Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with reporters outside the prime minister’s office on Dec. 7 to address the U.S. decision to stage a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics. (The Asahi Shimbun)

Athletes and fans were not the only people who gathered for the ancient Olympic Games in Greece.

There were orators who recognized their chance to preach their political convictions to large crowds.

For instance, Gorgias (483-376 BC), a pre-Socratic philosopher, urged the warring cities to seek harmony, while a rhetorician condemned a powerful dictator, according to the book "Gakumon to Shiteno Orinpikku" (The Olympics as an academic subject), co-edited by Yuzuru Hashiba and Nanako Murata.

Those were "festival orations" born of the coming together of people from various parts of ancient Greece for the "festival of peace."

The modern Olympics are not without urgent appeals of their own.

Ahead of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games, Human Rights Watch, a nongovernmental organization, called for responsible action by major corporate sponsors of the Winter Games, pointing out that the Chinese government has committed "crimes against humanity" in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region by detaining minorities in concentration camps.

And no less grave is the escalation of Beijing's repression in Hong Kong. Given the spirit of the Olympics, refocusing on human rights issues is only to be expected.

The United States must have made a tough concession by opting not to boycott the Beijing Olympics but refraining from sending government representatives.

Sport is not a political tool. But this is not to say that so long as the athletes get to compete in the Games, it does not matter what the host country is up to.

It was courageous of the Women's Tennis Association to decide to suspend tournaments in China. The circumstances were dire when Peng Shuai's safety could not be confirmed after she made sexual abuse allegations against a former Chinese vice premier.

As to how Japan should deal with the Beijing Olympics, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, "We intend to make our own judgment."

Various options are available, but what matters most is what kind of message he will be sending.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 9

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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