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5 April 2008

Should You Boycott Repressive Countries?

Posted by Debo Hobo under: Sports; News; Travel-General; International-Destinations .

When you travel to places that don’t respect human rights, are you supporting an authoritarian regime, or fostering the free exchange of ideas?

This August, about 10,000 athletes, 20,000 journalists and more than a million spectators from 200 countries are expected to descend on Beijing for the Olympic Games. When the International Olympic Committee awarded the games to China back in 2001, many hoped that putting Beijing on the international stage would persuade the Chinese government to improve its record on human rights.

But as the recent unrest in Tibet has highlighted, the government is falling far short on human rights. And the finish line is fast approaching. The situation in China has led some to consider a boycott of the Olympics, an idea that has proved both unpopular and ineffective in the past.

A recent MSN-Zogby poll found only tepid support among Americans for a boycott: 31 percent favored it, while 47 percent opposed such a move. Read more…

Even the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, has said he opposes a boycott. But how can one overlook the strife and opression for the something that is nothing more than sport and entertainment. Still the question remains Should China be hosting the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games?

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2 Comments »

Comment by Eric Go

2008-04-06 11:07:36

I think they should continue to host.

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Comment by Debo Hobo

2008-04-07 08:32:28

Why do you think that Eric Go?

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