Mistakes of Olympian proportions

Posted By Blake Hounshell Wednesday, August 8, 2007 - 9:55 AM Share

GUANG NIU/Getty Images News

How polluted is Beijing?

The air quality in "Greyjing" is so bad, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req'd), that International Olympic President Jacques Rogge is considering postponing several sporting events at the 2008 Summer Games—which begin one year from today—if China doesn't clean up its act. (This contradicts what a top Olympics official said back in July, by the way.)

Much ink has been spilled about how human-rights advocates are using the Olympics to embarrass the Chinese government. (Just now, Canadian pro-Tibet activists got in trouble for hanging a cheeky banner on the Great Wall.) The air-pollution issue only raises further questions about the wisdom of picking China to host the 2008 Olympics.

But Beijing '08 isn't the only questionable decision the International Olympic Committee has made in recent years. Did you know that for the 2014 Winter Games, the IOC chose a Russian resort town just a short drive from ... get this ... Chechnya?

Paul Sonne argues in Gold, Silver, and Brazen, a new Web-exclusive piece for FP, that it's high time the IOC started taking politics into account in making its selections. After all, he says, politics inevitably comes into the picture, so the IOC might as well make smarter choices. Check it out.

EXPLORE:CHINA, ENVIRONMENT, POLITICS, RUSSIA, SPORTS

Passport, FP’s flagship blog, brings you news and hidden angles on the biggest stories of the day, as well as insights and under-the-radar gems from around the world.