Make that awe-inspiring golden calf.
As a long-time Atlanta resident, I was here during the 1996 Olympic games. I couldn't afford a ticket to the opening ceremonies, so I watched them on TV. I did attend the India-Pakistan field hockey match, which was fun. And Atlanta ended up with some very nice facilities and a big public park as result.
But I also remember the Centennial Olympic Park bombing, the media crucifixion of Richard Jewell, who just passed away prematurely of a heart attack. And the ineffably ugly blue computer-generated mascot Izzy, which never did quite become a valuable collector's item, much to the chagrin of Olympics memorabilia collectors. (Try looking up "Izzy" on Ebay to see what I mean.)
And I remember how so many ordinary people put up large sums of money for the privilege of setting up vendor booths near Olympic venues in Atlanta but returned home broke because the initial outlay was so high. A couple of my friends from Armenia who worked as stamp designers for the Armenian postal service were flown here at great cost (chiefly, the housing and exhibition space) to participate in the big international stamp exhibit. Armenia is a poor country, and that department apparently lost a lot of money as a result--sales were nowhere near what was promised. The rooms that they rented were in a private house pretty far from downtown. It had dirty linens, and one of them suffered a heatstroke walking around in Atlanta's high heat and humidity.
I also remember those widely reported accusations of IOC bidding irregularities and bribery by the Atlanta committee, and subsequently Salt Lake City. Arguably, these were just a symptom of an underlying chronic disease. To quote the honorable Rep. Henry Waxman: "The culture of greed and corruption that led to the Salt Lake City scandal has been flourishing for years."
And what about that Joan Antoni Samaranch i Torelló, Marquès de Samaranch, eh? Isn't it strange that an unapologetic former member of the Franco regime became president of the IOC for twenty years? But the IOC is above politics, and hey, you have to give the guy credit for turning around the IOC and making it such a profitable venture. Without his deft leadership, the Olympic Games wouldn't be where they are today.
Don't even try to call your games the "Gay Olympics," or we will sue you.
Now as for sponsors, when I think "Olympics" the first thing that comes to mind is Coca-Cola and McDonald's. Just the kind of healthy fare you want your athletic team eating before the big event.
And as for China, I don't blame them at all for wanting to host the Olympics. Any self-respecting authoritarian regime knows perfectly well that the Olympic Games make for great nationalistic propaganda both at home and abroad. Here's a heart-warming quote from an editorial in the June 25 issue of China Daily:
People have their right to know the truth about Tibet. The Tibet autonomous region enjoys great autonomy under the Constitution. There are about 1,780 monasteries and 46,000 monks in Tibet. The Tibetan language is the first language of an ethnic minority in China with international standards.
All these show that the Tibetan traditional culture is well inherited and preserved.
We should not only hear what the Dalai Lama says, but also see what he does.
Only when the Dalai Lama truly stops the plots to split Tibet from China and to sabotage the Olympic Games is he qualified to talk about sincerity.
Damn that plotting, insencere Dalai Lama! The Tibet autonomous region already enjoys great autonomy. Why doesn't that guy stop complaining and making us look bad?
And don't even think about boycotting--you're only hurting the athletes.