IOC Maintains Support For Beijing As Host, Despite Violence, Air
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China, IOC Officials Discuss Olympics' Lasting
Impact On Chinese Culture During Assembly |
Ahead of the Beijing Games, the credibility of the IOC is "on trial just as much as that of Beijing and the mutual interest in delivering a successful and credible Games was evident last night," as the IOC "announced its arrival in Beijing ... with a typically portentous flourish" at its General Assembly at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, according to Paul Kelso of the Manchester GUARDIAN. China President Hu Jintao and IOC President Jacques Rogge delivered speeches at the event and "repeated their mutual mantra that the Olympics are a force for good in China." Hu: "It is our hope that through the Games we can show the world the sincere aspiration of the Chinese people to share in the benefits of development and to join with the rest of the world in building a bright future" (Manchester GUARDIAN, 8/5). Rogge "avoided mention of contentious issues such as pollution and media freedom but did allude to 'challenges.'" Rogge: "China is a nation in transition, with a great future, tremendous potential and some challenges. I think history will view the Games as a significant milestone in China's remarkable transformation" (BBCNEWS.co.uk, 8/5).
STATE OF THE COMMITTEE: Rogge added that the IOC is a "healthy organisation with booming revenues, but needs to remain relevant to young people to continue to grow." Rogge: "I believe (the state of the IOC) is very good" (REUTERS, 8/5). The AP's Stephen Wilson reports the IOC is "continuing to consider whether to eliminate international torch relays in the wake of the protests" over the Beijing relay. Rogge said at last night's event, "We will have to reflect with calmness and tranquility on the future of the Olympic torch relay. ... We respect protests and freedom of expression, but violence is against the Olympic spirit." Meanwhile, Rogge outlined the "financial strength of the IOC, which has reserves of $353[M] and is generating $866[M] in revenue from global sponsorships in the 2005-08 cycle and forecasts $1[B] from the next four-year cycle." The IOC also will earn $3.8B from TV rights fees for the 2010 and 2012 Games (AP, 8/5).
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BOCOG Official Confident
Of Safe, Secure Olympics |
CAUSE FOR CONCERN? The GLOBE & MAIL's Geoffrey York reports two attackers yesterday in Kashgar, China, killed "at least 16 Chinese policemen and injured 16 others." The violence marked the "deadliest attack on Chinese forces in a decade, and it cast a shadow over Beijing's assertions to have assured the security of the Olympics" (GLOBE & MAIL, 8/5). The attack took place 2,100 miles from Beijing, but BOCOG Media Dir Sun Weide said, "We are prepared to deal with any kind of security threat and we are confident we will have a safe and peaceful Olympic Games." IOC officials said that they are also "confident that security in the capital would be more than adequate when the Games began." IOC Dir of Communications Giselle Davies: "We all feel the Chinese authorities have done everything possible to assure the safety and security of everyone attending the Games" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/5).
UNDER WATCHFUL EYES: In a front-page cover story for USA TODAY, Calum MacLeod writes of the atmosphere in Beijing, "It's clear nearly everywhere you look that the government is meshing its role as gracious host with its tradition of controlling most aspects of daily life. In a nation known for its tight security and intolerance of dissidents, the security and surveillance -- of Chinese citizens and visitors alike -- has been increased noticeably." Beijing's actions "have created a tone that is significantly different from those set by organizers" of the '00 Sydney and '04 Athens Games. Olympic historian and author David Wallechinsky said that China's "unprecedented security efforts ... suggest that future tourism and an economic boost are less of a priority." He added that Beijing seems "more intent on putting on trouble-free Games that raise the stature of China's government and boost nationalism across the nation." Wallechinsky: "This is about the Communist Party showing their own people that the world accepts them as legitimate rulers of China." Former Univ. of Western Ontario Int'l Center for Olympic Studies Dir Kevin Wamsley compared the security presence at the Beijing Games with that at the '02 Salt Lake City Games, saying that was "more of a lockdown on the (Olympic) facilities -- the in-and-out movement." Wamsley added in Beijing, the "whole city is very, very deeply under scrutiny. ... It's a bit more of a Big Brother situation." MacLeod notes Chinese officials "have built public support for their restrictions by linking security with patriotism, casting any effort to disrupt the Games as an attack on Beijing" (USA TODAY, 8/5).
SECURITY DETAILS: Independent Television News’ Lindsey Hilsum said the government is “taking extreme security measures,” with 110,000 troops, police and security volunteers being posted to Beijing (“The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” PBS, 8/4). In Toronto, Thane Burnett reports security in Beijing is "everywhere, as face recognition software blueprints your features when you use your Olympic credentials to get into secure locations" (TORONTO SUN, 8/5). NBC's Ian Williams noted there are around 300,000 surveillance cameras in Beijing, which "may discourage at least some of the half million tourists who had been expected to arrive here." Williams added "tough new visa regulations have been imposed against terrorism, authorities say, but also to thwart the sort of protest that dogged the torch relay” (Nightly News," NBC, 8/4). ABC’s Stephanie Sy reported Beijing is "practically on wartime footing, everything from military helicopters patrolling the skies to hotel guests having their luggage examined when they check in.” Sy added that “some people here say that the security attitude borders on the paranoid, but Chinese authorities say these are necessary precautions” (“GMA,” ABC, 8/5).
SEEING THROUGH THE HAZE: In DC, Sally Jenkins writes anyone who believed the Chinese government "would use the Olympics as an opportunity to become a human rights beacon and environmental model was either softheaded, or lying." Jenkins: "So what is this Olympics really about? It's about 12 major corporations and their panting ambitions to tap into China's 1.3 billion consumers, the world's third-largest economy." The fact six of the 12 IOC TOP sponsors are American-based companies is the most "disgraceful of all" and "has to heart-sicken any patriot." Jenkins writes the bad air in Beijing "has shown the IOC and its commercial sponsors in an especially ugly and damning light," as they "have been conspicuous cowards in dealing with Chinese officials, and maybe even outright collaborators, on every issue from human rights to the environment to censorship." The "silence of [Rogge] in the face of the continuing dissident sweeps amounts to complicity" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/5).
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Some Athletes May Resort To
Wearing Masks While In Beijing |
MASKING THE PROBLEM: In DC, Amy Shipley notes many Olympic athletes have chosen to "train outside Beijing until the last possible moment before their competition" due to "fears about air quality." While Beijing for much of last week "had reveled in blue skies," yesterday there was a "change in conditions." U.S. fencer Erinn Smart said "there was just this haze around" yesterday. But U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte said, "It's a little smoggy here, but I'm not coughing up a lung or anything like that" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/5). In N.Y., Juliet Macur reports some athletes, like Smart, "have already felt the effects of the humidity and pollution." While the USOC "issued specially designed masks to some of its athletes to filter out polluted air," persuading athletes to wear the masks is "another task altogether." Smart: "It's been like, Who's going to start the trend of wearing that mask? No one wants to be the first" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/5). USOC Chief Communications Officer Darryl Seibel today said that "unidentified members of the U.S. cycling squad arrived at Beijing airport wearing black respiratory masks" (REUTERS, 8/5).
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Thousands Of Chinese Residents
Volunteering To Help Olympic Visitors |
ON THE GROUND: In Toronto, Rob Longley writes, "It is difficult to fathom that smog thick enough to chew and the blast-furnace heat won't have at least some effect on performance, if not the health, of athletes." Also, there is "something a little more serious with the military on guard" in Beijing. Longley: "Ultimately, these Games may well be remembered for the air. Or for the anticipated sensational showing by Chinese athletes. Or violence, God forbid, on a grander scale than that which rocked a remote corner of the country earlier in the week" (TORONTO SUN, 8/5). In London, Jim White notes Beijing is "falling over itself to be of service," as "tens of thousands of Olympic volunteers, in their blue or red uniforms, are working without pay, everywhere anxious to step forward to help." Every inch of the city "has been spruced up, litter whisked off every pavement, flags hung from every lamppost" (London TELEGRAPH, 8/5). In Phoenix, Dan Bickley wrote Beijing already "has displayed incredible efficiency," as there is "no shortage of volunteers, and no corners have been cut." But "all of this meticular preparation gets overshadowed if the fog never clears" (AZCENTRAL.com, 8/4). In N.Y., Jere Longman writes of the Green Homeland Media Village, "By Olympic standards, the rooms are big and comfortable." And for "all the talk of overbearing security in an authoritarian state, the Chinese have actually devised a system that is much less intrusive than at previous Games." Journalists are screened at the media village and "thus do not have to stand in long lines waiting to get into stadiums and other official areas" (NYTIMES.com, 8/5). In London, Rob Sharp noted at the Beijing Olympic Green Convention Centre, which is the working base for more than 20,000 media members, media reps are "being offered massages, hairdressing, modern gym facilities and world-class starters and mains." The press workroom is the "largest in Olympic history," and has "971 broadband-equipped workstations, 680 with high-speed network connections and an additional 206 for photographers" (London INDEPENDENT, 8/4).
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