Athletes Can Blog At Olympics But We

The big news story of the week (other than the Darfor issue) is that Athletes will be allowed to blog at the Beijing Olympics - well excuse me what about free speech? Oh sorry we're talking about China. I really hope that the Olympics will be a catalyst for change, just as Chen Kai has recently stated. But the International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has rightly said that it’s not their role to solve the world's ills - it's for the politicians - most of them don't really have stomach for such a debate. When you see the photos of people being displaced from their homes and watch their faces as they loose everything - it is very hard. Some say this is happening because of the Olympics, but it is not their role to prevent it from happening. The Chinese government effectively do what they like; nothing short of an invasion will prevent them from having less respect for their citizens than we'd like to think our Government does. I just fear that the Olympics will turn back into a political event where the entire two and a half weeks is dominated by these debates instead of marvelling at the fantastic feats of endurance, skill and determination.