We should learn from history
The Bhopal gas tragedy is one of the worst events that could have occurred in any part of the world. This event had caused great discomfort to the Bhopal victims and families. Indians have boycotted the 2012 Olympics to be held in London. The reason is that one of the 12 worldwide partners of the event is Dow Chemical, the company that purchased Union Carbide Corporation in 1999.
The question is has India taken the right step? Should sports be mixed up with politics? Will boycott have a negative impact on Indian sport? Is it right to deny our sportspersons the opportunity to participate in the highest-level sports competition?
The Indians should consider these precedents before making a final decision about participating in Olympics. IOC too should pay attention to these precedents before deciding to support Dow Chemical.
Here are the precedents. Jesse Owens, the African-American athlete participated in 1936 Berlin Olympics despite the Nazi regime's espousal of Aryan supremacy, and bagged four gold medals, discomfiting Adolf Hitler. The most amateur US ice hockey team played the Soviet team, then considered the world's best, at the 1980 Winter Olympics despite the Cold War being in full swing and won. These sportsmen transcended politics and made statements more emphatic than any boycott could have done.
These are also opposite precedents too which India and IOC can fall back on before making final decisions. For instance, in 1970, the ICC members voted to suspend South Africa indefinitely from international cricket competition due to its apartheid policy. Further, in 2003, Zimbabwe cricketers Henry Olonga and Andy Flower protested against the Robert Mugabe government's policies by wearing a black armband in a World Cup match. Thus history is replete with examples where sports bodies and players have more than often come in support of humanitarian and just causes.
So both IOC and Indian sports authorities should consider these above precedents while taking their respective stands. After all, we should learn from history.
The Bhopal gas tragedy is one of the worst events that could have occurred in any part of the world. This event had caused great discomfort to the Bhopal victims and families. Indians have boycotted the 2012 Olympics to be held in London. The reason is that one of the 12 worldwide partners of the event is Dow Chemical, the company that purchased Union Carbide Corporation in 1999.
The question is has India taken the right step? Should sports be mixed up with politics? Will boycott have a negative impact on Indian sport? Is it right to deny our sportspersons the opportunity to participate in the highest-level sports competition?
The Indians should consider these precedents before making a final decision about participating in Olympics. IOC too should pay attention to these precedents before deciding to support Dow Chemical.
Here are the precedents. Jesse Owens, the African-American athlete participated in 1936 Berlin Olympics despite the Nazi regime's espousal of Aryan supremacy, and bagged four gold medals, discomfiting Adolf Hitler. The most amateur US ice hockey team played the Soviet team, then considered the world's best, at the 1980 Winter Olympics despite the Cold War being in full swing and won. These sportsmen transcended politics and made statements more emphatic than any boycott could have done.
These are also opposite precedents too which India and IOC can fall back on before making final decisions. For instance, in 1970, the ICC members voted to suspend South Africa indefinitely from international cricket competition due to its apartheid policy. Further, in 2003, Zimbabwe cricketers Henry Olonga and Andy Flower protested against the Robert Mugabe government's policies by wearing a black armband in a World Cup match. Thus history is replete with examples where sports bodies and players have more than often come in support of humanitarian and just causes.
So both IOC and Indian sports authorities should consider these above precedents while taking their respective stands. After all, we should learn from history.
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