Crowd goes wild for Blair at Beijing Olympics warm-up

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4th August, 2008

Tony Blair stepping through hoops in sport and politics

What Makes A Champion?

Tony Blair – COURAGE, mes Braves

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Blair said that courage was an important part of a champion, even a political activist.

“The soldier who comes to help his fallen comrade, the health worker who risks their life to save the lives of others, the political activist who stands up for what is right when what is right is not what is popular or expedient.”

“The champion is the person who when the mantle of responsibility is floating free, reaches out and puts it on.  “The courage lies not in acting without fear, but in acting despite fear. “Such people are the people who are prepared just to go for it.”

My thoughts: Somehow he just can’t resist saying the right thing, in the right place, at the right time. If he could bottle the essential ingredients, self-deprecation (’green suit’ reference) and other less identifiable elements of charisma, he could make a fortune selling it to his successor.

A lesson too in how to make people think laterally, with his reference to politicians standing up for what is right, not popular or expedient, .

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BLAIR’S INDEFINABLE, RECOGNISABLE STYLE

As reports are received on 16 Chinese policemen killed by terror attack at Xinjiang, (see Telegraph report & video) this Australian report points up Tony Blair’s international star status.  Can you imagine Brown being greeted in this way?

For those who do not know, Jackie Chan is a much-loved Chinese personality

Jackie Chan, S.B.S. (born Chan Kong Sang; April 7, 1954) is a Chinese actor, action choreographer, film director, producer, martial artist, comedian, screenwriter, singer and stunt performer.

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Crowd goes wild for Blair in Beijing

20:42 AEST Mon Aug 4 2008

By Charisse Ede

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd received rapturous applause but the crowd really went wild when former British prime minister Tony Blair shook hands with action film star Jackie Chan in Beijing.

Mr Rudd gave a video message to the ‘What Makes a Champion’ forum at Peking University, in which he repeated a Chinese expression in mandarin: “Work hard and do not give up in the face of adversity.”

Mr Rudd’s perfect mandarin delighted the audience of mainly students.

But it was nothing on the excitement the sight of two champions of politics and film caused when they grasped hands.

As Mr Blair moved to shake Chan’s hand at the front of the auditorium, the crowed gasped, cheered and oohed and aahed.

Mr Blair, in the keynote speech for the forum, later said he wished he had Chan’s courage, not to complete great stunts but wear a green suit.

“If I had real courage, I would be wearing a suit like Jackie Chan’s, but I don’t,” he said to the great delight of the crowd.

Mr Blair opened his speech with `hello’ in Chinese, but then conceded: “Sorry, that’s all.”

However, he won back the crowd when he revealed his brother is married to a Chinese woman and his eight-year-old son is learning Mandarin.

Mr Blair used the speech to make a veiled reference about political oppression in countries such as China.

He said courage was an important part of a champion, even a political activist.

“The soldier who comes to help his fallen comrade, the health worker who risks their life to save the lives of others, the political activist who stands up for what is right when what is right is not what is popular or expedient,” he said.

“The champion is the person who when the mantle of responsibility is floating free, reaches out and puts it on.

“The courage lies not in acting without fear, but in acting despite fear.

“Such people are the people who are prepared just to go for it.”

Peter Ueberroth, United States Olympic Committee chairman and the head of the organising committee for the 1984 Los Angeles Games, said China was a champion for ignoring the appeals of the Soviet Union to boycott those Olympics.

“When China came to the Los Angeles Olympics, immediately the other countries fell in line,” he said.

The forum in Beijing is organised by Sydney of University professor Allan Snyder, who established the event at the Sydney 2000 Games, when the keynote speech was by Nelson Mandela.

It is now an official event on the Olympic cultural calender and will be held at the London 2012 Games.

Australian swimming legend Ian Thorpe will tomorrow give a speech about the differences in Championship in eastern and western cultures.

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Tags: 1. Tony Blair, 2008 olympics, beijing, British Politics, Brown (Gordon Brown & his Labour Government, from June 2007), china olympics, courage, crowd goes wild for blair in beijing, former British Prime Minister, jackie chan, peking university, what makes a champion