Stephen Spielberg quitting as artistic consultant for the Beijing Olympics
February 17, 08 by Ballz SportsAfter Stephen Spielberg quits as artistic consultant for the Beijing Olympics last week, many interesting people have said interesting things. I’m collecting some of them here:
Politics and sports must be linked:
World’s Nobel laureates led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu: "We will continue to watch for concerted and consistent Chinese action to ensure rapid deployment of UN-AU [African Union] peacekeepers, progress in the peace talks, and an end to the use of rape as a weapon of war," the letter said.
Stephen Spielberg: "I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue business as usual. At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies but on doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in Darfur."
Actress Mia Farrow: "Let us hope that Mr. Spielberg’s decisive action will influence other participants, sponsors and supporters of the Olympic Games to speak out. This is the time to increase pressure on China, the host country of the Olympics and, tragically, the underwriter of the Darfur genocide."
Jill Savitt, director of Olympic Dream for Darfur: "We will be targeting the various stages of the torch relay for demonstrations and we plan to be in Beijing during the Games for a demonstration."
Veerle Dejaeghere, Belgian steeplechaser: "The only thing we can do as athletes, is to bring it to people’s attention as much as possible."
Chen Kai, a member of China’s men’s basketball team in the 1970s: "People should remind the Chinese athletes that they are being brainwashed…. The Chinese athletes are nothing but tools and lackeys of the state."
Malloch-Brown, Britian’s minister for Africa: "I have absolutely no doubt that what Spielberg did has made China sit up and take notice. It certainly had the effect of concentrating minds in Beijing and elsewhere.”
Sports, politics don’t mix:
China’s foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao: "We enthusiastically welcome the world’s athletes to come and compete in China… We hope they can interact with the people of China … We hope they have a happy time in China. I believe the people of the world are kind-hearted."
China: "Darfur is not an internal affair of China, nor was it caused by China … "it is utterly unreasonable, irresponsible and unfair to link the two together."
IOC president Jacques Rogge: "I reacted by respecting his decision … I have a lot of respect for Spielberg…. The role of the IOC is to organise the Olympic Games. We are not a sports association nor a political organisation and neither an association with humanitarian goals."
George W. Bush: "There are a lot of issues that I suspect people are going to opine about during the Olympics – the Dalai Lama crowd, you’ve got the global warming folks, you’ve got Darfur. I am not going to go and use the Olympics as an opportunity to express my opinions to the Chinese people in a public way, because I do it all the time with the President."
Italian kayak champion Josefa Idem: "They could have avoided giving the Games to China but now that they’ve decided to go there, I’m against applying pressure for political goals using the skin of the athletes."
Five-times Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson: "Many of these athletes have … no connection to (China) other than they will compete there and represent their own country during what should be one of the greatest moments of their lives…. It should not be assumed that because an athlete competes in Beijing and does not speak out about China’s record that they agree with it or that they don’t care."
Dutch Olympic Committee: "China is ’different…. The committee said if its athletes talk about China individually "they do so in their own name and from their own social commitment."
Sports Minister Milan Zver of Slovenia (President of EU): "Sports is too important…. It is too important to use it as a political instrument."
Chinese Ambassador to Sudan Li Chengwen: "China is very concerned about the crisis in Darfur, and we have been making unremitting efforts to help resolve the crisis
Belgium’s Justine Henin, world’s No. 1 player in tennis: "I really have no opinion on this. I am going there for the Olympics, I am not going there to talk politics," she said. "It is not within my competency to talk about political issues. Everyone has a role and a place."
Zhang, a 64-year-old Beijing resident: "Maybe he’s an important figure in U.S., but here his words carry little weight."
Neither / nor:
Chris Rudge, head of the Canadian Olympic Committee: "We hope they (the athletes) use common sense … They are bright, smart men and women and we have confidence they will conduct themselves in manner that makes Canadians proud."
David Zweig, a China expert at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology: "Beijing must be ready for the possibility of, say, a Tibetan monk setting himself on fire in front of the Beijing Hotel…. They have to think about it very seriously. They are not very adept at handling street protests by foreigners. They’ve never done it."
