Politics and the Olympics? Must they, and should they, be separated from one another?

Every place, anytime, sitting around any table, groups of very angry men speak of the evils of "politicalization" and the necessity of "competition for competition's sake."

"Forget the games," says a hostile participant in one such discussion.

"Move them to Switzerland," chortles another.

After a flurry of pounded fists: "The Olympics have been infected and sabotaged by politics. There's no such thing as an athletic forum, where the best can run, jump and swim against the best, immune from the tensions created by international boundaries and ideologies."

"Gentlemen, gentlemen," exclaims another, "let us return the athletics to the athletes. The Olympics cannot persist with such a fusion of the body physical and the body political."

The tremor of frustration evolves into a quake until one of the angry men says. "The Greeks abandoned their Olympics when they realized that it was, indeed, futile to attempt to avoid the mixture of politics and sport May we imitate the Greeks."

In the midst of this emotional confusion, one quiet man who has yet to speak gently, slowly arises to address this embittered assembly of ideas.

"May I suggest that shortly after the Greeks abandoned the Games, their empire crumbled. If we were to do the same as the Greeks, then we would in effect, admit that our international system is incapable of associating with itself. To throw in the towel would be an acceptance of the futility of striving to achieve diplomatic accord. When the Greeks threw in the towel, accepting that they could no longer get along with each other, their culture deteriorated."

"Huh' Who is this guy," says a still very angry but rather confused man.

"Sir," continued the stranger, "let me present you with a question what events would you guess have the two most expensive ticket prices?"

"Uh, I don't know I guess it's the basketball and the boxing finals."

"No, No, No," interrupts another angry man "I 'm pretty sure that it's the final mile of the marathon and the events of the decathlon."

"You're both wrong. I'm afraid," answers the stranger "It's the opening and closing ceremonies. No athletics are performed there, gentlemen. Only a parade featuring all of the Games' participants--despite the political tension, wars and ideological splits of their governments--marching together harmoniously, with a common interest. All have gravitated to the same track, traveled far from the troubled homes and governments to compete."

The stranger has intrigued the not-so-angry--but still angry--men "Just a moment, my good fellow What exactly are you proposing?"