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Editorial

Against the Olympics spirit

Against the Olympics spirit
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The Olympic Games are a mega event that usually grab global headlines for wonderful reasons but this time around it is in the news for all the bad reasons. With India joining over a dozen countries in boycotting the 2022 Beijing Olympics, China has suffered yet another blow. But to what extent China is concerned with this move is a matter of debate. Had it been serious about the issue, it wouldn't have attempted to deliberately irk India ahead of the Games. The fact is that the Beijing Olympics has already been politicised to a great extent with a bunch of Western countries led by the USA, the UK and Canada boycotting the games in diplomatic terms for a variety of reasons related to human rights issues. Other countries that have opted for diplomatic boycott include Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and Japan. It is quite unfortunate to see that geopolitics has seeped into the realm of sports to such a great extent. None of the sides is to be blamed solely for these negative developments. Notably, the issues raised by the boycotting Western nations are grave but not immediate. These are more general issues. The boycott should also be seen against the backdrop of a larger goal of the West to marginalise China. And the Olympics is just another opportunity for them to further their agenda. But the Olympics is a global institution that commands a high degree of veneration and should not be tied to a particular country that is hosting the games in a particular year. India had rightly abstained from joining the West in boycotting the Games initially. The reason for India boycotting the Games now is entirely different and justified. While it held no intention of banning the Beijing Olympics, it was kind of forced to do so due to an immediate provocation. In this case, it is China which has to be blamed for. More than one and a half years down the line since the Galwan clash, the country has persistently endeavoured to paint the incident as its diplomatic victory. It has time and again tried to project the PLA regiment commander Qi Fabao as a hero. Last year, he was conferred the title of 'hero regiment commander for defending the border'. And now he is one of the 1,200 torchbearers of the opening ceremony. One could definitely argue that there is nothing wrong in a country honouring its soldiers but the situation requires more reading. Chinese media, Global Times to be particular, appears to run a psychological propaganda to showcase and consolidate China's dominance over India. It has been deliberately posting videos of Chinese soldiers hoisting their flag in the Galwan, along with other propaganda videos. China seeks cooperation with India but not without that extra edge of dominance. Every time there is talk between the two countries, China comes ready with provocations in parallel. Could the foundations of friendly ties be ever laid out with a sense of dominance? India had lost the precious lives of its 20 soldiers in Galwan unnecessarily, and that brutal memory is still etched in the conscience of people. The wounds are still fresh and continue to hurt the sentiments of Indians. The situation is made even worse by a returned 17-year-old captive describing the brutality he faced by the PLA. Keeping with the spirit of Olympics, India, like other boycotting nations, has decided to send its athletes to Beijing. The intrusion of politics becomes even more visible with just over 20 heads of state attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics — with half of these representing 'authoritarian' or 'hybrid' regimes. It appears more like the engagement of an ideological bloc than the global phenomenon it is meant to be. Whatever be the reasons and whosoever be responsible for it, the heavy politicisation around the Olympics is condemnable. The ongoing flux defies the lofty spirit that the Olympics represents — that of mutual understanding, friendship, solidarity and fair play.

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