By Lubna Abdel-Aziz What must Zeus be thinking now? The Supreme ruler of all ancient Greek divinities must be looking down with disdain upon those miserable, minor, mortals, whose only weapon is violence. Did Prometheus err when he stole the fire from the gods, from the very sanctuary of Zeus, to burn brightly throughout the duration of the ancient Olympics? Fire had divine connotations then, and must still do, as it was the main symbol of the modern Olympic Games, re-introduced in Amsterdam in 1928. The ancients would probably be confused by the relay of the Olympic flame from Olympia, Greece, to the site of the games, because it has no historic precedent. In fact it would shock some to learn that the modern convention of moving the Olympic Flame via a relay system from Olympia to the Olympic venue began with the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin as a part of the propaganda machine implemented by Adolf Hitler to promote the Nazi ideology. What is it promoting now? Is it the protection of personal freedoms and human rights, or mayhem chaos and destruction? The shameful and unwarranted violence in highly advanced societies to extinguish the flame, defeats the very principles of freedom of expression that they hold so dear. Ideally the Olympic Games should bring the human race together as one, in peace and friendship, unified in body and spirit to celebrate the prowess of the best among them. Their differences are to be left behind for another time, another place. The ancient Greek countries and tribes participating in the games, probably as far back as 1400 BC, would lay down their arms and concentrate on a peaceful athletic competition. Why is peaceful action the hardest thing for man to learn? The most dramatic moment of the games is the lighting of the Olympic Flame. Four months before the Beijing Summer Olympics, the torch was ignited at Olympia at the site where the Temple of Hera, wife and sister of Zeus, stands. The Olympic Flame then journeys from Olympia for exactly 130 days, the second longest period in modern history. It will cover 137,000 kilometres, the longest ever, carried by 21,800 runners, the most ever, before it enters the Beijing Stadium on opening night, August 8th. Protesters in London, Paris, San Francisco, have marred this otherwise joyous event. What will happen in the next 13 cities is anyone's guess, but perhaps the most vocal advocates of human rights will ironically stand alone as the most violent dissenters. Where does the fault lie? With the Brits, French and American demonstrators who used extreme measures trying to physically extinguish the torch in an effort to demonstrate their objections to the Chinese policy towards Tibet and Darfur? Or does it lie with the host country itself which holds a long history of human rights violations, and regularly shows indifference to human suffering as witnessed by the Tibetan crackdown. The peaceful demonstrations by docile monks against Chinese occupation of their country led to their arrest by Chinese military forces, thereby resulting in widespread rioting and loss of life of many Tibetans. About 100 monks are still detained and the Chinese military is poised to squash any future resistance. China's support of the Sudan, regularly supplying it with planes and weapons, is seen as its blessing towards the Sudanese slaughter of the citizens of Darfur. The irony is that China was quick to condemn the European and American demonstrations: "despicable activities that tarnish the lofty Olympic spirit." Such protests can hardly take place within China itself of course, if Tiananmen Square is any indication. The fault, it seems to me, lies with neither side. The original sin was committed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) itself for selecting such a controversial location. After long and meticulous analyses of the assets and liabilities of the competing cities, why did they finally choose Beijing? Had they forgotten Tiananmen Square, or the religious persecution of Falon Gong? Tibet? Darfur? How hypocritical to call on China now to ensure human rights and ensure freedom of speech for the visiting athletes and the media. Should not this have been done before the selection, before the international uproar? "What's done cannot be undone!" The games will be held as planned, and they will be organized and well- attended. If certain governments choose to boycott, as in 1976, 1980 and 1984, only their athletes will be punished and not the Olympics nor China. Jacques Rogge, president of the IOC, said that, on being selected, the Chinese had promised to help advance social change, and improve human rights." "The committee considered this a moral, if not contractual agreement." Perhaps it should have been contractual. We respectfully recommend to the auspicious IOC that when, in the future their selection falls on a country that violates the cherished principles of justice, freedom, and equality, they should stipulate their conditions in writing. Hollywood director Stephen Spielberg recently decided to withdraw as Artistic Advisor to the Games because of his concerns over the violence in Sudan's Darfur region. The Darfur tragedy has been going on for years. Surely it existed when he agreed to get on board. Did Spielberg just hear about it, maybe through a phone call from George Clooney, or was he also given verbal promises for improvement? China claims that it has implemented positive efforts to resolve the Darfur situation. What? They emphasize that linking Darfur to the Olympic Games is against the Olympic spirit that separates politics from sports. Such hypocrisy seems to prevail as the rule of the day, among all parties involved. One thing is certain however, Politics and Sports should not mix and mingle. Just like Art, they should rise above any religious, political, or national boundaries. More than any other endeavour they have the ability to unite rather than divide. They need no language to explain, no interpreter to interpret. Artists can perform for all to enjoy, so can sports figures. They inspire our respect and admiration, and allow us to rise above the baser human elements of greed, envy, fanaticism, oppression, and violence. When body and soul can thrill to a human feat or a work of art, they soar in a super-human realm which we hope ordinary mortals can still reach. The Beijing Olympic Games will indubitably be sensational and may even coax the great god Zeus into smiling again as he looks down at one divinely superior event conducted by those otherwise misguided, mixed-up, mortals. O! It is excellent To have a giant's Strength, but it is tyrannous To use it like a giant -- William Shakespeare (1564 -- 1660)
