The Winter Olympics are soon to be upon us. When they open in Sochi, Russia, we will hopefully turn our attention to the athletes and should turn our backs on the politics of boycotts that have been stoked by President Barack Obama.
The so-called leader of the free world has been seeking a way to hit back at President Vladimir Putin who has embarrassed and out-politicked him every step of the way in Syria.
This is not the first time that boycotts have been used against the Olympic Games. Indeed, only Australia, France, Great Britain and Switzerland have been present at every Olympic Games, winter and summer, since the modern games were established in 1896. Ireland was the first to withdraw (1936 Berlin games) when the International Olympic Committee restricted its representatives to southern Ireland athletes rather than the whole of the island.
The 1956 Melbourne Games suffered under three simultaneous boycotts triggered by the anger over the Suez crisis, the Soviet repression of the Hungarian uprising, and by mainland China over Taiwan being allowed to compete as The Republic of China.
Twenty African states, Guyana and Iraq boycotted the 1976 Montreal games over the admission of athletes from Rhodesia and South Africa. Simultaneously, Taiwan refused to attend because mainland China was allowed to compete using the title Peoples Republic of China.
Even Canada has been involved with boycotting the Olympics, withdrawing our hockey teams in 1972 and 1976 because Canadian professional hockey players were excluded.
U.S. President Jimmy Carter boycotted the 1980 Moscow Summer Games because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (oh boy!). Canada stayed away too. The Soviets and their allies, including Cuba, turned the tables and withdrew from the 1984 Los Angeles Games claiming concern over the safety of their athletes.
And now we have boycotts occurring again. This time, thankfully, it is only the politicians who are staying away. This time the excuse is supposed to be over Russia’s laws about sexuality. The reason is, of course, quite different. President Obama made it very clear that he preferred President Dimitri Medvedev over Putin when Medvedev was in that position. Putin returned and, in turn, publicly humiliated Obama over Obama’s bellicose and empty threats concerning gas attacks in Syria and by harbouring whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Now it is Obama’s turn to try to smite President Putin. To do this, Obama selected the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. He won’t go.
Forget that there are real dangers afoot in that part of the world from terrorists who will kill anyone – including Yanks – to gain international notoriety. Forget the history of what terrorists have done at Olympic events – remember the Munich Games? Forget that the U.S. has enough intelligence and space-age technology to help protect all the athletes in Sochi.
Instead, Obama prefers to strut his moral superiority for all to see in hopes of improving his electoral chances at the U.S. mid-term elections.
And Prime Minister Stephen Harper is right behind him. He won’t go to Sochi either.
As for our athletes? Hopefully the rest of Canada will focus on what is important – excellence and integrity in competition and citizenship.
Alan Murdock is a local pediatrician.
