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That's true of any host country Paul. Everyone wants their country cast in a golden light, and since the Olympics are about the largest forum for doing that I would think it is one of the biggest reasons why so many countries vie for the honor.

I wasn't saying it isn't political, I doubt anyone is. Btw, what I was referring to by "political" was the penchant people have for using the Olympics as a vehicle to further their political views or whatever political outrage du jeur they are protesting at the moment. What I am saying isn't that the games aren't political, but that they shouldn't be, in that one regard. That's all.

So it's fine for a country to spend billions to promote itself as some "Olympic" ideal. But wrong for others to protest that that country is not so good as it claims.

If the games were not political countries would not spend billions to get them. They would be held in a very different way. They are all about politics. Yes it's sad, but welcome to 2008.

I didn't say that, your words not mine Paul. All I'm saying is the way it is (in which I'm basically agreeing with what you said earlier), and I'm also saying the way it ought to be. It really should be more about the athletes and the spirit of goodwill and friendly competition among all nations... and to a degree it is, but it's also far too overly used and abused as a political arena for furthering "causes", protests, etc.

It's just an observance.

You're getting repetitive now, we've been over this point.

Uh Paul, where have you been? The Olympics have been the world's political whipping post since their inception, from Hitler's little show in the 30's to Munich in '72 to the boycotted games in LA and most of them in between.

I'm saying they should be less political and more about the things I said earlier, as in the atheletes themselves, goodwill, and furthering athletics. If more countries pumped more of their money into sports and less into their militaries this would be a much nicer world to live in.

It actually said in the newspaper 4 billion people watched it. How 4 billion people have access to tv's and watched it I dont know.

But that fact answers the thread on its own. The majority of the world care about the olympics. ( Now thats quite impressive, not many things you can get the majority of the world to watch at the same time. )

Not gonna watch a second of these fucking Olympic games for the sake of human rights. Free tibet!