Beijing Olympics LogoThe XXIX Summer Olympics begin tonight!

The ceremonies begin at 8 p.m. on the eighth day of the eighth month in the year 2008 – the number eight is considered very auspicious in China. There are several Kentuckians and three people from Lexington participating: David Freeman will be running for Puerto Rico, Elaine Breeden will be swimming for the US, and Tyson Gay (a 2001 Lafayette graduate) will be running for the US.

There’s choice to have Beijing host the Olympic Games has been extremely controversial: many people question China’s record on human rights. According to non-profit Amnesty International, an estimated 500,000 people are currently detained without trial, and imprisonment of human rights defenders has risen. China also heavily censors the internet and other media. It also supports the Sudanese regime (by being a major oil investor, and being its largest weapons supplier) that has created a humanitarian crisis in Darfur (Washington Post).

So what do you think? Do you think the Olympics should be a non-political space for countries to come together peacefully? Or should China receive more world attention and criticism for its human rights abuses?

NBC will be broadcasting the opening ceremonies at 7:30 PM.