BEIJING — There will be time to get into why the Winter Olympics should or shouldn't be held here in China. To question if politics should play a role in determining what country should host this showcase of athletic excellence. To argue if China's human rights record, suppression of cultures and other crimes against humanity should have prompted the International Olympic Committee to pick another host.
That subject hovers like a dark cloud over these Games and is not going to go away.
Yet the night of the opening ceremony is about promoting one of sport's great spectacles, focusing on the games people play, and how riveting that can be. For instance, there's some guy from Chisholm, Minn., down there helping hold the American flag while leading Team USA during the parade of nations.
