This New York Times story captures the essence of what is next in China -- and what is so intriguing is that we don't really know. Of course China is going to remain an economic superpower, but I'm not sure it did enough during the Olympics (and in the lead up to the Games) to demonstrate to the world that a new, more open China is coming. In fact, the absence of any organized protests, the temporary detaining of people who made informal statements of dissent and the rigid, at times non-emotional presentation of the city all leave doubts in my mind (and I'm ...
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And when it comes to determining how successful the Chinese government was in hosting the Olympics...well, some eyes are not looking through rose-colored glasses. My immediate impression of what will be the lingering sentiments of these Games: 1. Michael Phelps. As dominant an athletic performance as you might ever see. Did those fancy new swimming uniforms help? Sure, but does anyone really think that Phelps would have been any less successful without them? 2. The female Chinese gymnasts. I'm hesitant to call them "women," because at this point there remains a cloud of mystery hovering over at least one of the gymnasts. The International ...
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There's this to consider -- two elderly Chinese have been arrested for applying for a petition to protest. Hmmm...funny, but I think anyone who within the bounds of the law wants to protest in either Denver or Minneapolis/St. Paul will be able to. Don't you?
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This editorial from the Washington Post's Sally Jenkins makes the point -- set aside the question of "truth," the IOC needs to demonstrate it stands for something beyond just selecting host cities and throwing out steroid users (who, come to think of it, are cheaters...just like the Chinese would be if they altered the ages of any of their female gymnasts).
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My wife and I watched an interesting display of an alleged Olympic sport last night -- BMX racing. Now, as I've stated at other times and in other posts, I'm willing to accept change, but only when change is necessary. So, will someone please explain to me how BMX racing qualifies as an Olympic sport? Are you kidding me? A group of 8 to 10 people demonstrate very little athletic skill in this event. Instead they appear to be doing all they can not to seriously hurt themselves (and anyone else around them). My wife put it best: They're getting rid of baseball and ...
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