With daily bloodshed in the Tibetan region of China, human rights activists and a handful of American politicians are calling for an American boycott to the Olympics in China this summer.

An Associated Press report confirms that around 140 people have died in Tibet in the past week; some were reportedly murdered by Chinese police who broke apart a peaceful demonstration in Lhasa.

But that fact alone has not been enough to sway major U.S. leaders who have the pull to make such a groundbreaking decision.

Though French President Nicolas Sarkozy has hinted at a possible boycott, President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney both remain unwavering in their claim that they will attend the opening ceremonies in Beijing this August, and that the United States will be represented at the games.

As pressure mounts from those who are fiercely opposed to a U.S. presence at the 2008 Olympics, should the U.S. risk ruining relations with China and take a perceived higher moral ground by stepping out of the competitions?

Are the Chinese actions in Tibet offensive enough to remove the U.S. from the Olympics for the first time since 1980 when 62 countries, including the United States, opted out of the competitions in Moscow?

My Opinion

Americans should be embarrassed for a plethora of reasons if a decision is made that blocks the United States from being represented this summer in Beijing.

On the surface, boycotting the Olympics may sound like a moral high road well worth exploring, but in reality, the move would only open up Pandora's box and lead to a foreign relations nightmare; sitting out the Olympics would turn out no better than Jimmy Carter's debacle in 1980.

Despite the undeniable fact that the Chinese government has made questionable decisions, to be generous, in reaction to protests in the southwestern Tibetan region, the cost of boycotting the Olympics far outweighs the benefits.

Not only would relations with China be greatly jeopardized but many of their allies that already despise America (North Korea, Iran and Venezuela to name a few) would be given further reason to hate Americans and to ridicule our foreign policy.

Furthermore, athletes who participate in sports that generally fall outside of the media spotlight such as Greco Roman wrestling, handball and rowing do not deserve to have a once in a lifetime chance at representing their country taken away.

If American politicians want to send a message to China, they should do so through diplomacy and possibly sanctions, not with a backhanded insult like skipping out on the Olympic Games.The games should be about more than just the politics of the host country; they should be about the individual competitors and about the competitions that takes place every four years.

If American politicians want to send a message to China, they should do so through diplomacy and possibly sanctions, not by a backhanded insult like skipping out on the Olympic Games.

There is a time and a place for everything; the 2008 Olympics are neither the time nor the place for America to make a political statement. 

If American citizens are turned off by the actions of the Chinese government, they can protest by turning off their television set and opting not to buy Chinese merchandise; protests and product boycotts will do far more damage than sitting out a series of games.

Knoxville's Reaction

"I would have absolutely no respect for George W. Bush if he called off the Olympics, and I think his popularity rating might go even lower."

- Adam A.

"It would be so short sighted to call off the summer games. Unless it's another Tiananmen Square, it would make so many problems it would just be crazy."

- Brandon B.

"The line has to be drawn somewhere, why not at the Olympics? No country has the right to kill people for protesting."

- John A.

"Even if the government isn't doing everything right, they should still compete. Look at how unpopular pulling out in 1984 was, it wouldn't be any different."

- Kristen K.

"Let them play! Sports don't have anything to do with the government so they shouldn't try and make a statement with the games."

- Katie M.