Tintin and the Olympic games

Very Olympic Values

Courageous, determined, young, dynamic, healthy, intelligent, generous, ready to take the initiative and willingly take the side of David against the giant Goliath, globe-trotter – aren’t these the qualities we look for in a sportsman or woman at the highest level? These are exactly the qualities Hergé gave his hero, Tintin. In ancient times Greek athletes going to the Olympic games were chosen from the most courageous citizens of each city. These characteristics are absolutely necessary at the highest level of sport, where the difference isn’t measured in seconds, but in tenths, or even hundredths of a second. Undoubtedly, human qualities are even more important than stop watches, when it’s about surpassing and going beyond your limits.

True to the Olympic Ideal

During the Olympic games of olden times, wars were outlawed and all the efforts would be made towards reconciliation between enemies during the games. The thinking of Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, is perfectly in keeping with this spirit and attuned to Olympic ideals. He opposes all violent confrontation against the attitude of the Chinese, in contrast to certain more radical Tibetan groups. One can understand the exasperation of some people, but responding to the aggression by attacks only serves to underline the disproportion of power. As early as 1966 the Red Guards, sent by the dictator Mao Zedong, destroyed 95% of the Tibetan religious heritage, after the Chinese forces had already closed or destroyed temples and monasteries after their invasion of Tibet in 1951. It is estimated that more than one million Tibetans were killed between 1966 and 1976.

What about the Tibetan Athletes?

There are three contrasting theses regarding Tibet. The Chinese government insists that Tibet is an integral part of the Democratic Republic of China. In Tibet, activists demand an independent Tibetan nation – something they have been saying for centuries with varying degrees of fervor. A third viewpoint, defended by the Dalai Lama, calls for cultural independence in an autonomous territory within China, but even that is an anathema to the powers in Beijing, which has branded the Dalai Lama a troublemaker. When the Tibetan athletes demanded a place at the Olympic games displaying their own flag, China categorically refused. That would in fact be recognizing the sovereignty of the Tibetans over their own country.

International Indifference

Everything seems to combine against recognition of Tibetan rights. China has become a powerful commercial state, with over 1,300 billion dollars in its central bank, thanks to its commercial power and low labor costs. That’s enough reserves to take control of the world’s largest banks! The International Olympic Committee in Lausanne refused to allow Tibet to participate in the games as an independent country. Since 1996 only countries recognized by the international community are permitted to participate in the games. China is totally opposed to the idea of Tibetan independence. The policy of Chinese occupation consists of killing traditional Tibetan culture. Today in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, commercial folly has replaced the ancient values, and business is under the control of the Chinese. The government has encouraged a massive influx of non-Tibetans.

With the Tibetan athletes!

One of the presidents of the Tibetan Olympic Committee, Mr. Wangpo Tethong, was vainly opposed to the intransigence of the International Olympic Committee. Nevertheless, he has some forceful arguments. Approximately thirty Olympic standard Tibetan athletes scattered around the world are expressing the same opinion. They are all refugees, and don’t want to compete under the Chinese flag. Now let’s go back to the beginning of this article, the qualities and virtues demanded of a true sportsman. These Tibetan athletes respect them, and according to the Olympic ideals they should be able to participate in the Beijing games. However, the sad truth is that they cannot, because the International Olympic Committee won’t let these potential champions participate. So, is there any hope for Tibet or the Tibetan athletes? Paradoxically, yes, because the example set by these athletes, their courage, determination and youth, so similar to Tintin’s characteristics, make a winning argument in the face of adversity. There are reasons for hope.

The Culture of Non-Violence

The French poet, Louis Aragon, who was a communist, said: "Turn violence against the violent." A few weeks before the opening of the games, the Chinese got a lesson in the futility of using brutal force. Based in the far West of China, in Central Asia, the Uighurs, a Muslim minority also persecuted in their struggle for independence, carried out several attacks in the heart of China, notably in Shanghai. This method has been strongly rejected by the Dalai Lama. Since his exile from Tibet on March 17, 1959, he has unceasingly demonstrated the power of non-violence and of the determination of Tibetan people, who have only one request and hope, to be able to live freely. Yes, we need to read and re-read The Blue Lotus, Tintin in Tibet and Tintin and the Picaros. They feature many good lessons for life.