Olympic Games Well-Organized So Far, But Empty Seats Persist

With one week left in the Beijing Games, "all seems okay," as there are "no major operational issues for stakeholders, whether sponsors, IOC, media, federations or spectators," according to Ed Hula of AROUND THE RINGS. Security "is omnipresent, but not overbearing for the most part." However, "disappointing is the cancellation of press conferences by the IOC and BOCOG for two days running now, perhaps an Olympic record." Though "there is little news to report," the cancellations "make it look like organizers are coming up with a new way to avoid providing straight answers" (AROUNDTHERINGS.com, 8/17). In Toronto, Steve Simmons reports the Beijing Games "are doing more than just fine thank you." The "most pressing issues of any Olympics -- facilities, housing, transportation, venues, the athletes, security, and this one, censorship -- have for the most part been taken care of." The transportation system is the "most effective, easiest and most complete system of any Olympics I've been to." The media housing "is the most impressive of any Games." If the Olympics "lacks anything, and this is being picky, it's atmosphere." The Chinese "are trying so hard to put the Games on they don't seem to be able to enjoy them" (TORONTO SUN, 8/18). In his blog, Jay Weiner, who has been to every Summer and Winter Games since ’84, assesses Beijing by writes, "Everything we anticipated -- from terrific facilities to unacceptable Web blocking and arrests of protesters -- has been delivered. ... I’m beginning to see my meter move on ‘Best Games Ever.’ No conclusion yet. And the authoritarian nature of the government makes me want to NOT call these the best Olympics I’ve been to. I don’t want to give the regime too much credit" (THE DAILY). But in Toronto, Rosie DiManno reports these Games "are the eeriest ever." It is "as if a neutron bomb had exploded, killing all the people but leaving the buildings perfectly intact." The Olympic Green "is a very pretty gulag surrounded by spooky empty streets, populated mostly by journalists from around the globe." Volunteers "do careen about on mopeds and bicycles but, otherwise, very little stirs, at least until the big facilities ... let out at the end of the day" (TORONTO STAR, 8/18).

Chinese Media Focus On Blue Skies In Coverage

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE: Chinese journalist Li Datong said that the state-run media "are under orders not to report any negative news about the Games." USA TODAY's MacLeod & Johnson report that, as a result, "any problems -- from empty seats to the stabbing death of a U.S. tourist -- have mostly been shielded from China's 1.3 billion people." Instead, the emphasis "is on blue skies instead of pollution and on China's lead in gold medals" (USA TODAY, 8/18). DAILY VARIETY's Clifford Coonan reports the scene at Ritan Park, one of the three designated protest areas in Beijing, "is one of harmony and there is no whiff of dissent to spoil the Olympic party" (DAILY VARIETY, 8/18). Meanwhile, in DC, Amy Shipley reported the IOC "will not publish the air-quality data it receives during the Summer Games after reaching an agreement with Chinese authorities." IOC Medical Commission Chair Arne Ljungqvist said that Chinese officials "did not demand that the information be kept private, but both parties agreed it should be considered 'an interior affair for the purpose of rescheduling competitions.'" Ljungqvist added that air quality "has been satisfactory since the Olympics began Aug. 8 and that the IOC's medical commission had not recommended that any events be postponed" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/16).

WHERE'S THE JOY? In Seattle, Art Thiel wrote under the header, "Too-Careful Chinese Manage To Produce Joyless Games." Thiel: "Sterile. That's the Beijing Games at halftime." Other Olympics "had many problems that the Chinese have fixed, but shared one trait that is proving elusive here -- joy." Thiel: "I have just one request for [BOCOG] and the people who make the myriad rules here: Relax" (SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, 8/16). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Peter Sanders wrote under the header "Impossible Dream: A Hassle-Free Olympics." Sanders wrote the Beijing Games "leave me feeling like impossible is nearly everything." The Games for the "average foreign spectator ... involve lots of head scratching and feet sore from hoofing it from one end of this giant city to another." Though the competition "has been great fun, ... everything that comes before, during and after is a test of wills between the entire impenetrable, obstinate Chinese Olympic operations machine and me. And one side always wins." Sanders added food offerings inside venues are "awful at best, execrable at worst" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/16).

Olympics Venues Still Not Filling Up

GOOD SEATS AVAILABLE: In S.F., Janny Hu wrote entering the second week, Chinese officials "are hoping that its sold-out events can begin looking as such" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 8/16). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Carlos Tejada wrote a reason for the empty seats "may lie with [BOCOG], who seem to have designated large swaths of seating to people who may or may not come." Tejada: "Are these seats for accredited media who simply aren't interested in covering these events? Or are these seats reserved for local officials and visiting dignitaries?" (WSJ.com, 8/16). In L.A., Barbara Demick wrote the empty seats are "one of the great mysteries of the Beijing Olympics: In what is reportedly the first sold-out Games in Olympic history, many venues are far from full, with the expanses of empty seats giving events a somewhat forlorn appearance." But not every venue "is empty," as there have been "full houses for swimming and gymnastics finals." The 91,000-seat National Stadium was "packed Saturday for track and field. But at most other events, even table tennis and archery in which the Chinese are strong, the lack of fans is glaringly obvious, especially on TV" (L.A. TIMES, 8/17). In Toronto, Jim Kernaghan wrote "despite what organizing committees say about sellouts, ... essentially, the Olympic Games have been a massive TV production." It is "always nice to have people cheering in the background but the big dough comes from broadcast rights, not the turnstiles." Kernaghan: "If the venues are mainly large television studios, what about a permanent site for the Olympics?" (TORONTO SUN, 8/17).

TICKET BUSINESS: The S.F. CHRONICLE's Hu reported "a red-hot black market for Olympic tickets has emerged despite alleged crackdowns on scalping and concerns over empty seats," as both foreign and Chinese scalpers "are selling tickets to in-demand events for up to 40 times their face value." With tickets to "premium events such as basketball costing next to nothing for their original buyers -- and profit from a single resale equaling a month's wages for many locals -- the scalping scene has been intense" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 8/16).