Should Human Rights be an Issue at the Olympics?

Armchair travelers have been watching the Olympic torch travel across the world in preparation for the Beijing Olympics, but this year the show is way more exciting! Protesters have marred the usually peaceful ceremonies with demonstrations against the Chinese reaction to clashes in Tibet.

Bound for BeijingSo far protesters have unfurled banners at stops in Paris, Athens, London, and San Francisco - and the torch is barely on its way in San Fran. As a result, the route plan is being kept top secret, with several changes in the works, whatever your political affiliation is, the runners' safety should always be paramount.

Organizers cancelled a leg of the relay in Paris, and the IOC says that the rest of the international torch run could be stopped as well. There are still over a dozen countries expecting to see the torch, which isn't scheduled to reach mainland China until May 4^th.

The protesters have garnered a lot of media attention for the ongoing battle for autonomy in Tibet, but they're also receiving negative press as a result of the violence in London and Paris. Many people believe that this is a sporting event, not a forum for politics.

Yet some countries are even considering boycotting the opening ceremonies and Hilary Clinton is suggesting that the US should be one of them.

As an international event, politics are bound to enter into the arena, but how much weight should individuals and nations place on human rights issues? Or what about the environmental hazards - smog is forcing Olympic runners to rethink their participation, and test out safety measures like running with masks to filter out the nasty air.