Susan Brownell: Beijing Olympics FAQ #2: Would a boycott succeed?
Source: China Beat (2-1-08) [Susan Brownell is the author of Training the Body for China, which is widely recognized as the single best work by a scholar on Chinese sports.] I can say with some certainty that in the current geopolitical climate, calls for an Olympic boycott will be unsuccessful – though I suppose they make for good headlines. The advocacy groups who are calling for boycotts have no direct control over the organization of the Olympic Games. In order for a boycott to succeed, the organizations that would have to support it are 1) the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and/or 2) the 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs for short) that are planning to send athletes to the Games which would result from pressure from their national governments. Some pundits raise the 1936 Berlin Olympics as an example of an Olympics that should have been boycotted. However, if you study the history of the IOC after those games, it appears that the “Hitler Games” actually strengthened the
