On the 8th day of the 8th month of the...

UsaCycling announced the official
one year countdown for the 2008 Beijing, China Olympics. Hopefully for american cycling their new efforts and methods for qualifying for spots on the U.S. mountain bike team pay off and most of the drama of previous years can be avoided.

BMX is new to the games. NBC has a cool promo video introducing the "new-comer" to the rest of us, perhaps a very good thing being that cycling is still for the most part obscure and unknown here in the U.S of A.

It seems that not everyone is too thrilled of the XXIX Olympiad host.

Apparently the government of
China is still considered violators of Human Rights such as the situation with Tibet and the overall populace. Even the games itself is said to be used as a vehicle to commit further violations.

In another context, the Chinese athletes allowed to participate in the games, being born this lifetime as athletes in a supposed repressive and abusive country, will have the opportunity to compete and perform at the highest level of the highest degree of recognition, on their own home turf.

Culturally, generally speaking, this concept is a great honor, and has side-effects that may well serve as catalysts themselves for positive change, this lifetime or the next.

What a gift to be born.
And what a gift to be born human.

So in this case, it transcends any deviant, hidden agendas of any government, and remains the
sole pursuit of excellence, and ultimately divine evolution.

Let governments be governments.
Let activists be activists.
And let the athletes be athletes.