The Olympics

Because my girlfriend is an avid skier (very, very good at it too I do believe) I am going to try to be gracious, understanding and sensitive in this post. This humbling isn't so much of a bad thing either, I suppose it couldn't hurt (maybe even be good for me) to be humble and respectful when approaching all subjects.

Humility is a funny thing (especially considering when I google imaged the word "humility" the first thing that showed up was a picture that said: "Humility is a strange thing. The minute you think you've got it, you've lost it.")

Tonight I'm going to be talking about The Olympics.

I honestly had not thought about the Olympics or its implications until recently coming across Stefan Molyneux's video on the subject. It's titled Brawn Porn

I didn't embed the video on here specifically because I didn't want to endorse all of his claims, his language or his anger. But I would encourage you to watch the video with an open mind because it is very informing and you will walk away a little bit more enlightened (be aware that he uses inflammatory language, though it's primarily because it makes him angry). Watching the video will help compliment the view that I have recently started developing, one that is quite different than the one I had before.

My previous conception of The Olympics I think were quite average and positive. I thought the Olympics were an excellent source of entertainment that I can share in indulgence with the rest of the world. I felt that the event used competition to promote sports and healthy activity all the while fostering relations between nations. The international aspect of it helped expose me as a kid to the fact that there was a whole world of different nationalities, cultures and people groups out there. I was exposed and learned about all the different types of sports from javeline throwing to synchronized swimming to racewalking. The sheer power, discipline, stamina and strength of all of the athletes never failed inspire me with awe. I also liked it because I could root for my home country (depending on who was doing the best: America or Turkey). I think most of you readers understand these sentiments and feelings and you might be wondering what my change of thought is.

There are several problems:
1) It is a misuse of resources that has direct impact on the most vulnerable

2) They have been used as an excuse to persecute people

3) It promotes nationalism under the guise of international cooperation

4) It is a distraction of gigantic proportion

I don't have a lot of time, so you'll have to excuse me (and maybe think about it/research a little on your own: google "cost of olympics" or "anti-olympics" or even maybe "olympics bad" lol)

Number 1 & 2

I don't know if you know or remember, but when the Olympics were held in China about 1.5 million Chinese in the city of Beijing were forcibly moved from their home. Many of them were living in slums, which were simply bulldozed. In Greece about 3,000 Roma were displaced. About 30,000 low income folks were moved in the Atlanta Olympics and 720,000 of mostly poor folks were moved when it was in Seoul link here.

The costs for constructing the necessary Olympics—are huge. For Vancouver that cost is $6 billion. This is because money is needed to pay to build the stadiums, the transportation and security—usually all things that won't ever be used under such strain again. The argument was originally that the event would generate $10 billion in total revenue, but that has been reduced to $1 billion. Homelessness has risen in Vancouver since the beginning of construction till the current continuation of the games and are finding themselves increasingly harassed by police who are attempting to keep the streets clean. Other past Olympics have left cities with millions upon billions of dollars of debt that citizens of the city end up having to pay for decades (the aforementioned video goes into in more depth). We'll never really know how China dealt with their costs, though I read somewhere that the hundreds of billions of dollars used could have gone towards helping their modern-country sized population of dirt-poor citizenry. The cost

As for persecution, during Beijing's Olympics Christians were persecuted, along with human rights activists, pro-Tibet activists and journalists. Some of those detained in the 2008 Summer are still being detained and under arrest. You might be surprised to learn too that there have been some considerable moves of suppressing free speech in Vancouver as well. Beside the homeless issue in Vancouver, and beside the controversies surrounding unapproved usage of native-Canadian lands for the games—there have been claims that the Canadian government has failed to prevent a huge rise in human trafficking into the area in response to the influx of foreigners and tourists. The documentary at the bottom has more information on this trafficking of women.

Finally, to balance out the costs associated with hosting the Olympic games many corporations and rich individuals are sought after and solicited for business since they are really the only ones who can afford to pay the commercializing fees. In the end then, those who financially benefit from the Olympics are those who are already well off and most definitely not the homeless bum who is forced on to the street because his home had to be build for a stadium which would have a massive Coca-cola add plastered on the side of it.

Number 3

I've talked about this only briefly before. As Christians, we are members of a spiritual Kingdom—one that supersedes any Earthly kingdom, and one which demands that we serve one another as equals. My brothers are Canadians, Mongolians, Syrians and Welsh. My sisters are Peruvians, Iranians, Congolese and Polish. They are my family. Any flags or borders serve only to separate us and isolate us into competing factions and ensure polarizing perspectives. National identities may seem to strengthen us, but in reality they weaken us as a whole and diminish the value of our neighbors. We are told that they are there to protect us, to keep us safe, but the reality is that we don't really know each other.

So in the Olympics, when athletes compete against one another—it is presented as nations, competing against one another. This constructs a misleading image that competition between nations can be friendly without violence or harm. The truth is that real competition in between nations takes the form of arms and financial stockpiling. These results in very real deaths as a result of bullets and hunger. Why do we pledge allegiance to our flag anyways? Is America more important and valuable than Mexico? Are Mexicans worth less than Americans? What about English or South Africans, are they worth less than Americans? If they aren't worth less, then why do we pledge ourselves to a country that cares primarily about Americans (at the expense of others)?

Number 4

The Olympics are entertaining.

Besides the fact that they're existence continues to harm the poor, the homeless and the enslaved, and besides the fact that it perpetuates a perilous myth that there can be harmony in global competition, the Olympics distract us from the very real problems our of world.

In the video, Stefan gets very worked up about how the Olympics are basically a big show where the rich athletes are able to make a profitable career out of winning medals. BBC reported on how richer nations and richer athletes perform overwhelmingly better than those who are not. Which roughly means that much of the Olympics isn't about who is physically the fittest, but about who has the most money.

It is worth noting that the article notes there are exceptions. I know there are a lot of exceptions too, particularly in the winter sports, where not all of the skiers came from rich backgrounds. I would also add that MANY athletes have used their privilege, power and prestige to help others. However when the news media has the opportunity to fill their time slots and page space with stories about athletes and races, real earth shattering news gets left out. News such as this video, which charts unemployment statistics over the past three years. The news is that its still continuing:

I think I shall end there, however I will also like to add that I have not even mentioned the increase in police force and the negative environmental impacts that the Olympics have had, both in Beijing and in Vancouver—two profound topics that deserve review and mulling over . Here are some other links for further reading if you have the time:

Vancouver Poverty Olympics

Double standard with Afghanistan and the Olympics

An insightful, 15 minute documentary titled: 8 reasons to oppose the 2010 Winter Olympics

Above all we must question whether these games glorify God. Do these games help us love our neighbor or do they actively hurt our neighbor?