Olympic Controversy

Ryan Grindle

Over the past few weeks, some events have occurred that may jeopardize the Beijing Summer Olympics, set to begin on August 8.
For years, there has been continuous conflict in Tibet, where many under Chinese rule have sought national independence. In recent weeks, escalated conflict has severely damaged the image of China, causing some countries to express their political disagreement.
Even more recently, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has found that the air in Beijing is so polluted that it could threaten the health of some of the distance runners. Along with that, the stadium that will act as the center of the games is still a construction site. These incidents, along with the longstanding political image of China, have made this year’s Olympic site very controversial.
The amazing thing about all of this is that these issues are just making headlines four months before the games begin. The decision to make Beijing the host of the Summer Olympics was made two years ago. Yet despite that, many countries are contemplating whether the IOC’s choice was a good one.
I have nothing against the Olympics ever being in Beijing, but the timing is not very good this year. At the moment, it does not seem like a resolution in Tibet is likely any time soon, but these other concerns can be fixed with time. The Chinese government is saying that the amount of air pollution is on the decline and is much better than it was five years ago. The stadium, which is supposed to have state of the art facilities, are on pace to be finished in time, but something could go wrong.
The IOC should have made the decision to hold off on putting the Olympics in Beijing, and instead swapped its spot with London, which hosts the games in 2012. This would have given the Chinese more time to prepare.
Right now, it’s too late to change plans, so all that’s left is to see, and hope that everything goes off without a hitch.