Business Day

March 19

SA COULD do with more role models like world butterfly champion Roland Schoeman. Clean-living, humble, worldly-wise and expecting nothing handed to him on a plate, he deserves all the glory that has come his way since he burst onto the international scene

And, with the Beijing Olympics only months away, Schoeman is right to speak out against China's ruthless suppression of protests against its occupation of Tibet, and the country's poor human rights record in general. As a white South African, he knows only too well politics and sport are inextricably entwined, and the more prominent individuals speak out against that which they consider to be wrong the more likely governments are to listen.

That said, however, calls for a boycott of the games are misplaced. It is far too late for such a gesture to gather enough support to be effective, and it is in any case clear that few national Olympic committees would have been open to such a suggestion even if it had been mooted years ago.

It would be naive to expect consistency in international politics - there are far too many complex loyalties and conflicting national interests for that - but boycotting Beijing would set a precedent many countries would prefer to avoid. If the world was to refuse to compete in China because of its government's action in Tibet, how could they justify playing sport against the Americans in the light of US antics in the Middle East? And why would politically correct countries want to participate in a Soccer World Cup hosted by a government that appeases neighbouring dictators?

Apart from the fact that there would be few acceptable venues left to host global sporting events if everyone got too self-righteous about it, there is a lot to be said for the value of engagement in persuading recalcitrant nations to change their ways. Exploited Chinese workers have already benefited materially from their country's entry into the world economy; hosting the Olympics will help their government realise just what is at stake if it fails to reform.