Page
      7
      September
      8,
      2008
      SPORTS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Cadre
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Ajitpaul
      Mangat
     
     
      The
      Manitoban
      (University
     
    
   
   
    
     
      of
      Manitoba)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      WINNIPEG
      (CUP)
      --
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Many
      have
      proclaimed
      the
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      2008
      Summer
      Olympic
     
     
      Games
      as
      China’s
      coming
     
     
      out
      party,
      the
      theory
      being
     
     
      that
      China
      would
      utilize
      the
     
     
      biggest
      stage
      in
      sports
      to
     
     
      unequivocally
      assert
      itself
      as
     
     
      the
      international
      superpow-
     
     
      er.
      After
      all,
      its
      economy
      is
     
     
      booming,
      its
      once
      rising
     
     
      population
      is
      under
      control,
     
     
      and
      its
      athletes
      appear
      set
      to
     
     
      challenge
      that
      other
      interna-
     
     
      tional
      superpower,
      the
     
     
      United
      States
      of
      America,
      in
     
     
      terms
      of
      gold
      medals
      won.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      However,
      things
      have
      not
     
    
   
   
    
     
      quite
      worked
      out
      as
      planned.
     
     
      Instead,
      the
      build-up
      to
      the
     
     
      games
      has,
      like
      a
      trenchant
     
     
      magnifying
      glass,
      shined
     
     
      new
      light
      on
      China’s
      short-
     
     
      comings
      --
      environmental,
     
     
      foreign
      policy,
      and
      freedom
     
     
      of
      speech
      issues
      --
      leaving
     
     
      anxious
      athletes,
      troubled
     
     
      politicians
      and
      journalists,
      a
     
     
      regretful
      ‘International
     
     
      Olympic
      Committee,
      and
      an
     
     
      apprehensive
      rest
      of
      human-
     
     
      ity
      wondering
      whether
      this
     
     
      decision
      was
      a
      massive
      error
     
     
      in
      judgement.
     
    

    
     
      How
      could
      the
      world
      have
     
     
      foreseen
      such
      a
      divisive
     
     
      build-up
      to
      a
      once
      superla-
     
     
      tively
      unifying
      event?
      After
     
     
      all,
      the
      process
      began
      as
     
     
      such
      a
      rosy
      affair;
      Chinese
     
     
      Primer
      Li
      Lanqing
      even
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Olympics
      shine
      spotlight
      on
     
     
      China's
      sordid
      behaviour
     
    
   
   
    
     
      With
      the
      passing
      of
      the
      biggest
      stage
      in
      sport,
      the
      Olympic
      Summer
      Games,
      has
      China
      managed
      to
     
     
      make
      the
      world
      forget
      the
      infringing
      of
      human
      rights?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “ee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “BR
      ying
      2v0g
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Image
      obtained
      from
      penstalker.com.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      declared
      in
      2001
      that
      “the
     
     
      winning
      of
      the
      2008
     
     
      Olympic
      bid
      is
      an
      example
     
     
      of
      the
      international
      recogni-
     
     
      tion
      of
      China’s
      social
      stabil-
     
     
      ity,
      economic
      progress
      and
     
     
      the
      healthy
      life
      of
      the
     
     
      Chinese
      people.”
     
    

    
     
      One
      only
      needs
      to
      smell
     
     
      China’s
      dying
      roses
      and
      con-
     
     
      taminated
      air
      to
      recognize
     
     
      the
      fallacy
      of
      such
      a
      state-
     
     
      ment.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      rose-colored
      glasses
     
     
      are
      finally
      off
      and
      the
      sight
     
     
      is
      none
      too
      pretty.
     
    

    
     
      To
      understand
      the
      short-
     
     
      comings
      that
      an
      average
     
     
      Chinese
      individual,
      who
      is
     
     
      supposed
      to
      reside
      in
      an
     
     
      international
      superpower,
     
     
      faces
      in
      his
      or
      her
      daily
      liv-
     
     
      ing
      one
      only
      needs
      to
      realize
     
     
      that
      the
      basic
      necessities
      of
     
     
      life,
      such
      as
      clean
      water
      and
     
     
      fresh
      air,
      and
      important
      priv-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ileges,
      such
      as
      electricity,
     
     
      are
      not
      always
      readily
      avail-
     
     
      able
      to
      them.
     
    

    
     
      In
      fact,
      Beijing’s
      air
      pollu-
     
     
      tion
      has
      been
      estimated
      to
      be
     
     
      at
      least
      two
      to
      three
      times
     
     
      higher
      than
      levels
      deemed
     
     
      safe
      by
      the
      World
      Health
     
     
      Organization.
     
    

    
     
      As
      a
      result,
      nearby
      coun-
     
     
      tries,
      such
      as
      Japan
      and
     
     
      South
      Korea
      have
      decided
      to
     
     
      set-up
      off-shore
      training
     
    
   
   
    
     
      facilities
      for
      athletes
      and
     
     
      many
      countries
      will
      be
      arriv-
     
     
      ing
      in
      China
      as
      late
      as
      possi-
     
     
      ble.
     
    

    
     
      Besides
      disrupting
      training
     
     
      and
      the
      accommodations
      of
     
     
      athletes,
      actual
      sporting
     
     
      events
      could
      be
      affected
      by
     
     
      environmental
      concerns.
      On
     
     
      July
      1,
      the
      New
      York
      Times
     
     
      reported
      that
      an
      algae
      out-
     
     
      break,
      resulting
      from
      pollu-
     
     
      tion
      and
      poor
      water
      quality,
     
     
      occurred
      at
      the
      city
      of
     
     
      Qingdao
      (site
      of
      the
      sailing
     
     
      regatta),
      which
      “would
      pose
     
     
      significant
      problems
      _
      to
     
     
      [competitions]
      if
      it
      is
      not
     
     
      cleaned
      up.”
     
    

    
     
      To
      make
      matters
      worse,
     
     
      Chinese
      residents
      will
      have
     
     
      to
      face
      additional
      shortcom-
     
     
      ings
      just
      so
      their
      country
      can
     
     
      host
      these
      Games.
      For
     
     
      instance,
      according
      to
      the
     
     
      Wall
      Street
      Journal,
      certain
     
     
      parts
      of
      the
      country
      could
     
     
      face
      blackouts
      as
      concerns
     
     
      over
      electrical
      power
      short-
     
     
      ages
      persist.
     
    

    
     
      With
      the
      nation
      facing
     
     
      major
      coal
      shortages,
      its
      pri-
     
     
      mary
      source
      of
      electrical
     
     
      power,
      the
      province
      of
     
     
      Guangdong,
      is
      expected
      to
     
     
      be
      60
      per
      cent
      short
      of
      its
     
     
      peak
      energy
      needs
      so
      that
     
     
      the
      Beijing
      proper,
      the
     
     
      Olympic
      Village,
      and
      major
     
     
      sport
      sites
      will
      not
      lose
     
     
      power.
     
    

    
     
      However,
      as
      bad
      as
      things
     
     
      are
      at
      home,
      China’s
      foreign
     
     
      policy
      could
      be
      even
      worse.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      See
      Olympics,
      Page
      8