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The upcoming summer Olympic Games are becoming synonymous with controversy. Opponents of Chinese policy in Tibet, and elsewhere, are calling for total or partial boycott of one of sports' most anticipated events. But opposition groups should immediately suspend aggressive tactics.
The fact that protesters have disrupted the running of the torch in various parts of the world and certain influential voices such as Senator Hillary Clinton's have called on the US President George W. Bush to boycott the opening ceremony is very unfortunate.
It means we are unable to separate politics from the Olympics. Would boycotting it have a beneficial effect on the political situations they are trying to highlight? History shows that the answer is no.
Politicising the Olympics will also cause harm to the athletes. So while Tibetans are using the spotlight of the Olympics to express themselves, some countries are taking this as an opportunity to play out their own politics with China.
The Beijing Games should have a chance to be a sporting event. As former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan once said, "Olympic ideals are also United Nations ideals: tolerance, equality, fair play, and most of all, peace." The world should not be deprived of the great celebration that is the Olympics.
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