Olympic Games: Competition between Countries or Not?

I told you in my last blog; the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympic will be SPECTACULAR! Millions of fireworks soaring high around the city and magnificent pageantry of technology until the very end. I forgot that I have been avoiding into buying products that are made in China, because I found them to easily break. Definitely, the opening ceremony was the BEST of all Olympic ceremonies that I watched.

During the ceremony, I thought about the goal of having an Olympic Games. Is it a competition between athletes or countries?

Chapter 1, Article 6 of the Olympic Charter states, 'the Olympic Games are competition between athletes or team team events and not between countries.' The statement doesn't hold up to what I have been seeing during the games. Why? I tell you why.

1. Medal standing are tallied by countries
2. The country's National Anthem of the gold medalist is played during the medal ceremony, and
3. Many countries have now been recruiting foreign athletes with the hope of bringing glory to their land.

Qatar and Bahrain are states in the SW Asia that recruit Kenyan long distance runner and Bulgarian weightlifters. Israel has recruited world-class athletes, too. So does Australia and a few European countries. Is this not against Chapter 1, Article 6? It seems that countries are doing this, because of their want to earn a medal during the game.

"What we don't like is athletes lured by large incentives by other countries and giving them a passport when they arrive at the airport," Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said just before the Athens Olympics, four years ago. However, if we really look at what is going on, these recruited athletes are lured to compete for these countries for money. Their lack of proficiency in the language of the host culture is just comparative to have given them a passport when they arrive at the airport.

What's your take on this issue, my friend?