Let us begin by declaring an interest. This newspaper is headquartered in Toronto and has argued in editorials in support of the city's bid for the 2008 Olympics. Any criticism in this space of another city's bid might therefore be seen as partisan. That cannot be helped. Regardless of who the other contenders are, it would be wrong to award the Games to Beijing.

The reason is simple. It would reward an authoritarian regime that tramples on the most basic rights of the Chinese people. China's leaders have done nothing to deserve such a gift. To the contrary, their human-rights record has worsened since 1993, when Beijing lost out to Sydney in a close vote.

Supporters of the Beijing bid say that should not matter. They contend that the Games might actually improve the human-rights situation in China and speed political change. With the whole world watching, they say, Beijing would be on its best behaviour.

It's a nice theory. Unfortunately, China itself has been busily undermining it. In the past few months, as Olympic delegates from around the world weighed the choice that will be announced this Friday, the government has been pressing on with a brutal crackdown on a harmless spiritual [group], [...]

As many as 200 people may have died in the persecution of the Falun Gong [group] over the past two years. [...] If this is how Beijing acts when its Olympic bid is still in the balance, how is it likely to act once it is in the bag?

Far from encouraging China's leaders to mind their behaviour, awarding the Games to Beijing might give them license for further repression. With such a stamp of approval from the international community, they might feel they could do whatever they wished. That is certainly the message they have taken from the big commercial missions from Canada and other countries that routinely come to Beijing in search of trade and investment contracts. Such missions confer enormous prestige and legitimacy on a regime that lacks both.

The Olympics would be even more valuable to the regime. If the world deems China worthy of hosting the world's leading athletic event -- indeed, the most watched international event of any kind -- it will be a tonic for the tired old men who run China. They will be able to say to the people: Never mind human rights, look what we have done for you. We have put China on the map.

Why would the Olympic movement want to confer a gift like that on such a despicable regime? Ten or 20 years ago, the decision would have been harder. With so many countries ruled by despots, juntas and revolutionary committees, it was hard to rule out any country on political grounds. Things are different now. China is one of just a handful of countries where the cruel [party' name omitted] system survives. It is the only important power that has not made the transition to some kind of democracy.

If the Olympic movement gives the Games to Beijing, it will be rewarding the biggest holdout in a far more important cause: the human-rights movement. An organization that claims to stand for human dignity and brotherhood cannot afford to make such a terrible mistake.

It does not matter much in the end whether the Games go to Toronto or Paris, Osaka or Istanbul. But, whatever happens, they must not go to China.

http://www.globeandmail.com/gam/Editorials/20010709/ECHINA.html