Tokyo Summer Olympic Games 2020 News

[Monzanator 3,592]

1 minute ago, Dragon said:

Back at the start of the 80s the South African Apartheid government used to squeal about keeping politics out of sport.

Forty years later people on both sides of the argument now accept the sporting boycott of South Africa was very important in stopping the subjugation of black people in the country and allowing Mandela to become President,

 

And Great Britain was one of the few countries that supported the Apartheid government by staging the international rugby test matches vs South Africa

[Dragon 1,690]

2 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

 

And Great Britain was one of the few countries that supported the Apartheid government by staging the international rugby test matches vs South Africa

Absolutely right. GBR were one of the worst culprits but that's the problem with having a very conservative government back then,

They were too cowardly to put honest sport over dirty money.

[thiago_simoes 1,359]

2 hours ago, Monzanator said:

Those pieces of land actually fund these athletes. If they didn't, Olympics would be only possible for children of millionaires (and then you'd have to ask where those millions would come from?)

So, you have to admit that most athletes depend on politics to even train. There's absolutely no way sports and politics can be separated.

[Monzanator 3,592]

5 minutes ago, Dragon said:

Absolutely right. GBR were one of the worst culprits but that's the problem with having a very conservative government back then,

They were too cowardly to put honest sport over dirty money.

 

The test matches were held when both Tory & Labour governments were in charge so both these parties must have supported Apartheid IMO.

[Monzanator 3,592]

2 minutes ago, thiago_simoes said:

So, you have to admit that most athletes depend on politics to even train. There's absolutely no way sports and politics can be separated.

It's down to countries not politics. In every single country taxpayers fund the governments to begin with - and every single rotten politician in the world.

 

No government has its own money - they take it from their citizens.

 

Politicians without citizens they can take advantage of are worthless. Absolutely worthless.

[Dragon 1,690]

4 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

 

The test matches were held when both Tory & Labour governments were in charge so both these parties must have supported Apartheid IMO.

No, you're wrong. The Labour Government in 1977 help draft the Gleneagles Agreement helping to isolate Apartheid South Africa from international sport.

At the same time, the Conservative party were still taking large contributions from people involved in the South African government,

[Monzanator 3,592]

4 minutes ago, Dragon said:

No, you're wrong. The Labour Government in 1977 help draft the Gleneagles Agreement helping to isolate Apartheid South Africa from international sport.

At the same time, the Conservative party were still taking large contributions from people involved in the South African government,

 

Harold Wilson was the Labour Party PM when South Africa played at Twickenham in 1969? So yeah, both parties were in on it.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969–70_South_Africa_rugby_union_tour_of_Britain_and_Ireland

[Vektor 3,195]

1 hour ago, Olympian1010 said:

If the Olympic Games were apolitical athletes wouldn’t not represent political entities, hear the song of a political entity upon winning an event, or parade under the flag of a political entity. Athletes would not be allowed to trade pins representing political entities, wear a uniform that displays the colors/flag/symbols of a political entity, or speak in any manner about a political entity. The International Olympic Committee would not hold elections for positions, and would instead run like a private business. Governing bodies representing political entities would no longer be allowed to be member federations of international federations. The International Olympic Committee wouldn’t sing a host agreement with a local, regional, or national political body, and would instead sign agreements with private companies, individual venues, and individual vendors. The Olympic Games would not be opened by the head of a political entity, but rather by the head of the IOC or LOC.

You know what the difference is between those political things you listed and all other kinds of activism? The former is the same for everyone, we all get to see our nation compete and get to hear our anthem when our athletes win, it's part of the Olympics being a "parade of nations" where we all get together at a supposedly neutral event with the hosting nation getting some additional perks. It's in the fundamental nature of the Games. But you know what it isn't? Making exceptions for a few chosen nations because they are deemed special.

 

If athletes want to make a statement at the Games, do it with the one way that has been allowed since the start: by winning medals. That's what this event is for. If it was enough for Hungarian athletes in 1956, it sure should be enough for everyone. 

[Dragon 1,690]

1 minute ago, Monzanator said:

 

Harold Wilson was the Labour Party PM when South Africa played at Twickenham in 1969? So yeah, both parties were in on it.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969–70_South_Africa_rugby_union_tour_of_Britain_and_Ireland

The year when left wing students protested so much that the Labour Party changed their policy from tolerating South African sporting visitors to actively opposing them,

[Monzanator 3,592]

1 minute ago, Dragon said:

The year when left wing students protested so much that the Labour Party changed their policy from tolerating South African sporting visitors to actively opposing them,

 

Too late to rewrite history books though. The fact the matches happened on English soil makes it look even worse.