I do not believe that North Korea should be allowed into the Olympic Games. Period.
I have voiced this opinion to many people in the last two weeks, and it seems like I am the only person who feels this way. To be clear, it is not because I hate North Korea and believe that they should be ostracised more than they already are. Allowing North Korea to partake hurts the people, the athletes, and the country.
Most will argue that the Olympic Games is apolitical, and hence should include all countries. I disagree. The Olympic Games have always been political – who are we kidding? There are so many historical examples. To name a few — South Africa was booted from the Games from 1960 to 1992 because of Apartheid. The iconic image of Tommie Smith and John Carlos giving the Black Power salute at the 1968 Mexico Games. The boycott of over 60 countries in the 1980 Moscow Games to protest the invasion of Afghanistan. Even this year at London, the IOC banned Syrian officials from attending the Games.
If countries have boycotted and have been banned from the Games in the past for egregious violations of the Olympic spirit, then what message is the IOC and the global community giving to the DPRK? We are saying that racism is not alright, invading others is not okay, shelling your own people is not cool. But 200,000 people in concentration camps enduring torture and hard labour is fine, shelling your neighbours and threatening them with nuclear missiles is acceptable, and forceful abortions and infanticide is nothing to be alarmed about.
The question many would ask is ‘where do we draw the line?’ Do we exclude Iran? What about Russia? I think the line should be drawn at North Korea. I cannot think of any other country that voluntarily remains in such a terrible political, economic, and social condition. If you can think of another example, please let me know.
Another concern is regarding DPRK’s resources. This year, the country won three gold and a bronze medal in weight-lifting. According to NPR, an average weight lifter consumes around 2,800 to 6000 calories per day. This is bafflling, since the average caloric intake of a North Korean is less than 400 calories per day. The country has been plagued by chronic famine for over a decade. Creating Olympians also requires infrastructure and coaches. I hold the opinion that the country’s resources should be used more efficiently, but will never do so as long as it is able to compete in the Olympics.
Also, if the rumours are true about North Korean Olympians being assigned time in labour camps after less-than-perfect performances, isn’t the IOC perpetuating North Korea’s reign of terror?
Patterns in North Korea’s behaviour has shown that it is always looking for legitimacy within and outside of its borders. Allowing them into the Olympic Games gives them exactly what they want, because it provides the opportunity to be on a level playing field with other nations. Sports are not political per se but when athletes represent nation states, a political unit, it definitely becomes political.
The IOC needs to step up if it is sincere about ‘building a better world through sport’. It needs to realise that creating a sporting convention does not improve the world. However, the IOC has the publicity and the political sway to do something.
I will be the first to admit that my proposition to bar North Korea from the Olympic Games is highly improbable. But if Tokyo is chosen over Madrid and Istanbul as the host for the 2020 Olympic Games, something will have to change. My hope is, it will be North Korea.
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Yoonah, you are absolutely right. People have been myopic. It’s less known that North Korea is involved in sponsoring terrorism and directly affects the rest of the world now that it has nuclear capability. It’s impoverished society means that such a tyranny is likely to move in the wrong direction further still.
In short the question you raised occured to me and you are not alone. It is shameful of the IOC and world leaders not to have made some symbolic protest, at least. But hey, they wouldn’t give a minute silence to the Israeli athletes families murdered in 1972 iat the Munich Games and the history of the games has had its fair share of dubious Nazi types running it.
Yoonah, the decision to disallow South Africa from attending the Olympics was a mistake, and a mistake should not be used to justify blocking North Korea from the Olympics.
RE Syria, it was their IOC officials who were banned from coming to the games. Their athletes were allowed to compete. RE the black power salute in 1968, the three athletes involved (so including the Australian Peter Norman) were heavily criticised in their home countries. Peter Norman was not allowed to compete in 1972 and was such an outcast afterwards that even in 2000, he was not given any role in the Sydney Olympics (though I am not saying this was right).
The Olympics are apolitical. Picking a few examples where this rule has been broken does not legitimise your argument.
Your blurb claims you graduated with honours in International Relations – you would know then that “nations” are not necessarily political units at all, and your failure to understand this again undermines your argument extensively.
Are they apolitical? Was not the 1936 Olympics, Hitler’s flagship to show off the prowess of the “master race”? (which bacfired when a black US athlete outran the world , by the name of Owens.That’s extreme politics and it is there all the time.
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