The Unofficial 2008 Beijing Olympics Blog

We all know that the Beijing Olympics might just be the best organized olympic edition ever, due to China’s resources, the number of people involved in the project and their seriosity. However, really few are quite sure that it will actually be this way, because in spite of all those things, there are so many things which can go really wrong. Here’s just a short list of those things that can cause a downfall in the 2008 Olympics quality and appeal:

Pollution

Due to the development of China’s industry, pollutian has reached high quotas, being perhaps the most polluted country in the world; what’s even worse, is that the polution level is at its highest near Beijing. Some sportsmen have already expressed their fears about the damage a polluted atmosphere could cause. As a matter of fact, the world’s top marathon runner already announced he won’t compete in the Beijing event. Also, several countries have moved their training camps in Japan for the same reason. Nobody knows for sure what to expect (and this applies for many things) in August, and China has taken drastic anti-pollution measures, so it could work out after all, but the odds are not that great; but one thing’s for sure: the low air quality will have a bad effect on sportsmen, especially athletes.

Beaurocracy

This is one of those things that can or can’t happen - there’s no middle way. What’s this about? Well, NBC paid $1.5 billion for broadcast rights to the 2006 and 2008 Olympics, but China seems reluctant to allow live coverage in Tiananmen Square or the Forbidden City. Also, TV right holders announced their equipment is tied up for “security reasons”.

Tibet

This is perhaps the most delicate issue that can affect the Olympics - and for good reason. The way China has dealt with this issue has sparkled controversies to say the least. Numerous world leaders announced they won’t be a part in the Beijing Olympics due to this fact, and even more will boycott the opening ceremony. We have already seen The Chinese government killing over 100 pro-Tibetan activists.

Freedom of speech and information

China sees those issues quite differently than most western states, so we probably shouldn’t expect so many news from behind the scenes and so many opinions as we had in the past editions. However this could be exactly the chance for China to show that it changed its mentality for the better.

Terrorism

I’m not really sure what the odds for a terrorist act are (I really hope there won’t be any acts of this kind), but if there were to be such an act, it’s not sure how well prepared China is. More than 500 detailed security plans have supposedly been mapped out.

Food

Food has a very high probability of being a major downfall in this year’s Olympics. Many delegations have raised questions about the safety of the food in the Olympic village. While the NY Times claims the US team was bringing its own food, a Chinese official announced that outside food would not be allowed in athletes’ lodgings. This will probably be a decision they will come to regret. Here’s what an American caterer of their delegation had to say about this: “We had it tested and it was so full of steroids that we never could have given it to athletes. They all would have tested positive”

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