Should FIFA ban countries?

I've been thinking about these threats of Olympic boycotts and thinking about the world cup. Should FIFA ban brutal dictatorships from entering the World Cup playdowns?

I know sports and politics should not mix, but joining FIFA should be a privilege, not a right. There are some countries around that are so sinister they stretch belief, and yet we welcome them with open arms into the international football community.

FIFA currently bans countries if their governments interfere with their Football Association, but if that government is killing their own people, no worries, come play.

I guess the only problem with banning countries is where do you draw the line?

 

South Africa beat apartheid in part because it was banned from international sports for like 40 years or something. So I think banning countries can be a good thing. Iraq had been banned for a year or two right up until Saddam was removed from power.

However, it took FIFA and the International Olympic Committee years to finally ban Iraq though... but that was only after it was discovered that Saddam's regime actually killed some of their athletes (one guy was fed through a shredder of some sort), and then only after the U.S. and human rights organizations complained about it. So FIFA and the IOC didn't do it on their own initiative.

FIFA also doesn't care that Israeli players aren't allowed to play in most Muslim countries. Some Muslim countries have just very recently changed their rules though (like Bahrain and maybe the UAE).

West Ham, a couple of years back, had to leave Yossi Benayoun home in London when it went to train in Dubai (UAE) because Israelis were not allowed in the country by law. Very classy of West Ham.

Hopefully athletes from the West protest day in and day out in Beijing. Would love for the U.S. athletes to walk in the Opening Ceremonies waving Tibetan and Taiwanese flags.

 

FIFA and IOC care about the integrity of the sport; nothing else. South Africa was banned only because non-white athletes were not allowed to participate for their country; Iraq because of govt interference and treatment of players. FIFA and the IOC can't afford to take sides in politics; they do what they can, however, under the guise of protecting the integrity of the sport.

You won't see any teams waving Tibetan flags (and the Taiwan thing is a non-issue; i.e., no one wants to make an issue of it). You might, however, see some countries boycotting the opening ceremonies in protest. That will cause a major loss of face to China, but maintains the integrity of the games.

 

I think we will see athletes waving Tibetan flags or painting "Free Tibet" on their bodies. Der Spiegel has already reported that German athletes are already thinking of ways to protest the Chinese government.

Taiwan is only a non-issue for people who really don't care about Taiwan. It's definitely an issue for the Taiwanese people and anybody who supports the Republic of China. The fact that China threatens to attack Taiwan if it declares independence is definitely anti-Olympic... and is a threat to violate international law.

China didn't know what it was doing when it decided to try and host the Olympics. It's going to be a lovely disaster thanks to lots of pollution and lots of protests.

Can't wait.

 

http://www.slate.com/id/2187280/

Boycott Beijing. Love me some Applebaum.

 

Peking seems to be clueless.
When they adapted the market system, albeit 'Red Army, Inc', they no longer enjoyed the tacit support of the World's Leftist community. If you do bidness with Walmart, you MUST be EVIL. Twenty Five years ago lots of people. like Mia Farrow would have turned their heads.

You could expect the same if Castro started shipping Sugar to Ft Smith Ark, or Citgo/Chavez sold oil to Sam's Club filling stations.

I dont think I'm in favor of a total Boycott. I wasnt in favor of the Russia/US tit-for-tats, either.
There should be SOME demonstration of protest but not total refusal.

 

Don. Um...I was in Provo, UT during the SLC Olympic preparation. "Imminent Domain" was used to buy up some homes in order to make space for new Olympic construction. While done in a more classy manner than what the Chinese did, it amounts to the same thing.

Lyle. The US supports Taiwan and, right now, the status quo is what is best for Taiwan. Taiwan is, for all intents and purposes, independent. As long as it doesn't declare such, China doesn't lose face and isn't "forced" to take action. It doesn't make sense from a Western perspective, but is very Asian. This is why those in the know will be quietly quelling any "make Taiwan independent" protests.

The Tibet issue is of signficance, but I would be opposed to a complete boycott. Boycotting the opening ceremonies will lose China as much face as boycotting the games, but most importantly, the athletes won't be impacted. It may seem crass, as we tend to think of athletes as spoiled prima donas, but the majority of olympic athletes are amateurs, who work for years, practicing in horrible conditions, in order to get a chance to compete at the Olympic games. For most of them, winning is not even their objective - just the very act of representing their county at the Olympics is the embodiment of a dream.

So, let's support the Tibetans by giving the Chinese a slap in the face by boycotting the opening ceremonies, but give those athletes who sacrificed so much for the chance to compete on this stage that opportunity to do so. The Tibetans dreams are being crushed; let's not add to the crime by crushing the dreams of the atheletes, too.

 

I'm not as familiar with the Olympics as most of you are, but what happened in terms of boycotts/protests in relation to the Olympics held in 1936 Berlin when the Nazi Party was in Power?

I know that at the time, the number of countries participating in the games was a record high. I also know that the German fans loved and admired Jesse Owens for what he had accomplished.

It's a totally different situation, yes, as most countries and competitors, especially minorities, attended to disprove the Nazi ideaology. Just wondering if the same thing will happen in China. That is capitalist countries attending to show the Chinese people first hand what benefits such nations have over communist regimes.

 

I think I Might just have discovered the STUPIDEST connection ever made here.. though you've done some doozies!

What is the thread topic? We are talking boycott of sport events as a tool of political pressure, generally and China for their Tibet actions, specifically.
As well as who does the harping on their 'atrocities'... though I may have taken it further than most want to see.

Someone else brought up Taiwan.. I believe Taiwan is small potatos. And recent events, there, make it more so.

And by the way... Richard Gere carrying the left's water on Tibet is a little in the outfield.

 

Don, i have to disagree with you on the "for most athletes...just another event on their annual tour." If that were the case, then why would they go through all the qualifying that is required for "just another event?" The athletes can make a decision on whether or not they want to participate or not. But you can never convince me that winning a gold medal isn't more than just winning the relay at the california invitational.

 

Imminent Domain and what the Chinese do in China are NOT the same thing. Americans actually own real property; whereas Chinese people don't. Americans have due process; whereas Chinese people don't. Americans get compensated fairly; whereas Chinese people don't, and sometimes find themselves beaten, imprisoned, or worse for defending what really is theirs.

So... not the same thing.

Waiving a Taiwanese flag in China is a big deal, since the PRC doesn't recognize China... and because Taiwan is forced to compete ath the Olympics as Chinese Taipei under a made up flag.

Often, when people in Hong Kong protest Chinese governance, there are people who wave Taiwanese flags at the demonstrations. It isn't necessarily about independance, but is more often about freedom of expression. It is done to simply piss off Chinese authorities and to show that people or free to express themselves in Hong Kong.

Whatever any athlete can do to piss off the Chinese government should be done. It doesn't have to be about Tibet, Dafur, Taiwan or Falun Gong. It's about a person's right to protest in public and without fear of imprisonment, death or economic punishment.

I'm not calling for boycott; I'm calling for protest.