The New Sporting Super Power

The recently concluded Olympics in Beijing must be both an eye opener and a threat to America. There emerges a new sporting super power and that's none other than China. I distinctly recall the backlash and hatred towards this only surviving communist power (there are many more but not as powerful as China)just before the start of Olympics on two fronts: One, the much coveted Tibet issue and a worldwide protest and false propaganda against China. Once the Tibet Issue got a little sublime, the whole of sporting community (mostly from the nations opposing China Americas and Europe) stood against the dragon nation on the pollution front.

There were many heads of the nations (sitting in the Bird's Nest - the national stadium as it was popularly known) who either threatened to pull out of Olympics completely or showed their unwillingness to join the opening ceremony of the games. But ultimately it was the might of the China which reigned supreme over any other wish. Hu Jintao, the Chinese President hosted a banquet lunch for some 80 state heads - many of whom must be feeling high and dry in the absence of any strong point to criticize him and/or his country. These heads of states included every possible strongest leader one can recall. India, though not represented by its PM, also saw Sonia Gandhi, the chairperson of the ruling UPA coalition standing in the VIP stands and waiving her hands to cheer the Indian contingent. Hu Jintao, in his speech said, "holding the Olympics is the long-cherished wish of the Chinese people."

And then started the saga of Chinese dominance in the 29th Olympic games. From the day one till the end, the country didn't disappoint over 1.3 billion Chinese nationals and at the end it became clear that China and not the USA or Britain or any other nation, is the new sporting super power. Winning 51 gold medals (total 100) was still not a big deal but with the mission of defeating every possible opponent on their soil, China gave a perfect example of a nice host and the most competitive nation.

Look what Washington Post has to say about this success: Indeed, the 2008 Games seemed likely to go down as a political as well as an athletic victory for China, reinforcing the image of party leaders as adroit managers of the world's largest nation on a double-step march toward greater prosperity. In the view of the Chinese, the appearance of dozens of foreign leaders during the Games, including President Bush, meant the world had effectively endorsed the Communist Party's rule, despite its continued political repression (this is the true American view on China).

The praise to an otherwise enemy nation doesn't stop there. "The party state was clearly a winner in the eyes of the people," said David Shambaugh, a George Washington University China specialist who was in Beijing for the Games and who wrote a recently published book on the Chinese Communist Party.

"The emphasis on China's national achievements was intense, responding to guidance from the Central Propaganda Department as well as spontaneous pride. The U.S. lead in the overall medal count was nearly ignored, for instance, in favor of China's winning tally of gold. In another example of the tone, the headline over a story on the success of Australia's Matthew Mitcham in a diving competition Thursday read: "Mitcham Ruins China's Clean Sweep in Diving." concludes the Washington Post article posted at (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26374226/).

Imagine how the country prepared itself for this mega event and how they made it a good occasion to plan a showdown for the western world (specially the countries opposing China and its so-called Anti-people government). Very smartly China managed the Tibetan protesters too. China designated three parks for approved protests during the 2008 Olympics and officials say they received 77 applications. None were approved. And why should it be approved. Tibet, I strongly feel, is an internal matter of China and it has all right to manage its territories. Millions of people in India will disagree with me on this point. I have been always of the opinion that Tibet is one bone of contention ruining the Sino-Indian relations. We have given shelter to the Tibetan government in exile (The Dalai Lama and his gang) and look what's happening in Dharamshala (the seat of Tibetan government in exile in Himachal Pradesh) and areas adjacent to it. Indians are treated as outsiders there. I have personally experienced it. What do we want to tell the whole world? On Tibet issue every country, including the ones like France and the US tried to pull the strings. So much so that the Olympic Committee was feeling threatened of sponsor back out. But what came out after the games was not only a flawless arrangement in a free-from-pollution environment but also a triumphant China which one most gold medals - a tight slap on the propagandists who told the world in as many words that China can't do it.