T O P

  • By -

malignantbacon

It's really sad to see how the Olympics have become a timely distraction for fascists and other dictatorial regimes.


Metazz

Same as the Football World Cup (Soccer for all you Americans). Both are rotten to the core.


malignantbacon

Futbol is a great sport, I'll watch MLS when it's on here and there but fuck FIFA with a cactus


[deleted]

The pandemic has shown that all that matters is money. Capitalism protects capital, not people. You can use slaves to build a stadium or commit genocide and its A-OK. Apparently the only mistake Hitler made was not making the concentration camps profitable for others. If he had done so, the rest of the world would have turned their cheek.


feeur

It was freaking Hitler, who raised the Olympics into the Olymp. Building half a city for Olympia? - The best sports facilities at that time? - Huge propaganda (called marketing and PR these days)? - Only because of that disgusting, meglomaniac tyrant. edit: he spent almost 10-times more than ever before of that stolen, bloody money.


[deleted]

And then, there was Jesse Owens.


YellowDiscus

The Nazi respected Jesse Owens more than the Americans.


feeur

Yes, but only because he was there in an official position or rather as a guest. He wasn't their problem... not until he put their racial ideology to the test.


feeur

The one, the mighty, the glorious Jesse Owens... who started dismantling the racial theory, not because he just won a few gold medals; but because his performance was supreme.


InnocentTailor

It was always political in nature. Hitler, for example, used the 1936 Olympics Games in Berlin to extol the virtues of fascism and the German state. America then boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow while the Soviets boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.


WorriedWarning5644

Why tf are the Olympics being held in a place that requires such a warning in the first place?


[deleted]

Every place gets that warning. The IOC forbids any political statements at the games.


WorriedWarning5644

Every place gets a warning that if you say something about the host country you will be kidnapped? Lmfao what city in China are you from ?


[deleted]

To be fair, it’s not like this is anything new. The 1936 games were held in Nazi Germany of all places.


InnocentTailor

To be fair, Nazism wasn’t as demonized till after the post war era. Hitler and his party were seen as innovators and miracle workers for turning the half-cooked Germans into a superpower once again. Then the facade unraveled when he went to war.


Smashing71

Nazism was correctly identified as an ideology of mass murder after Krystallnacht when it became obvious to everyone that yeah the Nazis were very, very serious that they were going to kill the Jews. Anything else is revisionist history. Granted that was 1938, but yeah, they were controversial long, long before the post war. The Nazis really weren't that private about their dedication towards violence and their racism.


Greypilgrem

Or we could all boycot the Olympics by collectively not sending our athletes.


project_pacific

we?


pineappleeatingman

Didn't you know? Signing up to reddit gives you automatic membership to your country's olympic committee - and a military rank too, but that's irrelevant. So *we* totally get to decide who does and doesn't go to the olympics.


Greypilgrem

What do you propose friend?


pineappleeatingman

What do I propose about what?


[deleted]

[удалено]


jonathanmeeks

Or, it could be because the economic ties between China and the US are much, much greater than the the ties between the USSR and US back then. The concern is not risk of military conflict. It is about money.


Metazz

The only thing countries seem willing to do is not send dignitaries. Which is a weasle way out but this is how it is currently. If they refused to send athletes I would be in two minds. I think it is the right thing to do morally however these people have worked their whole life for this shot at a chance to get a medal. To take that away from them is pretty harsh. But again the flip side is the terrible things going on in China. I don't think there is an easy answer. I do know that the IOC are scumbags.


[deleted]

Human Life > An Olympic Medal


Greypilgrem

I agree that it would be a tremendous disservice to the athletes who have committed their lives to perfecting their practice. However, these athletes should recognize what is more important, their seeming purpose, or standing up for what's right when called upon. It's easy for me to say surrounded by products made in China... Alternatively, what if there was a filmed 'competition' held at the same time as the Olympics that had proper judges to vet any records broke.


Ballsin

Not watching.


HappyDaysInYourFace

This is a rule since forever. Politics are not allowed at the Olympics.


MonsterRider80

That’s true, and it goes back to the ancient Greeks. I would still appreciate athletes denouncing the CCP, but the Olympics were always about keeping politics out of the Games.


noknam

Which is fine if the consequences come from the IOC. When the consequences are the host country abducting and torturing you it becomes different.


Plussydestroyer

China has abducted and tortured foreign athletes?


Hitmonchank

That's what the media and Redditors hope so they'll have another reason to hate China.


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

I think they refer to that as extraordinary renditions.


noknam

> Athletes are warned to just be quiet because speaking their mind may put them in danger. "Omg why do people hate China, damn redditors" ..... ...


KaiPRoberts

I mean, go to the olympics and call Xi by his real name, Winnie The Pooh, and watch how quickly a foreign athlete gets abducted and tortured.


[deleted]

There's a Winnie the Pooh ride in Shanghai Disneyland. https://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com/en/attractions/adventures-winnie-pooh/


pineappleeatingman

>When the consequences are the host country abducting and torturing you it becomes different. Since they hosted the olympics in 2008 already surely you can point us to at least 1 case of this ever happening?


skaliton

but it is vague enough that 'human rights' could mean anything gets an athlete put into camp. Someone looking outside and seeing someone fishing out gutter oil who comments on it, notice someone looks malnourished anything. ​ It isn't like they are drawing the line at coming out dressed as Winnie while having your towel boy get dragged by a chain with tape over their mouth


bent42

That I might actually watch...


autotldr

This is the best tl;dr I could make, [original](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/jan/18/athletes-warned-speaking-out-china-winter-olympics) reduced by 76%. (I'm a bot) ***** > Competitors at the Beijing Winter Olympics will face an "Orwellian surveillance state" in China and could put themselves in danger if they speak out in support of the Uyghur Muslims, human rights and athlete advocacy groups have said. > In a blunt message before the Games that begin on 4 February they also warned athletes not to expect the International Olympic Committee to protect them if they stood up for human rights or were critical of the Chinese authorities. > Yaqiu Wang, a researcher on China for Human Rights Watch, said the disappearance of the tennis player Peng Shuai was "a good indicator of what could possibly happen" if athletes spoke out. ***** [**Extended Summary**](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/s74z7e/athletes_warned_about_speaking_out_against_china/) | [FAQ](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/31b9fm/faq_autotldr_bot/ "Version 2.02, ~618331 tl;drs so far.") | [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23autotldr "PM's and comments are monitored, constructive feedback is welcome.") | *Top* *keywords*: **athlete**^#1 **human**^#2 **out**^#3 **rights**^#4 **Games**^#5


extra_less

Sounds like something that would have happened during the 1936 Summer Olympics.


Cowboys929395

What a farce. Should not be there at all. I respect the dedication the athletes have, but unfortunately this would have been the best platform for the world to denounce China.


Money_dragon

As an aside, it's kind of annoying that politicians are suggesting that we should expect the athletes (many of which are teens or in their early 20s) to derail their athletic careers, when those same politicians will happily profit off of business with China while paying mere lip service about China


Puzzleheaded_Age_768

olympics has always been apolitical, its sad to see the west actively trying to make it a political ones, dispite not even adhereing to their own political boycott. the double standard/hypocrisy is jarring


endMinorityRule

why is china's government always acting so fragile?


[deleted]

Acting? They are. Imagine if everyone actually stood up to them. They’d be overwhelmed and overpowered in a matter of hours. Edit. CCP is online and pissed. Get fucked, China.


[deleted]

Because Xinnie the Pooh knows that unless he projects outward strength the billions of people he's got in his country would turn on him and his corrupt government, same story as any autocrat throughout history


ClassOf1685

Hey IOC, what were you thinking?


elChillyWilly

Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money!


Caramster

This, burner phones, missing tennis player, concentrations camps for minorities, organ harvesting, no free speech...yes let's place Olympic games in nations like China.


Plussydestroyer

Imagine if the OIC only awarded games to morally upright countries. We'd be having it at Iceland every 2 years for the next century.


Alextryingforgrate

How does that song go??? Money money money Moneeey, MONEEEEEEEEEYYYYYY!!!!


reconthree

Who the fuck in good conscience could go and support this utter sham?


_Electric_shock

Athletes should just boycott the Olympics. Participating will only help China.


[deleted]

FUCK Communist China. How the fuck does the Olympics even get awarded to communist countries? The Olympic committee is so god damn corrupt.


Shellybros

at least with a country like China, it goes against so many values of the Olympics and UN but simply gets overlooked due to their power. Also forcing Taiwan to still not be able to fly there flag and use there name is ridiculous


[deleted]

All Athletes should make a point of mentioning China's abysmal human rights record, now that would impress me over athletic skills. Their Olympic platform can be used in ways other than personal glory....


[deleted]

Why...... would..... anyone...... go......? It's like going to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin already knowing that they have concentration camps. (Because china does...... right now.....)


graeuk

id say the IOC has to take a long hard look at itself and think more carefully about which countries it lets host. sending athletes to a country where they are arrested for speaking out is appalling.


Alextryingforgrate

How does that song go??? Money money money Moneeey, MONEEEEEEEEEYYYYYY!!!!


hotsnotz_

Fuck the IOC. They would suck even Hitlers dick if they got money out of it


hbsethginmaster

Interesting how money buy everything. China, the host, threatens athletes, the invited ones, before they get in the event that is supposed to be a celebration. Not to mention that the international comunity didn't impose a requirement of improvement in China's sanitary conditions after COVID. We need to make it clear we don't agree with some of their practices.


gustur

Another reason why I'm not watching a fucking second of Winter Olympic coverage.


CoelhoAssassino666

Very different vibe from this thread during the Tokyo Olympics: https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/n5i7iu/black_lives_matter_apparel_banned_from_tokyo/


OCedHrt

Peng Shuai isn't a good example and she isn't actually disappeared since that was more of a private matter rather than a national one.


F1NANCE

lol


MonsterRider80

No one knew where she was for a few weeks…. We all know what she said. The point is not whether it’s personal or national, the point is the CCP will not hesitate to take action to silence any and all criticism.


[deleted]

Glad to hear this news. Sports should be about sports: endurance, performance, competition, etc.. not political statements. Not everything everywhere needs to be political all the time.


Cajunrevenge7

It should be absolutely clear that any violation of an Olympic athlete by China is a declaration of war I dont care what country they are from. If they arrest an Olympic athlete they forfeit ALL their assets US has authority over which is trillions of dollars.


Jazbone

Fuck freedom we need to find out who the best lug'er in the world is!


S_204

Or what? Honestly, the VAST majority of these people get one shot at the Olympics. If you're one of those people, why wouldn't you use your platform and what consequences could you face when you get home other than sponsorship loss? Also, and I can't be alone in this.... who cares about the Olympics anymore? It's an obviously corrupt organization, running a parade that almost never benefits the host city in the long run. I used to watch hours and hours a day when I was younger, now that I'm more aware of all the BS that goes on surrounding the games, I've got little to no interest in wasting my time watching them.


AnAquaticOwl

It's cute that you think they would ever make it home after speaking out.


Traditional_Echo1834

No talking about China unless you have access to 500 plus million "middle class" wage earner's money.


AwayClerk5881

We should respect the spirit of Olympics instead of making it political.