Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., August 10, 2008 Av 9, 5768 | | Israel Time: 02:41 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

On the couch / Men and women in action, not cherubs By Jerrold Kessel So the Beijing Games are upon us at last, another of those wonderful four-year opportunities to revel in excellence, the chance to laud the unimaginable in human endeavor, commitment and physical skill, a fortnight to uplift spirits, to lift us out of the ordinary in celebration of the extraordinary. I greet the Games, however, a chastened man. Ever since the International Olympic Committee decided to award the Games to Beijing and allow the Chinese their coming-out party as the superpower of the 21st century, I admit to an innate hostility. Then along comes a single TV report, and moral certitude is destroyed in a stroke. Advertisement Zion Nanos of Channel 2 was out in the Beijing streets with the huge crowds who'd waited hour upon long hour in the heat and smog in the hope of catching just a glimpse of the Olympic torch on the final leg of its journey to today's opening ceremony. All the cant harbored with affection is rudely shoved aside by Zion's hardy Chinese declaring the significance of the day, desperate to inform the world that they are not the enemy but "just like people everywhere," telling us how important it was for them to be part of this historic moment. But, protested Zion, you saw the Olympic flame pass by for precisely two seconds - surely you felt cheated for the long hours spent in the blazing sun? Oh, absolutely not, said a smiling young man in halting but understandable English, "I feel privileged." There was another splendid little insight in the report: When a phalanx of blue-suited policemen try (unsuccessfully) to keep a tight rein on the crowd and seek to shove them out of the way, the patient people of Beijing proceed to take them on, several remonstrating that they'd been waiting for hours. They simply would not be moved. "It was something you'd have been most unlikely to witness before these Olympics," observed Zion wisely, "regular Chinese folk prepared to go toe to toe with security people." For the Olympics to be able to live up to our high expectations, I'd also been arguing for a curtailing of the overbearing stress on national pride - on hosting nations attempting to project themselves to the world in the best possible light through their games. Contesting that there is no such thing as "China's Games," that there really should be no specific nation's games - the Olympics belong to us all, and any attempt by the hosts to co-opt them in the service of national interests is misguided at best, disastrous at worst, and in any event an affront to the universal Olympic spirit. Now comes Zion and his people on the streets and I have to concede that IOC President Jacques Rogge, much criticized for the original decision to award the games to Beijing, might have been right after all when he predicted that these Olympics are going to be "a catalyst for change in China, a force to promote social evolution in China." The fortnight ahead offers us an all-embracing opportunity to test these rival views about the educational and moral standards of sports. For that, of course, we need to take the Olympics seriously, dedicating ourselves not only to willing on and cheering on those who represent flag and motherland, but to seeing whether the Olympics are indeed as inspirational as they were intended to be by their ancient and modern creators alike. This ambitious purpose is problematic on two very perfunctory levels: Scope: Yes, it's true that over 30 different sports are being contested, but why not go wider still? Recently, a row erupted over whether Japanese commercial interests had, through astutely delivered bribes, prompted the inclusion of a special kind of event in the cycling competition. In contrast, one can literally hear the gnashing of baseballers' teeth and the grinding of softballers' gums over the fact that from 2012 in London, the Games will be shorn of their favorite sports. Include them all, I say. Rather than limiting the number of sports in the Olympics, why not spread the net to encompass just as many sports as possible? Not so far perhaps as such weird and wonderful events at the tug-of-war, club swinging, underwater swimming without taking a stroke and pigeon shooting (all of which you may be surprised to hear were once in the Olympics), but certainly for the inclusion of genuine contemporary favorites like baseball, golf, rugby, cricket and squash. Phil Mickelson was spot on when insisting that golf has enough of a global following to merit inclusion: "Having golf an Olympic sport is exponentially more important to our game than the Majors," said Phil before teeing off as favorite in yesterday's PGA. Time span: Even as we settle into our seats in anticipation of a thrilling fortnight's viewing, why not admit up front that two weeks are far too short. Similarly, four years are too long to have to wait for the world's greatest sporting jamboree to come round again. What about the Games every other year and for a full month? Bookmark to del.icio.us   Going for the gold Israel's athletes made a forceful debut on the opening day of the Olympic Games. Cooking vs. driving As Ramadan nears, Hamas bans the use of cooking gas to fuel vehicles in the Gaza Strip.

Read & React Israel slams Turkey over Ahmadinejad plan to visit Responses: 116 Israel: We'll hold Lebanon responsible for Hezbollah's actions Responses: 272 PRC: Open crossings within 3 weeks or we'll end Gaza truce Responses: 73 Ze'ev Sternhall: Burying the Jewish state between Hebron and Yitzhar Responses: 85 Ultra-Orthodox 'Modesty Guard' suspected in beating of J'lem woman Responses: 106 More Headlines 01:23 Officials: Olmert failed to dispel graft suspicions in 5th round of questioning 02:07 Putin defends Russia's Ossetia incursion, slams Georgia over 'genocide' 23:27 Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish dies after heart surgery 00:09 Putin to Peres: Russia doesn't want a nuclear armed Iran 00:15 Beijing Olympics / Israel shows its mettle even without a medal 20:33 Gaza militants fire Qassam rocket into western Negev 15:21 U.S. Jewish congressman beats opponent who linked him to KKK 20:51 Diplomats: Syria blocks new visit by nuclear watchdog 20:35 INTERVIEW / Top U.S. general lays foundation for Palestinian state 07:46 EU tightens sanctions against Iran over nuke program 03:28 Anti-Semitic graffiti prompts Sarkozy's son to take legal action 17:29 As Ramadan nears, Hamas bans use of cooking gas to fuel cars in Gaza 22:38 VIDEO / Ultra-Orthodox 'Modesty Guard' suspected of beating Jerusalem woman Previous Editions Select Day 08 aug 07 aug 06 aug 05 aug 04 aug 03 aug 01 aug 31 jul 30 jul 29 jul 28 jul 27 jul

Special Offers Advertisement Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Isaac Maimon at Dreamshoppe Special summer sale. Make an offer now. You will be surprised. MBA in Israel in English APPLY NOW! Limited spaces available Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Yossi Avrahami Presents: New Luxurious Projects in North Tel Aviv & Eilat Your vacation starts here Israel Travel Center Guaranteed Lowest Rates Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved