Well, I’m looking forward to the next World Cup too. It is an interesting point, is it not? Sports can pull us together or push us apart. I really enjoyed the Chinese Olympics and I think it will be far more difficult for spin doctors to make the Chinese out as hateful, when they are clearly not.

We are in a world that is opening up, I think. A huge proportion of this planet is now connected, and it would take badly to any politician that tried to disconnect us. Obviously, it is a marathon, and the least connected are still excluded. But the sporting metaphor is not really quite as stupid as it looks, is it?

“make the Chinese out as hateful, when they are clearly not.”

I knew a couple of guys I used to be in bands with who went over there to perform as house musicians in hotels- they ended up playing “brown-eyed girl” (!) on “local” television – to over 20 million people.

As far as they were concerned, the Chinese people were great – surprise, surprise, they’ve got almost exactly the same day-to-day problems we have, laugh at similar jokes, etc,etc.

But then, it’s not “the people” who are responsible for the human rights issues, the economic authoritarianism, being the biggest player in the illegal timber trade worldwide, etc,etc,etc.

Of course, it didn’t stop me inflicting far too much coverage of all my personal olympic favourites on my 2 kids…

Andy,

Heh. That was, sort of, the point I was trying to make. Well said. ’cause you said it better. I too have issues with the Chinese Government, Tibet, etc. I just kind of like the idea that beneath the politics, we are more or less, all the same. I am optomistic that your best mate on the internet might some day be Chinese. Perish the thought. And if that works it’s way up, through discussing stuff, we might get better governance based on our common humanity.

Cue, ‘Imagine’….

As the summing up went for the final analysis on the BBC though…it’s hardly like we’re outside of the glass house is it? We believe ourselves to be good people, as do the Chinese, and given the utter emphasis on sport it was entirely childish to try and bring too much politics to the actual games. I agree that the protests were a good thing to show up the Chinese government, and I sincerely hope the same thing happens to the torch on it’s way to London to show up just the kind of shit they pull too…but when it comes down to it the games is just sport and should be taken that way.

I loved how this set of games was handled, though not without controversy on the sporting side too, and I think Britain can only hope that our effort will be anywhere near what the Chinese achieved.

“the cost, the human rights issues, the corporatism, the exploitation of athletic achievement for chauvinistic purposes”

Yep, roll on 2012.

I can only imagine what kind of cringingly awful monumental cock-up the organisers will plan for the quasi-religious opening and closing ceremonies.

Still, shine a light…