a “world class” facility.
Literally billions of dollars have flowed from the pockets of
ordinary people into the vaults of the Olympic Movement and out
of reach of those who were promised they had the most to gain.
The Chinese government has pulled out all stoppers in the silos
of cash they manage. It is estimated that upwards of $US30
billion will be forked out for the ‘privilege’ of hosting the
games. However, according to the Russian news agency,
RIA Novosti, this astronomical figure does not
include the actual construction costs of the sporting venues,
accommodation or other Olympic facilities. The $US30 billion is
being spent on making Beijing an ‘acceptable’ city. In other
words, the money that could be spent on long lasting, useful
infrastructure like schools, general hospitals, water treatment
and sewage upgrades, local streets and parks will be spent on
ensuring that the John Coates’ of world will not have to endure
the hardships of the millions of men and women who will, the day
after they leave, once more find themselves unemployed and
destitute.
The money being spent on the extravagances of the Games will
ensure the Movement is kept happy, well fed and watered and can
sleep easy each night, cocooned in their six star, luxury
accommodation while their limousines are polished and cleaned
before picking them up the following day.
The people who suffer most when the public purse is opened to
such reverse largesse are usually the first ones forgotten as
the rich and powerful jet set their way around the globe to
attend the next ‘big thing’. Just like you and I might wait for
the weekend footy match as the highlight of our sporting week,
the rich also wait for the events that will keep them amused and
entertained for a short time before the boredom of wealth sets
back in. After all, they too need their diversions from the
mundane routine of daily life.
Can we expect our athletes to speak out? Of course not. The
contracts they are forced to sign make them literal moral slaves
to the Olympic Movement. Under the terms of the contract they
are forbidden from taking part in any political rallies or
protests and from speaking about issues to do with local
politics, race or religion. However, in true Orwellian double
speak, Mr. Coates says that Australian athletes are free to
comment on whatever they like without fear of retribution. But,
just for a moment, put yourself in the shoes of one of these
people.
If I was a highly skilled and talented athlete and all that I
had worked for was getting a place on the starting blocks in
Beijing, knowing that I might be the fastest person on the
planet for a fleeting moment, I guess I would have to ask
myself, is it really worth chucking that all away for some brief
comment on something as inconvenient as human rights?
Well, I’m sure our elite sports men and women must be sleeping
easy at night knowing that John Coates will be able to represent
their hopes and aspirations as potential leaders of the future,
when he stands up and declares that China’s inhumane treatment
of its citizens is a disgrace. Will that happen? I don’t think
so!
However, not all is doom and gloom. The Olympic Movement is
going to allow the athletes to set up blogs to tell us what it’s
like for them in Beijing. My suggestion is that we respond to
their blogs as quickly and as often as possible. As John Coates
said, you can’t censor the internet. Here’s my plan.
When the blogs go up, we respond to the athletes by firstly
wishing them all success. We then ask them to consider, for
instance, how many Tibetan athletes are competing this year.
Perhaps we could suggest they ask them if any of their relatives
were caught up in ‘the struggles’. Perhaps we could get them to
ask their Chinese hosts if any Falun Gung or Christians are
included in the Olympic volunteer staff. Maybe we could
encourage them to wear a little black flag on their uniform to
signify their solidarity with the thousands of academics,
activists and ordinary people who have been imprisoned or
murdered by their government. If that doesn’t work, I guess we
can wait for John Coates to put out a press release. After all,
he doesn’t appear bound and gagged by the same rules as his
charges.