An Olympian Takes a Dive

Beijing 2008 may be billed as the most modern Olympics ever, but China's athletic programs are still mired in old-style socialist thinking. Last week, Olympic diver Tian Liang was booted off the national squad for "violating team regulations concerning commercial activities ... and producing a negative influence on society and the preparation for the 2008 Olympics." Translation? Not only was the athlete spending too much time on the celebrity circuit instead of the diving board, but he wasn't sharing his recent multi-million-dollar sponsorship deal with the Chinese sports administration. Under its rules, around half of an athlete's commercial revenue goes...