Olympians forced to sign no-criticism-of-China contract

World Net Daily ^ | February 10, 2008 | WorldNetDaily

[dbehsman]

British athletes who want to compete in the summer Olympics will be required to sign a contract promising not to make statements critical of the communist regime's human rights record or they will not be permitted to travel to China, according to a 32-page document prepared by the British Olympic Association.

"There are all sorts of organizations who would like athletes to use the Olympic Games as a vehicle to publicize their causes," Simon Clegg, BOA's chief executive, told the London Daily Mail.

"I don't believe that is in the interest of the team performance. As a team we are ambassadors of the country and we have to conform to an appropriate code of conduct."

While this is the first time the clause prohibiting any kind of political statement about the hosting country has been included in the BOA contract, the British team is not alone. New Zealand and Belgium also make the same requirement of those who qualify to compete in Beijing.

According to BOA, any athlete who refuses to sign the contract will not be allowed to travel to Beijing, and any competitor who signs it and later makes statements critical of China will be immediately put on a plane back to the UK.

[dbehsman]

I don't know about you guys, but I really don't think I'll watch any of the Olympics this year. As a matter of fact, I think the United States should have boycotted the games this year.

[Brandie]

My husband and I have alwasy watched both summer and winter Olympics. We will not be watching the Olympics this year either. I still can't believe that the decision was made to have them in China. There are so many things horrible about this.

I agree the USA should have taken a stand on this and said NO way.

[Cindy]

[farmer18th]

Only socialists, pagans, and homosexuals watch the Olympics when they are held in China.

[CarrotAndStick]

[endthematrix]

Why would the US boycott an athletic sporting confernece hosted by a communist country that it finds no fault in sending them billion$ in international trade? Just silly lip-service.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

The solution is easy. After an athlete has finished their competition, protest the Chinese Nazis then. Be particularly good if they were winners at the medal ceremonies. Who needs to wait around till the closing ceremonies, to protest gets you home right away, and they’d have the sports press all theirs when they got back, since those who keep their mouths shut will still be in China.

[dennisw]

The English love to accommodate the Muslims who live in UK so why not the Chinese who live outside the UK

[CarrotAndStick]

It’s not the Chinese gagging the athletes; as per the article, it’s the British Olympic association.

As for protests after participation, it’ll be called hypocrisy.

[LibWhacker]

Oh, sure, protect the rep of that murderous regime. 'Course, many Brits and almost everyone else round the world would welcome another one of these spectacles; i.e., directed at the US by our own athletes:

[Chubby]

Who should have boycotted the games? Bush ala Carter in 1980? I was too young to remember how the general public felt about that but I know many of the athletes harbor a bitter resentment towards Carter for that move. They didn’t care about the politics, just the competition.

China sucks but the athletes have trained long and hard for 2008. Its all about the athletes and the competitions, in my opinion.

[JudgemAll]

China enforcing its religion of denial onto the world.

Unbelievable we are settling with those who have settled for suicide - and slipering us there.

We need to not help them lie, we need to make them repent. This is sheer nonsense.

[wolfpat]

There are ways to silently protest:

[farmer18th]

China sucks but the athletes have trained long and hard for 2008.

Is an athletic performance worth being silent about the fact that, say, a Christian pastor might be undergoing torture a few miles away?

Screw the atheletes and their training.

[endthematrix]

"China sucks but the athletes have trained long and hard for 2008."

LOL! Yeah, China "sucks." Chuby, did you ever wonder where and how Communists get their State athletes? That would be one of the reasons of a boycott.

[Cindy]

I understand your viewpoint.

Unfortunately, if the athletes mirror American society; they probably are completely unaware of what occurs in China.

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=china
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=madeinchina

[Cindy]

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&um=1&tab=wn&q=Christian+persecution+%2B+China&btnG=Search+News

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Christian+persecution+%2B+China&btnG=Google+Search

[farmer18th]

I imagine if someone has the discipline to train track and field 8 years straight, there are a few who know the truth; asking an athelete, when they are in front of the world's press corps, to remain silent in the face of Chinese barbarity, is like telling an athelete, "you are really just a draft horse; pull the wagon and don't defy your masters."

I understand why the Chinese do this. They are still emperor worshipping children of the devil. What I do NOT understand is why American go along with this. We need to start ridiculing and SHAMING anyone who participates in this.

[Cindy]

Basically farmer 18th, you are preaching to the choir here.

I understand what you are saying.

Understand this, some people are willfully ignorant and yes, that is a shame.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

As for protests after participation, it’ll be called hypocrisy.

Who cares what it is called, the attention would have been called to the atrocities. As far as who made the rules, the Chinese or their enablers, I don't care about that either. It gives an out for the athletes to at least make a gesture towards decency, without jeopardizing their athletic careers.