During the 2008 Beijing Olympics 4,000 athletes from 205 countries will compete in 28 different sporting events. Every four years the Olympics present an opportunity to highlight human rights issues around the world.

Michael J. Green, the senior director for the Center for Strategic & International Studies said, “The 2008 Olympics will force human rights issues and foreign policy driven questions to arise from the presidential candidates.”

Tibet’s capital Lhasa was under tight security as it prepared to host the Olympic games torch. Officials claimed independence while activists planned sabotage. Ten Tibetan were left dead after protesting China’s human rights on June 20.

Obrien Morgan, public affairs officer for the United Nations, said, “As we approach the Olympics, China should expect world attention both positive and negative to be focused on the games and on China’s domestic and international polities.”

Morgan said, “The United States believes China should fulfill their Olympic bid commitments despite human rights problems.”

Sofie Richardson, director of Asia Advocacy Human Rights, said, “ The Olympics will not allow democracy to flourish, the process in which the countries are chosen to participate in the games is very undemocratic.”

In 2001, when China won the bid to host the 2008 Olympics the government promised to stick to the guidelines in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which requires a standard of living for all peoples and all nations.

Jeff Gamza, director of media for the U.S. Men’s Field Hockey Team, said, “Despite China’s human rights violations the athletes are very excited. This is not the time for the athletes to take a political stance.” Gamza believes that human rights issues should not be brought to the world stage at all during the Olympics.

Kaitland Defuscl, a sophomore on the Penn State University track team and teammate of several track stars who will be going to the 2008 Olympics, said, “The athletes are very excited about attending the Olympics and feel safe going despite China’s human rights issues.”

Morgan said, “When China won the bid to host the 2008 Olympics they made specific commitments to increase access to information and expand freedom of expression as well as release political prisoners.” China is accountable to these standards.

The Olympics provide China with an opportunity not only to showcase the enormous economic progress the country has made in recent decades, but also an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to greater openness and tolerance, said Morgan.

Dr. John A. Lucas, a retired professor of kinesiology at Penn State University, said, despite China’s human rights issues “ democracy will flourish 100 percent during the Olympic games.”