Sport, human rights and postcolonialism: the 2008 beijing olympic games

Introduction

When the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made its decision that Beijing awarded the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games in July 2001, it prompted criticism around the world because of China’s poor human rights record. In the debates of human rights, China poses great challenges to human rights in theory and practice. In practice, China is considered, by the measure of most Western countries, to have a patchy record of protecting individuals’ human rights. In the theoretical realm, Chinese intellectual and government officials have challenged the idea that the term "human rights" can be universally understood in one single way and have often opposed attempts by Western countries to impose international standards on Asian countries. Chinese official has claimed that countries can have different concepts of human rights and we ought not demand that countries comply with human rights concepts different from their own (Angle, 2002: 1). It raises debates between human rights and Asian values under the notion of postcolonialism. Accordingly, few questions will be considered in this paper. Can sport tackle human rights? How was/is human rights in postcolonial China? Can we forget the Chinese human rights before and within the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games? How were/are human rights in Chinese sports? In attempting to illustrate these issues, this chapter will examine the following objectives: (i) Sport and human rights; (ii) Human rights in Chinese sport; and (iii) Human rights, postcolonialism and the 2008 Olympic Games

Methods

This paper examines the development of Chinese sport and the process of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games through the notion of human rights and postcolonialism. The central analysis and approach of this paper is the synthesis of theories, data and historical evidence, which makes a critical review and contribution in the study of Chinese sport.

Results

Significantly this paper has concerned itself with the development of sport and human rights in postcolonial China. It has attempted to illustrate throughout this study that the development of sport was involved in and did influence the modernization of China. It also has encompassed some of the most basic questions that might be asked concerning Chinese cultural identity, sport, human rights and postcolonialism.

Discussion / Conclusions

This work does not claim to provide a comprehensive theoretical discussion or a complete analysis of sport in modern China’s social development. At a much more basic level this work has been concerned with: (i) providing a theoretically guided analysis of human rights; (ii) highlighting the development of human rights and sport in modern China; (iii) treating the analysis of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as a tool of Chinese government and (iv) establishing a contribution to an analysis of sport in China through the notions of human rights and postcolonialism.

Primary documents: Universal Declaration of Human Rights .

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