Let the Games— ...er, Let the Boycotts Begin! 

Thursday, August 9, 2001 - WORLD

Ok, I admit I cheated on the last article, "2008 Summer Olympics, the Good News for Dogs"; there really wasn't a whole lot of good news, only an incorporeal theory and a vague proposal for a solution.  Well, read on; here it comes.

"I'm all ears," says Mickey the dog.

It's all about money.  It's about the Chinese government's promise of $2 billion (USD) for housing venues, $3.7 billion for traffic improvements and $800 million for health and communications upgrades.  It's also about the $60 million sponsorship fee that each Olympic sponsor pays to get in on the game.

Whoa—hang on a minute.  Each sponsor (and there are a lot) pays $60 million just to be able to say that they're a sponsor?  Yes, and then there's also their advertising dollars, promotions and all the spoils of commercialism that money can buy.

So hold on to that thought while I tell you a story...

nce upon a time the Pepsi-Cola Company decided to advertise in Mexican bullfighting rings.  But it was only a matter of time before the company learned that it wasn't exactly a healthy image, having bulls being violently tortured in front of Pepsi logos.  After enough complaints reached corporate ears, Pepsi bowed to the consumer power and pulled its entire sponsorship and all its advertising from the arenas.

When Pepsi pulled out, the other multinational companies got the message and did likewise.  The bullfighting industry was dealt a staggering blow from which it may never recover, and the moral of the story is: The best way to solve a problem is to stop giving it money.

Now back to the Olympics.  So what if the Olympic Committee committed an embarrassing flub-up by awarding its multi-billion dollar carnival to a city so thoroughly stained in dogs' blood (not to mention people's—but we won't go there)?  After all, as David Greising of the Chicago Tribune wrote last month:

"The International Olympic Committee is one of those smug, self-aggrandizing pomposities that probably should be ignored."

(You tell 'em, Dave!)

The offense has been committed, but maybe we can still make the best of the situation.  For example, in Seoul, Korea, this identical scenario happened with the 1988 Olympics, and believe it or not, some good came of it.

In 1988, Seoul, Korea, another city whose culinary contributions to the world include tortured-dog and boiled-alive-cat (read CatsInTheNews.com's "Scoop Learns How Bad They Really Have It", Aug. 1, 2001), had been chosen by the IOC to host the Games.  But in the months leading up to the event, with all the world fixing its scrutinizing eyes on Seoul, the government officials became worried at the unfavorable light that would be cast on South Korea's international reputation.  The sale and consumption of dog meat—an age old tradition—was finally banned.

Editor's note: It was banned but not abolished.  Unfortunately the practice continues "illegally".  For more information visit www.KoreanAnimals.org, an excellent site.

So for those of you who think there's nothing that can be done, as well as those of you who are ready to start doing something, first try talking to these people (the 2008 Summer Olympic Sponsors):

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