Mentioned in the Olympic Charter are great principles; respect for universal ethics, harmonious development of man and peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity, sport is at the service of humanity and thereby promotes peace. All very laudable aspirations, not unlike the charter of human rights, and the charter of Humanbeings.
 We hear calls for politics not to be interfering with sport but this line cannot be upheld. The whole Olympic movement has been overtaken with vast commercial interests, never more so than this year in Bejing, with huge sponsorship coming from the major wetern capitalist corporations, itching to make inroads into China’s vast population of consumers and China’s new direction towards embracing some of those capitalist ideologies. And China itself, at present a one party autocratic government trying to keep its people super nationalistic, patriotic and proud of their party and country. They are looking to make their mark politically, commercially and sporting at their Olympic games.
The last thing China needs or wants is the eye of the world, the republic of conscience, looking at Tibet and questioning its human rights record.
This is exactly the right time. Those of us who care about fundamental human rights, in this the 50th anniversary year of the charter, should make as much noise and create as many waves as we can to highlight the injustices being perpetrated, not just in China but in Daifur, Zimbabwe and anywhere else human beings are being denied freedom.