In the first half of the 20th century, Lu Xun, Father of modern Chinese literature, published his famous article entitled "Fair Play Should Be Suspended." His article specifically echoed the time and situation; and therefore mirrored public opinion in China then. Nevertheless, his article was later interpreted by some extreme revolutionary as a war of words against the radical revolutionary spirit advocating a total crackdown on any inert social forces. The dust has long been settled since Chinese scholars basically agreed that what Lu Xun had said in the article is not a denial of fair play; rather, he suggested a pause before carrying it out.

Beyond a doubt, fair play is the core conception of sporting spirits; and without it, the sports field would turn into a unorganized battle field in which rivaling parties are entangled in a fight.

Fair play means much more than abiding by the rules of the Games and the principles protected by the Olympic Charter. More importantly, it places a rigid demand on athletes to compete with high integrity. Many people, including me, like playing chess online as a pastime. But in previous days, software teaching "rogue practices and tricks," invented by game providers and purchased by some overly anxious to win, used to dampen athlete's great enthusiasm. Therefore, only on the basis of fair play can the unique charm of the Games be brought into full play.

Modern competitive sports have in recent years been adored by a broader array of groups and even dubbed a "modern religion" by some sports fans. But modern sports have inevitably been commercialized in highly industrialized human society. As a result, the management of modern sports is increasingly focused on creating events with the maximum public exposure; in other words, sports managers are giving full-throttle to their efforts to capture as much of the public eye as possible. Driven by a rapid rise to fame and fortune, some competitors, including a few elite athletes, have in recent years have cheated or been embroiled in doping scandals. It is a real pity that they have lost the most valuable element – credibility - as an athlete. The anti-doping testing center for the Beijing Olympic Games thereby announced its hope that the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics would be free of doping in any form to ensure a clean and fair competitive environment.

On top of that, high-tech athletic wear and facilities are highly contentious in the prelude to the Beijing Olympics. Take shark-skin swimming suits for example, many argue that competitive sports in essence should be a competition in which competitors compete with each other by relying on their own abilities. If assisted by advanced technologies, the competition could go sour. Unfortunately, hi-tech products have so far not been blacklisted by the International Olympic Committee as banned items. But it is worth recognizing that the Olympic Games could turn into a hi-tech race, if there are no corresponding measures in place.

Sports are "pure" competitions, and the core value of fair play should be carried out to the letter.

By People's Daily Online