Predictable protests begin over Olympic Games

Another upcoming Olympic games, another protest. The latest comes from the White House, which announced it will not be sending diplomats to Beijing, China when the games are held early next year. This is a protest over the Chinese government’s atrocious record on human rights. To send a delegation of dignitaries would be seen as endorsing the communist country’s behavior. Which leads us to wonder, why did Beijing get selected to host the Winter Olympic Games in the first place? Especially since the Olympic Charter states that the games should foster “respect for universal and fundamental ethical principles.” Instead, in China, there have been human rights abuses, suppression of democratic protests and seemingly, one missing women’s tennis player. It is not clear what this diplomatic boycott will accomplish, given what politicians have been unable to do for decades. Perhaps a better solution is to stop having countries bid for the rights to the games. When a country is selected, they have to spend billions building stadiums, arenas, even roads. Why not just always play the games in the same spot? It’s hardly unprecedented. La Crosse always hosts the state track meet, and Camp Randall hosts the football championships, and that seems to work just fine. That may be better than giving the games to a country, then waiting for the protesting to begin.