Don't play politics in sports and Olympic is major sports event. Keep sports free from other international disturbance and conflicts because sports bring people from all region on a single platform. Let it go as it is.

The Olympics, biggest sports event on the earth, are designed to convince and inspire athletes, even from warring nations, can join in the sports with the spirit of friendly competition. It's a slippery slope when politics enters the Olympic arena.

This is all political drama nothing else. Corporate sponsors and persons like Spielberg have every right to do what they want, they can follow their consciences but there should be a way to do such kind of protest. Athletes can show the loudest statement through silent participation as 'Black Power' salutes by two US medal winner athletes in 1968 Mexico City Games and when Adolf Hitler was forced to watch Jesse Owens who won four gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Games. There should be a way of protest and people shouldn't hurt the spirit of the game.

Nothing is going against the spirit of the game. China deserve the plenty of strong messages regarding its role in Sudan and Darfur which is completely unacceptable.

Yes, its wrong. Governments of different countries, boycotting the Olympics, are actually working to defeat the entire idea behind the mega sports event whose main motto is to boost international understanding in positive direction with the help of sporting culture.

China should understand that it won't get the consequence-free support even in the name of major sports event for the killings of 200,000 people in Darfur.

We cannot blame Spielberg for leaving the opening ceremony for Beijing Olympics to protest China’s role in oil industry in Sudan, In Sudan, the Darfur region has been subjected to massive killing of innocent people and major human rights abuses.

Is it wise to use the games event like Olympics for political reasons? I think this is the worst way to protest against any country.

Those who are boycotting China are doing so because of their own personal intentions. Olympics is a great sports event and a tradition, and it should be kept away from the dirty circles of politics.

No doubt the situation in darfur is terrifying, but what is the point in connecting it to China’s role of hosting the Olympics? As far as Steven Spielberg’s decision is concerned, I can just laugh on this master filmmaker. I never expected such a thing from a responsible personality like him. Maybe he is too contented with filmmaking and is now trying to make his mark on other fronts, viz politics and global affairs. If this is the case, then there are better ways to air your concern and prove your mettle. Pulling out of the Olympics ceremony was in poor taste.

As for Haile Gebrselassie, well, even before competing in the event he has admitted defeat. He may give any excuse or for that matter even shell out facts about his health, but the truth remains that he is a LOSER! His decision to skip the marathon is similar to the claims made by auto industries regarding the capacity of any of its model — The performance is tested under specific and controlled atmosphere, and should not be mistaken for the model’s actual on-road performance. Similarly, if Haile is given a climate of his preference he is a winner, otherwise he is destined to lose.

The same goes for all those countries who have decided to base their training camps outside China.

They shold be banned from the Olympics!

China, go ahead. My best wishes are with you.

It is not less than shame if the Hollywood actors use its influence to put a political damper on Olympics. They should understand that several athletes have been training all their lives to take part in Olympics, their families have sacrificed for their success. People like Spielberg should know it clearly that the Russians didn’t leave Afghanistan due to US boycotting the Olympics. They left Afghanistan because they lost the battle.

One more point to ponder — Should Spielberg stop making films for Hollywood, just because the US role in Iraq is questioned by some people?

If other countries want to restrict China's role in Sudan, they should boycott the cheap consumer goods made in China. The idea of boycotting sports event happening in China is not good one.

Dalai Lama is not sabotaging the game. He has expressed his support for the Beijing Olympics by rejecting Chinese allegations that he was trying to sabotage the games. Chinese media is attacking Dalai Lama without any established evidence.

Dalai Lama is not opposing Beijing Olympics. He has consistently supported the right of China to host the 2008 Olympic Games.

Olympic corporate sponsors like Coke, Visa and McDonald's are also leaving Beijing Olympics and people would remember the 2008 Beijing Games as the 'Genocide Olympics'.

On the day when Spielberg resigned, nine Nobel laureates including Bishop Desmond Tutu and Elie Wiesel and twelve athletes wrote an open letter to Chinese President. They stated in the letter - 'Given the severity of the crisis in Darfur and the nature of the China-Sudan relationship, we are calling for more serious action by your government in support of the full, immediate and unimpeded deployment of UNAMID.' This is a serious problem for Chinese government.

Here is the news for Spielberg and other sponsors - 'The Associated Press has reported new engagement by China in the Darfur matter.'

Though historically the Olympic Games have not brought any kind of change but rather racism has always been in news when ever there were Olympics but thinking optimistically, i have a feeling that the Olympic Games will promote world peace and humanitarian causes and will impact social change in China. Environmentally China has started to change with bringing down its emissions to 60% according to WHO standards. This is a chance for rest of the world to not override the political agenda but think positively that can be of good to all. Peace!!

Olympic corporate sponsors have unique leverage and they could play important role in the Darfur crisis but only if they would show their willingness to uphold the values of human rights.

Who on the earth is against the idea of boycotting of Olympic Beijing? China should better know Olympics should not be politicized. It was China who had used the Olympics as a blunt political tool and excluded Taiwan and Taiwanese athletes. It was China that had joined the 1980 boycott of the Olympics. Now, its China's turn bear the pressure.

No company, country or individual should withdraw from or boycott the Beijing Olympics. This is against the law of sports.

See the courage of this athlete, the Ethiopian runner, who suffers from asthma. He said that he would still participate in the 10,000 metres in Beijing Olympics. He said that the air pollution in China is a threat to his health and it would be difficult for him to run 26 miles in polluting condition but still he is decided to participate in the 10,000 m run. Who knows Spielberg?

No, its not against the spirit of Olympics. China is using the Olympic Games to legitimize their illegal occupation of Tibet. We all should boycott the game.

Okay, if the world is adamant to mingle all things unsporty with the Olympics, go ahead, but even in that case those who are boycotting the event must remember that Olympics is the right opportunity to come together like the rings depicting the true spirit of the game. It should not be missed!

If Spielberg would have gone and had discussed issues he’s really concerned with the Chinese authority, the world would never have called him a coward.

If IOC unanimously selected China to host the event, why this entire hullabaloo? As far as Chinese oil interests in Sudan are concerned, I doubt anybody would have uttered a word if US would have been controlling the wells.

Another underlying fact, which we’re missing, is that US is afraid of certainly losing the crown this time in the Olympics as the Dragon is on full throttle!

The Chinese are the worst violators of human rights. There is nothing such as human rights in China. Whenever the authorities find something that remotely threatens their authority and grip over its citizens they simply crack down upon it. Remember Tienanmen Square massacre and the ban on Falun Gong?

Then let's see what China has done in Tibet. They have annexed a sovereign nation and crushed all dissent murdering 100s of 1000s of innocent Tibetan civilians and monks. Now they are well on their way to make Tibetans minorities in their own homeland by relocating millions of Hun Chinese from other parts of the country.

China supports despots like Kim Jong-il and Robert Mugabe.

Under these circumstances, boycotting the Beijing Olympics would be the best way for the world to show that we don't approve of what China is doing.

The best way to snub China's policies would be to boycott the Beijing Olympics. This would snub China no end. And who says politics shouldn't be mixed with sports? During the Cold War such boycotts were common. Sports are politics are inseparable.

Poor air quality? Come on! That's not fair enough reason to boycott such a big event. They came and participated in the Sydney Olympics. We must also reciprocate the gesture.

it will be very fair to boycott these games... china is just waiting for the world to congregate in beijing so that it can showcase chinese prowess and grandeur that will send a strong political signal to the rest of the world.

china is an aggressive bully... we must not give it an opportunity to show off. participating in the olympics would mean endorsing chinese brutality and inhuman policies.

Why are we so afraid of China. US always underplays Chinese threats to its military, economy, foreign policy etc. Cheap and unreliable Chinese goods have flooded the US markets putting many manufacturers out of business. They have taken away our jobs by producing US merchandise in Chinese factories where cheap labor is available freely.

Beyond those things, they are doing things that stands opposite to American ethos and principles like human rights, freedom of speech etc. It is a dangerous country to endorse and participating in the Beijing Olympics will mean just that.

Definitely. If political issues were so important then why was it awarded the bid to host the games in the first place? Now that cannot be undone, let's go ahead and have some fun in the games. After all, these is the only event that brings the world together.

It would be really exciting if all countries in the world participated. It doesn't matter where the Olympics are taking place. This is an event the world wait for every 4 years. We have had too many boycotts in the past due to politics. South Africa was banned from participating in sporting events due to apartheid. This leads to nothing.

The world must participate in the games and make it a grand success by competing hard, watching the events and cheering their sportsmen. Let's have something to cheer about. We have had some really depressing years between the last Olympics and now with war and terrorism all over.

How do you make China understand something? By doing something collectively that the Chinese don't approve of. Tibet was a legitimate issue for the rest of the world against China. Look what happened by playing soft with it now. Even a meeting between the Dalai Lama and the US president is hushed up fearing Chinese protests.

China is aiding the Sudanese government who is carrying out a genocide in Darfur. What are we doing? Spielberg is a man of conscience. He deserves a pat on his back.

This is the time to take some strong actions and this is the way it should be - Boycott The Beijing Games!

Can anyone resist the temptation of going out and eating on a Chinese-owned Chinese restaurant? Is anyone willing to shell out buying expensive locally made Christmas lights over cheap Chinese lights? If you have enough dough to travel, can you miss out going to China that offers so many fascinating tourist experiences at dirt cheap prices?

The answer is NO. All the activities mentioned above contributes to the Chinese causes whatever they are. So why target the Olympics specifically. This is sheer nonsense.

Boycotting the Games would be like boycotting the sacrifices the poor Chinese people made, the hard work they put in etc. to make this event a success. They are innocent, oppressed and generally very good people. The Chinese Communist Party is the evil we must fight.

The world must pay tribute to the common Chinese by participating in the Games but in the same time make sure that the Chinese leadership is not given any credit. Major speeches by successful athletes, politicians of freedom loving nations must acknowledge the Chinese people's contribution but in the same breath should say that it is now high time that the Chinese leaders gave them their dues.