By Xiong Lei (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-04-10 07:28

Seven years ago, when the International Olympic Committee granted Beijing the honor to host the 29th Summer Olympic Games, I was among a handful of dissidents in China who were not too pleased.

While I still have my reservations - Beijing is not environmentally ready for such an event - I have decided to do my part to contribute to the Games.

This change, ironically, is due to a handful of people in the world who are not only making noises against the Beijing Olympics, but also agitating to spoil it.

Even though not every Chinese is very passionate about the event, me included, millions of our people are enthusiastically reaching out to the world to make the Games a success. I do not think any one has the right to disregard this enthusiasm, and deprive the Chinese of the pleasure to play host to the world.

Some people have caused and will continue to cause trouble as witnessed at the torch launching ceremony, and the current torch relay, to steal the show and annoy people determined to hold a successful Games. These people are behaving like "hijackers".

I wonder if those who are backing such protests have thought about the rights of the majority of Chinese people, comprising 56 ethnic groups. Humiliated by the aggressions of foreign powers since the late 1830s, the Chinese people did not win national liberation until 1949, and today, a country capable of hosting the Olympic Games.

But this was not without overcoming certain obstacles. A blockade was imposed on the New China for more than two decades. The People's Republic of China was only able to make its Olympic debut in 1984, 35 years after its founding.

Now that China has been entrusted by the IOC to host the Olympic Games, there has been an eruption of annoying scenes and threats of a boycott over various allegations.

It is pointless to explain to these agitators that Tibet has been part of China long before the United States came into being. It is pointless to tell them China has no troops other than peace-keeping units under the United Nations in a foreign land. It is pointless to let them see that China's overseas investment is but a tiny fraction of the Western powers.

Those who wave flags and chant for rights are deaf to our voices and blind to these facts.

What is wrong with the Chinese people's wish to host an Olympic Games? Do we not have the right to stage such an event at home?

Obviously, the agitators are ignoring these rights of ours.

As an anonymous Chinese netizen remarked: "It is alright for someone to seek their own interests, but it is shameless if they seek personal gains under a seemingly noble banner. And it is disgusting if they do so by hurting others."

Those trying to hijack the Beijing Olympics are the shameless and disgusting people, said the netizen.

These hijackers have only enhanced my enthusiasm for the Games. After all, it is the first time our nation is going to host such a great event, and I wish to join my compatriots, it is history in the making.

Those who are trying to hijack the Beijing Olympics are behaving like clowns, they will gain nothing. It will be fun to watch their farce from the first row of the arena.

These agitators have incurred nothing but resentment from ordinary Chinese and people standing for justice around the world.

I am glad they are helping to improve the public relations efforts of our government, and its crisis management. Pretty soon our officials will learn to take things easy and smile, just like when confronted with unusual dishes at a banquet. Such dishes, though odd, can make for humor.

And I sincerely hope that by the time of the Games, our environment would have improved.

The author is a council member of the China Society for Human Rights Studies

(China Daily 04/10/2008 page8)