How many of us branding folk would die to work on the Olympic brand?

“Ah, not me. I’m busy that day, helping mum move house, starting my key-ring collection, that sort of thing.”

There are enough people dying because of the Olympic Games as it is.

After some limited experience with the Sydney Games, I am permanently unavailable to the IOC. And its lucky I made that decision because the phone has been running hot… or not. However, just say you were inclined (or invited) to work with the Olympic brand, you would have some great resources to begin with. Namely a charter that explains what the Olympics are all about and how the ‘Olympic Spirit’ has been established “… to build a peaceful and better world… which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.”

Are they kidding!? China regularly tortures and incarcerates people whose only crime is to voice that they would like a different way of life. How does this fit into ‘mutual understanding’ and ‘fair play’? Is the host nation exempt from the charter?

While the games themselves are a great spectacle and a wonderful stimulus for national pride, the China/Tibet issue presents a real threat to the 2008 games realizing the ‘Olympic Spirit’.

Is the Olympic Brand resilient enough to withstand such a blatant ethical compromise or is it more the case that the international community of Joe and Betty BBQ are simply too ignorant and self-obsessed to let animal and human rights atrocities get in the way of a good bucket of KFC and a beer in front of the TV while the swimmings on?

My spidey-senses suggest both.