The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games

It could be that when you are reading this, the Olympic Games of 2008 have already been played. But while I am writing this, the games are still in the future… not far in the future but they haven't yet started.

There are always problems of some kind associated with the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games of 2008 are no different.

The games will be held in Beijing, China. As is the custom, the Olympic torch circles the globe and is carried through the streets of cities, large and small, along the route. This year there have been loud and sometimes even violent objections as the torch makes its way around the world. The protests are not about the Olympic Games or the Olympic athletes but about China — specifically, China's record of human rights abuses.

People take human rights seriously, as they should; but people also take athletic competitions seriously, and that is also as it should be. The problems materialize when the two collide — and there has certainly been a major collision this year.

At the moment, it is not altogether clear whether the United States will even send athletes to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. There are loud calls for a boycott of the games. The point of boycotting the Olympic Games is to embarrass the host nation and/or to force changes to the policies to which the protesters object.

So far, boycotting the Olympic Games has never resulted in a change being made by a host nation. Of course, the fact that boycotting the Olympic Games is totally ineffective won't stop those who have strong feelings about government policies from insisting that the Olympic Games be boycotted.

The Summer Olympic Games are yet to be played as I write this, and it is my sincere hope that the athletes from all nations can come together in the spirit intended by the Olympic Games and compete.