A New Republic editorial argues that The Olympics should be abolished both because they erase the moral distinctions between regimes of all stripes and because their founding spirit of amateurism has gone totally defunct.

In a sense, it’s too bad that the Olympics are being held

in Sydney and not Beijing, the early favorite. Were they

being held in China, the moral farce that the Olympics

today represent would be plain to see. Promoted to

foster “friendship, peace, and solidarity,” the games

now subvert the ideals of freedom and human rights on

which any meaningful international solidarity must be

based. Designed as a tribute to human excellence, the

Olympics are now a testament to human greed. On

October 1, the Olympic flame will be extinguished in

Sydney. Let’s never light it again.