Why Flunk the International Olympic Committee? - Mia Farroq

The Dream for Darfur IOC Report Card documents how the IOC has shirked the messy and difficult business of the genocide in Darfur. Yet the IOC, whose headquarters sit safely in the lovely Swiss town of Lausanne, could have done so much. It has contacts at the United Nations. It has a special Olympic Truce in its own charter which promotes "respect for universal fundamental ethical principles". The IOC enjoys relationships with Olympic corporate sponsors worldwide, including some of the most powerful companies on the globe. Further, the IOC hasa network of 200 national Olympic Committees -- each boasting prominent members. The IOC has young athletes at its beck and call, role models and potential spokespeople for humanitarian causes. And above all, the IOC has the Olympic Games. This is an organization with global reach, and great potential power. The crisis in Darfur is, after all, a genocide being underwritten by the IOC's chosen Olympic host. What have they done to end the first genocide of the 21st century? Nothing, despite the fact that when it awarded the Games to China seven years ago, the world knew then that there would be human rights issues to confront now. The IOC has had nearly a decade to plan for human rights contingencies.Why Flunk the International Olympic Committee? - Mia Farrow