Ann Dominique Morin has earned a bursary of $500 for her essay “Hosting the Olympic Games – A Privilege Accompanied by Obligations”, which illustrates her commitment to human rights. Ann Dominique Morin is working towards her Master’s in International Law at the Université de Montréal.
Two essays received honourable mention from the jury. “The Olympics and Human Rights” written by Bethany Deshpande, a student at York University’s Glendon College, was a favourite of the jury’s. “The Moral Pole Vault” by Srinivas Murthy of Boston, Massachusetts, was honoured for its editorial style.
By Ann Dominique Morin
WINNING ESSAY
Reams and reams of copy have been written about the Beijing Olympics – and justifiably so. For it is very difficult to reconcile the principles of Olympism with restrictions on freedoms of religion and expression, preventive detentions, and a world record rate of use of the death penalty. Such a backdrop indeed appears to be rather inconducive to placing “sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity” (second fundamental principle of Olympism).
There are those who, in contrast, have taken offence at the lack of cultural relativism characterizing the outpourings of opinion in favour of the respect for basic rights in China for the duration of the Games. Need they be reminded that human rights are universal? All the more so, at a world event designed to celebrate humankind, such rights should not be relegated to second place, coming after political and economic interests.
That being said, several countries other than China do not have a spotless record where fundamental rights are concerned. Such that, in the future, we must learn some lessons from the Beijing Games in order to prevent repeating a celebration of the kind we were just witness to. Mere promises for change on the part of a government that, from the outset, does not respect the rights of its citizens, is no longer enough. The very integrity of the Olympic Games is at stake.
While the International Olympic Committee stands to lose considerably by closing its eyes to the violations of fundamental rights, it can also considerably enhance its credibility if it successfully fills its role of an international organization that serves to promote basic human rights and that also enjoys the power to grant its members the right to host the Games. For this reason, the IOC is uniquely positioned to act as a catalyst for fostering among its members a deeper commitment to respecting the basic rights of their citizens.
