THE INTERSECTION OF MONEY, BUSINESS AND GEOPOLITICS IS PERILOUS. Frank Thro is thrust into the middle of Big Oil, world-wide sports, and doping. Someone is impersonating his long-dead father. The peril is just beginning.
Front cover Greatest Game- The "bird's nest" Beijing athletic stadium. Read more about doping in the Games.
EYES ONLY. “This information is critical to the success of our team in the upcoming Games. Dissemination is encouraged.” The President
Frank Thro, distraught over the loss of his family, finds solace in coaching the martial arts team of the United States. He learns anything goes at the Beijing Games. Gene doping is mandated by Arthur Challenger, who heads the largest and most powerful corporation in the world. He promises every world record in every event will be broken. Nothing else matters except Faster, Higher, Farther.
The team arrives in Beijing, where Thro is sucked into intrigue and the Great Game, the battle for oil and power in central Asia. Behind the athletic endeavors, Challenger is locked in a fight with Premier Wen Jiabao, corporation against nation, capitalism unleashed against communism, man against man. The winner will not only become rich beyond dreams, but assume the mantle of power.
Under Thro’s tutelage, the American team enters the finals. Coach Thro is called away to a meeting with Larry Fei of the CIA. Intelligence indicates someone in Bole, the center of China’s oil belt, is using the name of Thro’s long-dead father, Michael Francis Thro. Frank Thro is forced to travel to Bole, to the nexus of the Great Game and find the truth, about oil, the limits of sport, and the essence of his lost father’s life.
At his team’s final match in Beijing, as the World Wide Games collapse around him, Thro is forced to solve the mystery of the Great Game. Challenger contracts to kill Thro and Premier Wen orders the sinking of a Japanese ship as they battle each other for the gold medal- the right to control world oil supplies. (From the back cover.)
WHAT ABOUT DOPING IN SPORTS?
The Mitchell Report, on doping in Major League Baseball, is just the most recent in a long line of scandals. Professional football, cycling, track and field and others beat their chests about the alphabet soup of agents. EPO, HGH, designer steroids. What do they really want?
Money.
The public wants something different. There are a few old time fans craving the old days, when sport showed a team's character, motivation and perseverance. Today, fans want excitement, power, instant replays. "Fastest, highest, strongest." They wink and nod at the methods, so on Sunday they can scream at the TV with their friends. The purity is gone, but the collisions are more spectacular. Where will it all end?
This year, the best athletes are sitting on the sidelines. Banned, punished by a positive test, or afraid they will be caught, the fastest, highest, strongest won't participate in any number of sports. The Tour de France is a perfect example. If times are slow and no one is strong enough to emerge a leader, will they allow cars on Tour routes to provide excitement? Governing bodies of sport, like UCI for cycling, protest too much. They'll be more liberal if no fans watch on TV.
But what about purity? Where should we draw the line? Every year, new records are set in track, swimming, cycling. Statistics are way up in baseball, football, basketball. Crowds come to see the best battle it out. Prices at professional levels are out of control. Will fans now get an inferior product?
THE MERCHANT OF DEATH
The Washington Post reported Viktor Bout, known as the "Merchant of Death" for his history of arms sales, was arrested in Thailand. As you know, he plays an important role in Greatest Game. Thailand officials, acting on a warrant from the Drug Enforcement Administration, arrested Bout in a sting operation. The arms dealer was about to deliver $15 million worth of missiles and small arms to the FARC of Colombia. Viktor Bout served as the inspiration for the amoral arms dealer in the movie "Lord of War."
CHINA'S POWER
Make no mistake, China is positioning itself to ascend the world stage. With this summer's Beijing Olympics, they intend to prove they are a first world country, economy, and military power. Can they do it?
Their economy is roaring, benefiting from the current recession in the US.
They will shut down all non-commercial traffic for the Beijing Olympics.
They will shut down polluting coal-fired power plants within 100 miles of Beijing 2 weeks before the Games, to ensure clean air for the athletes.
Yes, they can do it. The important question is where does this shift the relationship between the US and China? Do not make the mistake of wishful thinking. Like the British in World War II, they practically ceased to exist as a nation before embracing the US as the most powerful nation on earth. A similar moment in history approaches.
The US is wasting billions in monetary resources in Iraq. Recession is eroding the "consumer economy." The Constitution is under attack from the present administration. This leaves the US weakened and divided at a critical time to be vigilant and on guard.
China has enormous monetary reserves, much of which is in US equities. They continue to quietly build the PLA into a world class fighting force. They explore space, while raising the peasants' standard of living.
THE INTERSECTION OF MONEY, BUSINESS AND GEOPOLITICS IS PERILOUS.