I personally love the spirit of the Olympics, in that countries from all around the world join together to celebrate sport and unity. If only the politics could be set aside - but they never can.

I have just watched sportsmen and women from all around the world including USA, UK, Afghanastan share a world stage. They set an example to us all. At the end of the day we are all human beings. Our race does not determine the type of person we are. We do not choose where we are born but often have to live with the scar of our national history and politics.

I am not niave to the struggles of the Chinese way of life and the inequalities in China, but they are now on the national stage which will only highlight these differences and put the issues on the global agenda.

I am in awe of their ability to stage the most fantastic opening ceremony I have ever seen and I look forward to the next 3 weeks.

I embrace the unity of the Olympics.

Spirit of the Olympics? Unity? What you been smoking?

eikonoklastes said:

Nothing, just an optimist, hoping for a perfect world

Make not

tiadalma said:

I just watched the opening ceremonies on TV, and they were awesome. I couldn't imagine what it would have been like to see them live.

On a more serious note, it was awkward to see the Russian Olympic delegation come into the stadium, followed sometime later by the Georgian delegation. I know that the athletes have nothing to do with the horrific political and military events going on in their home countries, but I hope that the animosity doesn't spread to the athletes themselves.



BTW, this probably deserves a sticky.

The incident happened after the final of the women's 10m Air Pistol shooting event where Natalia Paderina, ironically a soldier in the Russian army, took silver ahead of Georgia's Nino Salukvadze, who took bronze.

"This is a small victory for my people," said the 39-year-old Salukvadze from Tbilisi who has known Paderina since their early days in competition.

"When it comes to sport, we will always remain friends and nothing will come between our friendship.

"If the world were to draw any lessons from what we do, there wouldn't be any wars. We live in the 21st century after all and we shouldn't stoop so low as to wage wars.

Salukvadze, a gold medallist in Seoul in 1988, was visibly moved by the shared embrace with both women warmly kissing one another on the cheek as China's gold medal winner Guo Wenjun looked on.

"There should be no hatred between between athletes and people in general. We'll leave it to the politicians to figure it out," added the Georgian.

Paderina, a 32-year-old Russian soldier from Yekaterinburg, said she and Salukvadze had always been close on tour. In fact, they were both once teammates together under the old Soviet Union flag.

"We are friends," she said. "We've been shooting together for a long time. We don't get mixed up in political things. Sport is beyond politics."

The Georgian admitted she was worried that she might not make the event after leaders of her 35-strong delegation had discussed withdrawing from the Olympics in protest at the escalating bloodshed over the disputed border region of South Ossetia, which may have already claimed around 2,000 lives.

It took the direct intervention of Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili in the early hours of Sunday morning to persuade the delegation to remain in China.

"Yesterday I thought the Georgian Olympic team might withdraw," said Salukvadze.

"Last night, the President called and told us we had better stay in Beijing. We couldn't sleep. We were up until one or two o'clock in the morning. All we could think of was Georgia."

Meanwhile, Russia's world number four tennis player Nikolay Davydenko, lashed out at President Saakashvili.

"I don't want to support Russia, Georgia or Abkhazia, but I think Georgia is doing a stupid thing by making war during the Olympic Games," said Davydenko after securing his place in the singles second round on Sunday.

Davydenko said he had many Georgian friends, including fellow player Irakli Labadze.

"I have Georgian friends, I'm very good friends with Labadze and his parents live in Tbilisi," he said.

"Georgian people are very nice and very funny. I think the problem is with the president of Georgia and that's it. Only one man who is deciding everything for his country. I have no problem with the people of Georgia."

On Sunday, both Georgia and Russia assured the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that they would remain at the Games while, on Wednesday, the two teams will come face-to-face in a women's beach volleyball match.

"We are going to play this match," Georgia team spokesman Guiorgui Tchanishvili told AFP.

"We are going to play with more passion against all countries including Russia

It gives you faith in the human race

Please post on olympics sticky link posted by mach located within this thread, thanks.