Olympics in Crisis? A Self Inflicted Wound by the IOC

Interesting. As embarrassing protests follow the Olympic flame around the world, the International Olympic Committee now declares the present situation to be a "crisis". But whose fault is this anyway? Maybe theirs.

A good argument can be made that China, one of the worlds worst human rights abusers, should never have been given the Olympic Games in the first place. Any embarrassment that China gets over this is well deserved. One good thing that will come out of this is that it will cast a spotlight on China's long record of human rights abuses.

Excerpt from MSNBC article on the topic:

BEIJING - IOC president Jacques Rogge said Thursday the turmoil surrounding the Beijing torch relay and the politically charged buildup to the Summer Games posed a "crisis'' for the Olympic movement.

Rogge urged China to respect its "moral engagement'' to improve human rights and to fulfill promises of greater media freedom. He reaffirmed the right of free speech for athletes at the Beijing Games.