Should the Olympics be boycotted?

The boycott debate, Thomas Hahn writes, highlights "how sport sees itself in the conflicts of the present: namely as a world apart that wants to remain untouched by outside influences unless they bring money. ... It's less about messages and more about markets, and sport as a product that owes much of its appeal to a harmonious image - an ideal combination of values and mass entertainment. The freedom to develop this product profitably is a desirable commodity. Political freedom restricts this freedom in situations of doubt. Sport and China are quite similar to each other in their pragmatic attitudes. This explains why seven years ago the IOC awarded the games to a nation that represented a market with exploding growth, but not human rights and a clean environment. There's nothing we can do to change this decision now."

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