In a standard game of word association, I would expect the Olympics to elicit words and phrases such as “sportsmanship”, “triumph” and “international unity.” The tune seems to have changed this year, however. Instead of the usual Olympic tradition of setting aside differences to cheer on athletes of the world, individuals and organizations from many of the participating countries called for a boycott to protest China’s actions in relation to Darfur and Tibet.

While these actions are deplorable and should be protested, I found myself confused as to why the Olympics should be involved. After all, the international conflicts over Darfur and Tibet are political, while the Olympics are essentially a series of sporting events. Furthermore, an event that stresses international cooperation as much as the Olympics does seems to be the least appropriate venue for political protest.

This is not the first Olympic games to be boycotted. On the contrary, the Olympics has been adversely affected by politics several times. The most infamous games are perhaps the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin and the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The Berlin games were boycotted by many due to the fact that participating in the games might have been considered support for the Nazi regime and its policies. The 1972 games were marred by a terrorist attack in which 11 Israeli athletes were kidnapped and killed. Although the current situation is less extreme, we can take these historical cues for what they are--a warning of what happens when the Olympics and politics clash.

Olympic drama, both good and bad, is timeless. People around the world remember decades-old moments of glorious triumph and epic failure as if they happened yesterday. The boycott is sure to be one of the great moments in Olympic drama history, but there has been so much in the 2008 games that is more worth remembering them by. I do not want to remember these games as “the boycotted Olympics.” I would rather think back on Michael Phelps’ eight gold medals or the Swedish wrestler who threw away his bronze because he wanted gold. I would even prefer to think about the scandal over the underage gymnasts—at least that scandal had something to do with the actual games. I want to remember the Olympics for the games themselves, not for the politics of the time.

However, what’s done is done, and the people who were serious about protesting boycotted the games. Perhaps they even got their message across to someone in the Chinese government who can do something to help the situation. The world may be lucky enough to see a change for the better in the coming years, but whether Olympic protesters will have been behind it is anyone’s guess.