'It was all for the sake of national interest.' That, to me, will be the quote of the Beijing 2008 Games. That was the justification a Chinese official gave for the sleight of voice switch of two young girls during the grand opening ceremony.
Far from being sports for sports' sake, it appears the Olympics have become a platform for some nationalistic showing off. So much for keeping sports and politics separate.
There have been some great moments at the 29th Olympic Games but little of that has translated into PR benefit for China.
We're not the first nation to exploit the Games for our purpose. Every country that bids for the Olympics has an agenda. Whether as a city's promotional tool or just an excuse to spend a lot of money building vanity structures, it's simply too much work and resources to expend for mere sports without some secondary purpose.
The fact is, nobody hosts the Games because they think it will turn a profit. However, no country has been as image-obsessed as this year's host in the run-up to the Games. The fastidious preparation and gold-chasing mania kind of borders on anal-retentive compulsion. It's not just a bunch of athletic events. It's the people's new manifesto.
Sure, it feels good to field a strong team but let's not pretend an unofficial edict wasn't passed down when the Games were awarded to Beijing in 2001. Let's not kid ourselves that pressure wasn't applied on all of the country's athletes warning them they'd better deliver in seven years - or else. It probably takes a bit of the joy and elation out of winning when it comes as an order from above. For spectators, it also wipes out some of the thrill to think of the athletes as machines churned out by sports factories around the country rather than as inspired individuals in the pursuit of excellence.
Perhaps that's just my western romantic notion of sports versus the ideal of Chinese Confucian collectivism.
