China and the Olympic Truce

MU CHUANHENG

QINGDAO, China, Nov. 26

China made a successful public relations bid for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games at the U.N. General Assembly last month by introducing the Olympic Truce Resolution, which was unanimously adopted by the assembly.

In fact, passing the resolution has become a common practice ahead of the Olympic Games; the General Assembly has passed eight such resolutions in the recent past. Chairman of the Beijing Olympic Committee Liu Qi, who is also a Politburo member of the Chinese Communist Party and the Beijing Party Secretary, introduced the resolution titled "Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal." He said that the United Nations and the Olympic movement were natural allies, as the Olympic ideal coincides with the U.N. purpose to promote peace.

Liu further promoted the Games by saying, "In 282 days, the Olympic Flame, burning bright for solidarity, friendship and peace, will be lit in the main stadium of the Beijing Olympic Games. This is of great significance both to the Olympic Movement and to China, an ancient civilization with a time-honored history."

He claimed that seeds of peace, friendship and progress would be planted among the public, especially the young people. Liu also announced that a so-called Wall for Peace and Friendship would be set up at the Olympic Village where athletes and other people could sign an appeal for the observance of the Olympic Truce and promote world peace.

The Olympic Truce is actually a peace movement designed by the International Olympic Committee based on the practice of stopping all fighting during the games in ancient Greece. Starting in 1993, the IOC has introduced this concept at the United Nations, requesting that all member states observe the Olympic Truce during the period of the Olympic Games.

Since that time, each host country of the Games has submitted this resolution for the General Assembly's approval. Moreover, the 2000 U.N. Millennium Declaration called on all member states to observe the truce and facilitate human peace and reconciliation by supporting the ideals of the Olympic Games.

The humanistic concept of sports arose from three major movements of thought and culture in Europe from the 14th to the 18th century -- the Renaissance, the Reformation and the Enlightenment. These movements left behind the theocracy of the Middle Ages, which restricted free thinking, and ushered in the era of human rights, scientific understanding and prosperity.

The French educator Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937) is recognized as the founder of the modern Olympic Games. He passionately advocated equality in competition, to break through the barriers of racial and political ideologies. Moreover, he proposed that the modern Olympic Games should be open to all countries, regions and races, and be held in every part of the world. Thus, his ideas carried the modern Olympic Games beyond the limitations of racial and political ideologies, featuring a universal view of humanity and internationalism from the very beginning.

Today's Olympic spirit remains loyal to these pure ideals and continues to promote human equality, positive participation in sports, fair competition, religious tolerance, ceasefires and peace. These are all expressed through the Olympic symbols -- the flag with five rings, the Olympic Hymn, Olympic Torch and the dove of peace -- which have become part of a "world language." In a sense, the Olympic Games movement reflects absolute protection of human rights and free personal expression.

As a result, the Games are open, all-embracing and free, allowing people of diverse cultures to interact and develop through sports. In other words, the very existence of the Games is a challenge to closed societies, autarchy and class discrimination. Furthermore, the Games defy global cultural projects dominated by political borders and ideologies. They promote a strong cohesive humanity in which there are no enemies -- a new universalism.

Nevertheless, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games are colored by politics and ideology. China has abandoned the "world language" accepted around the globe. Instead it is showing the world, with typical "Chinese characteristics," that the spirit of Olympic Truce does not exist in Beijing. The true ideology in Beijing is that those who hold different political views from the CCP are "political enemies" and "opponents."

The theme of the Beijing Games is "One world, one dream." Its core ideas are "Green Olympics, High-Tech Olympics and People's Olympics." What Beijing would not dare to proclaim under the sun is "Human Rights Olympics."

Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, has said, "The Beijing Olympics belong not only to all the athletes, but also to the Chinese people." But he is wrong about this. Some believe there exists a long blacklist of "opponents," which includes the names of democracy activists, religious practitioners, ethnic autonomists, etc. These people are excluded from the Beijing Games, which demonstrates that the CCP has no intention of practicing the Olympic Truce.

In addition, the authorities have recently upgraded the level of their Internet censorship and closure of Web sites. They have placed under supervision, or even arrested and detained, Internet writers who hold views different from the CCP's, including lawyers fighting to protect people's civil rights. Furthermore, many people who have attempted to appeal to higher authorities for assistance have been confined at certain locations or chased out of Beijing.

As one local official seeking reforms dared to say in a public letter to the CCP, the ruling party, which advocates a "harmonious society," must first protect the basic rights of the citizens and practice social justice. The Chinese government should promote the Olympic Truce by setting a good example and leading the trend -- starting with itself and starting today. The government should stop prosecuting dissidents, religious practitioners and civil rights activists, initiate overall political reforms including a multi-party system, realize freedom of speech and abolish the excuse of denying human rights in the interest of stability, especially during the Games.

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(Mu Chuanheng is a freelance writer and former lawyer. He has published a number of books on trade negotiations and democratic politics. He is included in the book "World Celebrities [China Vol. 2], published in Hong Kong, for his new theory of culture. This article is edited and translated from the Chinese by UPI Asia Online; the original can be found at www.ncn.org and www.chinaeweekly.com . ©Copyright Mu Chuanheng.)

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