Beijing
has much to do to prepare for the 2008 Olympics
By Allison Furniss
November 7, 2005 | The 10th National
Games kicked off last month at the Olympic Stadium in
Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. These games, the last
before the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, serve as a
rehearsal for the 2008 Olympics.
"It has very important tasks of rehearsal for the
Olympic Games in 2008, and we have done much for that,"
said Xiao Tian, vice-director of the State General Administration
of Sports.
Olympic staff, athletes, and media organizations alike
are using the National
Games as preparations for the 2008 Olympics. But
even more preparation is being made, on perhaps an even
larger scale, in the capital city itself. Hosting an
event of this size requires extensive planning and preparation,
and Beijing is no exception.
According to an article in the New York Times,
"Beijing's Quest for 2008: To Become Simply Livable,"
Beijing must build or rebuild 72 sports stadiums and
training facilities before the opening ceremonies. The
city will allocate more than $1.23 billion for the construction
of these venues.
In addition to venue construction, Utah State University
professor of comparative Asian history and Chinese history,
R. Edward
Glatfelter, cited traffic as a major issue facing
Beijing during the games. Although additional ring roads have been constructed
around the city to accommodate accessibility to airports
and outlying regions of the city, Glatfelter says, "internally,
traffic will be an issue."
Glatfelter, USU's emissary to East Asia, pointed out
that China's unique governmental position allows them
to keep citizens with cars off the roads during the
Games.
"I'm sure whatever they do will be through control,"
he said. "What the Chinese can do that other cannot
is to order it. It's kind of a classic way of Chinese
control."
Transportation, particularly city buses and taxis,
in Beijing is improving, according to USU student Jason
Jin. Jin, who moved to the United States from Beijing
six years ago, still has immediate family living in
Beijing. Jin said although he and his family have not
been directly affected by the upcoming Olympic Games,
he has noticed improvements to the city of Beijing.
He also said he believes China is prepared to host an
event of this size.
"Some people were upset over losing the 2000 Olympic
bid," Jin said. "And though it would have been great
to host the Olympics then, we're better prepared for
it now."
While Olympic preparation has meant an increase in
employment opportunities, and improvements in the infrastructure
of Beijing, the city has also encountered a number of
problems in preparing for the games.
"Wherever I look, there seem to be problems," said
Beijing mayor, Wang Qishan, according to an article
in the government's official English-language newspaper,
China Daily. According to the New York Times
article, possibly the greatest challenge facing the
Beijing Olympic Committee is hosting the "green" Olympic
event they have promised, and creating "a city suitable
for living." The city's air quality must improve, the
water supply must be rationed, and the city's thousands
of "old and fetid" restrooms must be replaced.
Another issue, according to the Human Rights Watch,
is the threat of forced evictions. "China's rapid
urban development, fueled in Beijing by preparations
for the 2008 Olympics, is leading to the eviction of
homeowners and tenants," according to the organization's
website.
So what
effect, if any, will these painstaking improvement efforts--and
the Olympic games in general--have on the city of Beijing
and on the nation as a whole?
Glatfelter says he expects it to be prestige, to the
largest extent. The Olympic bid, he said, is symbolic
of a country that has come a long way.
"The Chinese see it as one more step in the emergence
of post-revolution China," he said. "If they can carry
out the Olympics in a classy manner, it will reflect
well on the nation."
NW
MS |
