I LOVE the Olympics. The last two summer Olympics involved me staying up until unheard of hours of the morning to watch my favorite events (Is there really a 2 o’clock in the AM? Wow!) This year’s games are no different. My favorite athletes of old might not be competing (I’m still upset at Marion Jones, by the way), but there are new names and faces the world over to cheer for throughout the events.
Having the Olympics in China is interesting as well. I think it’s a great opportunity for the country, but I’m still a little uneasy about the international reception. On the one hand, I’m very familiar with China’s long history of sexism – the longstanding one-child policy made boys valuable, as they can financially support their parents through old age. Girls, on the other hand, were often abandoned.
Last night, I watched the women’s gymnastics qualifying rounds. The commentators were excited about the Chinese women’s team, but oddly had to keep telling everyone the young people on screen were actually of legal competition age (16 years old). Some looked younger, and an announcer even referred to one as a “little girl” when she started her run. Not very reinforcing.
There were two parts of the commentary that set my head spinning, though. One was about how much Chinese girls sacrifice to become gymnasts, with the hope a few of them might join the Beijing Acrobatics Troupe if they’re good enough. It completely glanced over the one-child policy and the fact that most of these young women are forced into the sport. Honestly, it makes me wonder if the international community is willing to sweep all of this under the rug just because the Chinese are great at the sport.
The second was a single sentence. As one Chinese competitor finished her routine, the commentor mentioned that, a few years ago, she tried to quit the sport. Her parent’s “forced her to keep going. Aren’t we all glad they did that? That was amazing!” I’m all for parental encouragement when a child wants to participate in a sport, but to force them when they want to do something else is crossing a line. I know people who’s parents forced them to compete and remain in the sport long after they wanted to quit … at 20 their bodies are arthritic, they take pain killers like vitamins, and are virtually unemployable in any other sector. This seriously makes me doubt the “praise” directed towards over-assertive parents in sports, and makes me question, once again, the motivation to accept it.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the Olympics and the spirit of competition. My concerns are about China specifically, and how its unique national culture fits in to the Olympic idea. I’ve had a love-hate relationship with the idea of China for a while; while I’m just as eager to forgive and forget the past in favor of the future, there’s just so much in the present to suggest (at least to me) that the past might not be that far gone.
