China 08'

[patriots_1228 51]

I thought that with all the recent news regarding the Summer Olympics in china, and the Tibet protests, Taiwan, and all the other buzz surrounding the most controversial games of this millenium so far, we could have a universal thread for the olympics.

don't like this idea just shoot it down

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Recap of the many struggles these games have faced:
-China has failed to fulfill its promises to the comittee that it made when it won the bid
-oppressed areas such as tibet and taiwan have recently begun to "rebel" and China has cracked down hard on Tibet.
-Nations such as France are threatening to boycott the opening and closing ceremonies
-US has chosen to bring its own food because of worries that there may be some chemicals or somthing in the food they would be given.
-Protests have interrupted torch related ceremonies in greek
-Haile Gebrselassie pulls out of Beijing marathon because of the pollution and British athletes are learning how to train while wearing a mask.

 

[yoshikoroyimara 5]

good idea...

[Micah 16]

The reason why the staff created the gun ban and 2008 election thread was that we were constantly being bombarded with new threads on the same issue literally almost every week. We haven't had that problem yet with the Chinese threads. It's too soon to say in my opinion, but if something regarding China keeps occuring in new threads, then I'd agree that that's a very good idea and should be pinned like the other ones.

[belfastuniguy 18]

I like the idea Patriots. I'll post my China news articles in here from now on

Just makes things easier.

[Hamish 1,370]

Originally posted by: patriots_1228

...and all the other buzz surrounding the most controversial games of this millennium so far...

quote>

Well, we've only had 2 others.

But good thread idea.

[belfastuniguy 18]

Edit - Misread post

[patriots_1228 51]

to catch you all up one the struggles so far:

-China has failed to fulfill its promises to the comittee that it made when it won the bid

-oppressed areas such as tibet and taiwan have recently begun to "rebel" and China has cracked down hard on Tibet.

-Nations such as France are threatening to boycott the opening and closing ceremonies

-US has chosen to bring its own food because of worries that there may be some chemicals or somthing in the food they would be given.

-Protests have interrupted torch related ceremonies in greek

-add more if you can think of them:

--------------------------------------

my opinion: The american in me hopes these games bomb, but the sports fan in me wishes it would be more about the games, less about the country. I want to see wether or not USA basketball can return to glory, not wether or not the EU boycotts the opening and closing ceremony.

Originally posted by: hamish

Originally posted by: patriots_1228

...and all the other buzz surrounding the most controversial games of this millennium so far...

quote>

Well, we've only had 2 others.

But good thread idea.quote>

 

yes, although it seems we've had more eh? there was Sydney 2000 right? (or wrong) Salt Lake 2002 Athens 2004 Turin 2006 so actually, this is the 5th olympics of this millenium.

[belfastuniguy 18]

Haile Gebrselassie pulls out of Beijing marathon because of the pollution and British athletes are learning how to train while wearing a mask.

[Hamish 1,370]

Originally posted by: belfastuniguy

Well, we've only had 2 others. quote>

What others??

If your thinking Berlin and Moscow, that was last millennium.........quote>

No, we've only had two other games this millennium. Thats what I was trying to say.

-China has failed to fulfill its promises to the comittee that it made when it won the bidquote>

What promises have they failed to fulfill? I haven't heard about that.

Originally posted by: patriots_1228

yes, although it seems we've had more eh? there was Sydney 2000 right? (or wrong) Salt Lake 2002 Athens 2004 Turin 2006 so actually, this is the 5th olympics of this millenium.quote>

Ok, fair enough, But I was only talking about the, lets say, normal olympics. Not the winter ones.

[belfastuniguy 18]

@Hamish, LOL yeah realised that after posting...removed my comment

[patriots_1228 51]

I don't have the specifics, but they promised good air conditions, better human rights, etc.

So far, the sky is still a deady peice of crap there, and well, after this weekend i don't think their human rights are looking too sharp.

[belfastuniguy 18]

The pollution at the minute seems to be the biggest threat to the games. Not much point in a fabulous opening ceremony if you can't see the show and fireworks through the damn smog....oh well

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

It should really have been Tokyo 08...

[Hamish 1,370]

Originally posted by: patriots_1228 I don't have the specifics, but they promised good air conditions, better human rights, etc.

So far, the sky is still a deady peice of crap there, and well, after this weekend i don't think their human rights are looking too sharp.

quote>

Ahh right. But shouldn't they just clean up the air ect. anyway. No matter what sport event is being held in china?

Originally posted by: belfastuniguy The pollution at the minute seems to be the biggest threat to the games. Not much point in a fabulous opening ceremony if you can't see the show and fireworks through the damn smog....oh well quote>

Good one. lol.

[TRNSTN 0]

Originally posted by: NMUSpidey It should really have been Tokyo 08...quote>

Tokyo?

If I recall it was down to Beijing, or our beloved Toronto.

Now if the games were in Toronto, things would be very different...

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

Ah, maybe Tokyo was 2012.

Toronto would have been nice though I've only been there in the winter though. I suspect the summers are fantastic.

[skyliner22 16]

There has been lots of protesting in San Francisco about Tibet and a lot of Taiwanese here are also upset. They wanted the torch relay to not com here but, the mayor saw it as a privelage since it was picked among many and we are having the torch relay. I will be there to watch that!! Oh yeah also protestors vandalized the Chinese consulate by burning the door. Seems like things are escalating....

[your_adress_here 11]

If Toronto had won, Vancouver probably wouldn't have gotten the 2010 games, and I'd rather have winter games than summer games in Canada.

[Haljackey 17,355]

Originally posted by: belfastuniguy The pollution at the minute seems to be the biggest threat to the games. Not much point in a fabulous opening ceremony if you can't see the show and fireworks through the damn smog....oh well quote>

Agreed.  I don't expect smog to interfere with the opening ceremonies, but who knows?  Seeing a ton of athletes with masks on their face would spark a lot of discussion, that's for sure!

-Heck, we may not even get to see the ceremonies if what is happening in Tibet and Taiwan continue!

But, during the actual games, pollution will be a HUGE problem.  I expect the Chinese, who are more used to the conditions than the rest of the world, will own these games because they can function in the environment better than anyone else.  Besides, many of the athletes have been forced in a gym nearly their whole lives (since early childhood), so they are disciplined and experienced, ready to kick our butts!

---

About having the games in China, that's another subject. 

In my opinion, I think its about time the games are hosted in the most populated country in the world which is having economic development happening at a rate so high it defies all others in human history!

-Of course with a big country comes big problems.  China, or furthermore, The People's Republic of China, better get their act together soon if they are to make these games as successful as they want them to be.

That's all I have to say for now, but don't worry, I'll be watching this thread.  There is a lot to discuss here, and I support that it should be pinned because it is going to be a major current event for the next few months.

Best,

-Haljackey

[yoshikoroyimara 5]

There has been lots of protesting in San Francisco about Tibet and a lot of Taiwanese here are also upset. They wanted the torch relay to not com here but, the mayor saw it as a privelage since it was picked among many and we are having the torch relay.quote>

What does our mayor know? The last good mayor we had was Brown...the way I see it is...it is a privilege to have the torch come through and be able to demonstrate and harass...well maybe not harass...but perform other embarrassing stuff to China...I wouldn't be surprised if the torch didn't come out of our city...

Oh yeah also protestors vandalized the Chinese consulate by burning the door.quote>

Yep...and even if the Chinese consulate does leave...they'll be back...we have too many Chinese citizens and residents that have family back in China...count me in with them...and believe me when I say that we help the Chinese economy...maybe not as great as other factors...but the money we bring there...locals won't starve for another day...anyways...I have digressed...

[patriots_1228 51]

^ you know what i really hate? when people take out there anger on a nation by attacking desendants from that nation in their own country. example; rounding up the japanese immigrants in america and sending them to a prison camp in WWII.

but Toronto 08' would have been nice. I'd have tried to go.

[yoshikoroyimara 5]

^ you know what i really hate? when people take out there anger on a nation by attacking desendants from that nation in their own country. example; rounding up the japanese immigrants in america and sending them to a prison camp in WWII.quote>

hey...I know alot of the internment camps...in fact, many of my relatives (except the ones abroad or in Hawaii) had to go...sad, but that's life...yes, I'm Chinese also, which those relatives suffered from Japanese attack...and my grandmother's Korean...and her family was forced by the Japanese to move to Japan...so I can't really take out my anger on any single nation...people hate too much...once again...I digressed...(I must really like digressing or something)

but yes...I agree with you...Toronto would be excellent!

[TheQuiltedLlama 34]

Angela Merkel, has announced she will not be attending the opening ceremony  of the Olympics.

From guardian.co.uk

Merkel to boycott Olympic ceremony

- German leader's decision at odds with Brown's view

- Pressure grows for united EU stance on Tibet crisis

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, yesterday became the first world leader to decide not to attend the Olympics in Beijing.

As pressure built for concerted western protests to China over the crackdown in Tibet, EU leaders prepared to discuss the crisis for the first time today, amid a rift over whether to boycott the Olympics.

The disclosure that Germany is to stay away from the games' opening ceremonies in August could encourage President Nicolas Sarkozy of France to join in a gesture of defiance and complicate Gordon Brown's determination to attend the Olympics.

Donald Tusk, Poland's prime minister, became the first EU head of government to announce a boycott on Thursday and he was promptly joined by President Václav Klaus of the Czech Republic, who had previously promised to travel to Beijing.

"The presence of politicians at the inauguration of the Olympics seems inappropriate," Tusk said. "I do not intend to take part."

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany's foreign minister, confirmed that Merkel was staying away. He added that neither he nor Wolfgang Schäuble, the interior minister responsible for sport, would attend the opening ceremony.

Hans-Gert Pöttering, the politician from Merkel's Christian Democratic party who chairs the European parliament, encouraged talk of an Olympic boycott this week and invited the Dalai Lama to address the chamber in Strasbourg, while another senior German Christian Democrat, Ruprecht Polenz, said a boycott should remain on the table.

"I cannot imagine German politicians attending the opening or closing ceremonies [if the Tibetan crackdown continued]," he said. Merkel enraged the Chinese leadership a few months ago by receiving the Dalai Lama in Berlin for private talks.

Brown is to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader when he visits Britain in May, but is determined to be in Beijing. "We are fully engaged in supporting the Olympics," said David Miliband, the foreign secretary. "We want to see it as a success, and I think it's right that the prime minister represents us."

While announcing that German leaders were staying away from Beijing, Steinmeier denied they were boycotting or staging a political protest against the Chinese military and police campaign in Tibet and surrounding areas.

While expressing scepticism about a complete boycott, he did not rule one out. "This is not the right moment to talk about a boycott ... We should watch how the Chinese government deals with the situation in the next weeks and months."

If Merkel and others do not attend the opening ceremony, it is likely to reinforce a growing sense in China that the Olympics is being used to vilify the host.

China had hoped to use the games to highlight its economic development and growing openness. But it is increasingly proving an opportunity for critics to bash China's one-party political system, human rights abuses, treatment of minorities and tightly controlled media.

The Tibet crisis has been pushed on to the agenda of a meeting of European foreign ministers in Slovenia, with the French, who will be presiding over the EU during the Olympics, calling for a team of European officials to be dispatc

[yoshikoroyimara 5]

YES!!!! Finally...let there be more leaders...and main political figure heads...sad that the Dalai Lama isn't going to boycott...but I respect his beliefs 100%...

[belfastuniguy 18]

The British Prime Minister is not boycotting... I think its completely shameful

Nice to see Merkel and other European leaders taking the lead in this. Hopefully other leader will follow, not only from the European Union but from the USA and other nations. Nice to also see the EU using the immense political power it has to good effect for once.

[patriots_1228 51]

I hope the americans don't boycott. One thing matters to me more than sticking it to china. Regaining power in Basketball

thats the beauty of the olympics really. Its about sports. i think we should copy the ancient greeks in stopping all war during the olympics.

[belfastuniguy 18]

Patriots, I'm not calling for a boycott of the games themselves but just the opening and closing ceremonies. I fully support the right of the sportsmen/women to take part in the games themselves.

High alert for Olympic handover

The route of the torch in Greece has been dogged by protests

Tight security is in place in Athens as thousands of people watch a ceremony to hand over the Olympic torch to Chinese officials.

The torch's passage through Greece since being lit on 24 March at Olympia has been dogged by protests on human rights and Tibet.

The torch will later travel to China by plane and be welcomed at a ceremony in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Monday.

It will then tour 20 countries before returning for the opening on 8 August.

Meanwhile exiled Tibetans in India's capital Delhi launched an "independence torch" to tour the world in an anti-China protest.

Route shortened

Sunday's formal handover ceremony is taking place in the Panathinaiko Stadium.

See map of Olympic torch relay route

Police have warned they will confiscate all banners, signs or objects that may be thrown and arrest anyone who shows signs of protesting.

Pro-Tibetan activists disrupted the lighting ceremony

Pro-Tibetan activists disrupted the Olympia lighting ceremony, breaking through police lines and unfurling a Tibetan flag before being dragged away.

Greek organisers have altered the torch's route over the past few days to nullify protests. The torch has had a police guard and a group of runners to protect it.

Greek Olympic Committee spokesman Tassos Papachristou said Sunday's route had been shortened.

"The flame will now run a small distance through the centre of Athens before [the handover ceremony] at 1500 (1200 GMT)," he said.

On Saturday there was a peaceful protest beneath the Acropolis.

Security has also been increased in Beijing for the Tiananmen Square ceremony, with a tightening of journalist accreditation.

There has been little movement internationally towards boycotting the Games, although French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said "all options are open" following the recent unrest in Tibet.

The Tibetan alternative torch was unveiled in Delhi on Sunday and will next go to San Francisco on 9 April, when the Olympic torch is expected to arrive.

Tibet's government-in-exile, based in India, says about 140 people were killed in the crackdown on recent unrest by Chinese security forces. Beijing

[belfastuniguy 18]

Greece hands China Olympic torch

The torch's route on Sunday was shortened Torch ceremony

The Olympic torch has been handed over to Chinese officials at a ceremony in Athens, amid scuffles between police and pro-Tibet demonstrators.

A small group of protesters tried to break through a police cordon to enter the stadium.

Thousands gathered as the flame was delivered and transferred to a lamp for its journey by plane to China.

The handover came as pro-Tibet protesters tried to storm the Chinese embassy in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu.

The torch's passage through Greece has been dogged by protests on human rights and Tibet.

The flame, which was lit in Olympia on 24 March, will be welcomed at a ceremony in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Monday.

It will then tour 20 countries before returning for the opening on 8 August.

See map of Olympic torch relay route

'Timeless symbol'

Sunday's formal handover was held in the Panathinaiko Stadium, where the first modern Olympics took place in 1896.

The route of the torch in Greece has been dogged by protests

The Chinese and Greek flags were marched in by Greek athletes to the strains of a band, before a circle of white-clad actresses dressed as ancient priestesses surrounded a podium as the torch was brought in.

Minos Kyriakou, president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, passed the flame to chief Beijing organizer Liu Qi.

"The Olympic flame is the timeless symbol which stirs admiration, pride and faith [in] the Olympic ideals and valu

[yoshikoroyimara 5]

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When it comes to SF...big trouble...protesters here are allowed along the path of the torch...like I said...the torch may not come out of the city!

Is this the first time the torch went to Pyongyang?  Islamabad would be risky...but you never know...

[skyliner22 16]

True that especially if it goes anywhere near Chinatown. I wonder what the route is. But no doubt SFPD would be there like they are for the Halloween parties!