From Bernadette Ludwig in Dharamsala, home to many exiled Tibetans.

Today seems an appropriate day to remember the Olympic Creed. "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part - just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well" Pierre de Cobertin at the 1906 summer Olympics in Athens.

And that is what we have done here in our small Tibetan and Indian community in Dharamshala. I live literally a stones throw from the Dalai Lama's temple and residence. And now it is monsoon. Stones scatter the roads and paths, dislodged and washed down by rain which pelts into the earth like bullets. And on this day we simmer in the moldy drizzle and we drip with disappointment. This is not a day to be cherished in the saga of sportsmanship or indeed in the story of humanity. The torch may be in Beijing but the eternal flame is here, ignited by simple fuel-fairness and justice.

The Olympics are not just about sport. They are a symbol of the greatness of the human spirit and the human heart. And that is why any medal won at these Olympics is made of tarnished metal. A weight around the neck, a heaviness against the heart.

The argument is not with the Chinese people but with the Chinese government. They have hurt their own. To build their grandiose stadiums they evicted people from homes that have been theirs for generations. They have issued pamphlets for dress codes and behavior patterns for the people of Beijing - blindly not understanding that there is a universe of difference between making something look good and BE good.

Perhaps this is a good day to remember Tienanmen Square but it's certainly a day where there is nothing 'olympic' about it. Last night the rain was ferocious. The abode of the Gods stormed and thundered as though it was roaring its protest to Mount Olympus. Land slid, trees crashed and boulders rumbled around the mountain. And now down the soggy road they come. We've done our little bit by clearing as much of the road in front of our restaurant as we can. Because sticks and stones can break bones. Something the Chinese government is tirelessly expert at. We have our cobalt glasses of filtered water ready for them. Around the corner they come, Tibetan flags and banners held high.

This is a flame which cannot be extinguished even by the relentless rain. And I'd rather stand here wet with them than be anywhere near Beijing. There's not enough money in the world that could entice me to be at the opening ceremony of these spiritless Olympics - The Olympics of the Damned, The Olympics of the Tortured, The Olympics of the Dispossessed.

We may not have won the battle to stop these obscene Olympics. We may not have triumphed or conquered but we most certainly have taken part. We have struggled and will continue - we will march every day. We will stand together to applaud, to honour, to give recognition not to those who win - but to those who strive to be on the side which makes this a better world. And we will do that despite the fact that we may not win. You fight not because you are sure you will win - you fight because it's the right thing to do. And here, in Dharamsala, we have fought well. Not one stone has been thrown.

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