Beijing gloss fades after going through the wringer
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Olympics 2008
The Beijing Olympic Games will go down in history as the Games Made In China. Beautiful to look at but put it through a couple of washes and the shiny, glossy facade is stripped away.
Or like a new toy, it works well for a month and then it cracks.
These were the Coming Out Games for a prospective world power that was supposed to open up to the rest of the world. But these Games were more about spikes and poles and goggles. China was exposed to international scrutiny of its social interactions at levels that upset the ruling Communist Party.
There was no more stark illustration of this than the opening ceremony, when a seven-year-old Chinese girl singing an Ode To The Motherland was replaced at the last minute by another singer, cute as a baby panda, but lip-synching the words - changed at the behest of a senior politburo member. China was trying so hard to be absolutely perfect. Officials couldn't understand why the focus was on one small late change to their program, rather than the multimillion-dollar, technically superb spectacle.
Throughout all of August, the organisers were battling a Western media that was not focusing on the sport, but rather the country's political regime, its human rights record, oppression of protesters, restrictions on reporting, brutality of photographers. And the International Olympic Committee just stood passively at the side, having lost early control of these Games.
From its initial enthusiasm of giving the Games to China to become an instrument of great social change, the IOC was forced to the sidelines and became a bit-part player, even initially parroting the Beijing line that the Olympics were not about politics.
There were some paradoxes. These were the sell-out Games, yet many venues had thousands of empty seats; these were the green Games, held in a shroud of smog.
Time will tell if these Games are remembered more for the sight of two frail women sentenced to 12 months hard labour for disturbing the peace and being refused permission to protest in one of the three specially designated areas; and China's pretence of giving its citizens a voice.
Or maybe the sight of Usain Bolt's signature reggae dancing down the back straight of the Bird's Nest or the sight of Michael Phelps's massive spreadeagled arms are the most lasting impressions. Or will it be Li Ning's sensational lap of honour around the top of the stadium before he lit the flame?
Certainly China put on a sporting extravaganza that was unparalleled for its organisation. The buses ran on time, the technology worked most of the time and, importantly, the sporting moments were particularly memorable. Phelps's eight gold medals and his phenomenal world record haul; Bolt's showy, electrifying speed; Sally McLellan's shock; Anna Meares's and Elise Rechichi's bravery; Australia's gay diver Matt Mitcham beating the Chinese hosts; Steve Hooker's electrifying gold, the first for an Australian field athlete in 40 years.
There is the heartache and the tears, too. Liu Xiang's withdrawal before the first hurdle sent the hosts into a nationwide depression. The furore surrounding their gymnasts, some accused of being under-age - just 14 - tarnished a carefully cultivated image.
Between East and West they were the parallel games: China dominated gymnastics, weightlifting, diving. The US dominated volleyball, track and field, swimming and shooting.
Australia, with 14 gold , 15 silver and 17 bronze medals, was most prominent in the pool, in sailing and rowing.
Some countries won their first gold medals - Panama, Bahrain, Mongolia - while Afghanistan, Mauritius, Togo and Tajikistan won their first Olympic medals. India won its first individual gold.
Heavy pollution was a concern early on, but halving the number of cars on the road and permanently closing polluting factories helped clear the air.
The IOC president, Jacques Rogge, said the Beijing Games had left the IOC in a strong financial position, and the Olympic broadcast went to more people in more places than before.
Rogge believes the lasting legacy of the Games will be the dreams fulfilled and a source of inspiration for a generation of young Chinese people.
"Some of the friendly volunteers we have met over the past two weeks will be tomorrow's leaders," he said. "They have emerged from this experience with new confidence and a better understanding of Olympic values. That may ultimately be the greatest legacy of these Games."
- © Fairfax NZ News
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another point - how can the writer say the us dominated the shooting? China won 6 gold to 2 for the united states.
Why just pick on the Chinese for drug taking?
The US track and field team have been taking drugs for years. Are their medals tainted?
Can you guarentee that all the aussie medals are clean?
Hang on a second. Two Olympic games in U.S.A. in the last few decades. Isn't that a country that still has the death sentence? Sydney Olympics, wasn't there a program of moving on the indigenous people from parts of the city to clean it up a bit? You wouldn't have to scratch very deep below the surface in any country in the world to find something to rant about would you?
Just as a basic observation - having lived in China for close to 2 years might put me in a better position to judge.
Most people who seem to condemn the Beijing Olympics, and China in general have never been to China. I know you probably read this a lot, about how China has gone through many changes, faced many challenges to get to where it is at the moment, etc. The journalist who wrote this article did it obviously to get people's blood pumping - be it in support of her opinion or in utter disagreement. But at the end of the day, selecting a few facts counts for very little. I too can select some facts to paint whatever picture of China I wish to.
If anybody is interested - you can go to China and check it out for yourself. You can seek out the beggars in the street, observe the political speeches on TV, visit the historical monuments and then go to a bar at the end of the day and complain about how terrible it is to the other westerners who live there.
But, at least do that much please - do us a favour and actually go to the place you want talk about. Do some actual research and talk to some Chinese people who do not all just hate or love the Chinese government. Then after that feel free to say whatever you like. Cheers.
Wow! JACQUELIN MAGNAY you need to consider another proffession for the good of the media and anyone that reads it.
I would like to second what t v stanley said. And I agree completely with Jacques Rogge.
No offence but during the games, the NZ media has been like a bunch of old grannies who went through Beijing on a tour bus, read a few sensational articles and spent five mins copying and pasting them into something that would sell. Truth be damned!
This article is rotten at its core. But, there are a couple of things that did interest me:
"two frail women sentenced to 12 months hard labour for disturbing the peace"
I'm not saying it's not true, it's just not what I heard. Can anyone confirm that they were sent to 'hard labour'? I though they were just being reeducated as in having to read some stuff.
Also,
"its human rights record, oppression of protesters, restrictions on reporting, brutality of photographers."
I'm in Beijing now. Has anyone else heard anything about brutal photographers? I don't want to get paranoid as there are a lot of Chinese people with cameras here.
I think that "the lack of freedom to protest in the protest parks, and the horrendous decision to send two old women to re-education camp for requesting a permit to protest" should not be a footnote. You are talking about peoples lives, their right to basic freedoms such as speech and liberty. I 100% support the athletes and all of their achievments at these games, but I absolutely abhor the way these games have been controlled by the chinese government. If they (the chinese government) have nothing to hide and want to show everything good about china, then they should have opened up the country to the media.
NO mention of the drugs the chinese athletes were on? If you think their gold medal haul was acheived without drug assistance you're an idiot. IN Aussie before the games they had a documentary showing olympic (chinese) atheltes going into their local doctors and asking for injections, casue they wanted to bulk up or get a little faster. Doctor just poped out a needle and pumped them full of something.
Wow. From the childishly negative to quoting the rose tinted Olympic rhetoric that, let's face it, may possibly need to be said at the closing ceremony but shouldn't be long dwelt on.
Did Rattue help with the first part? He's equally sensationalist and unable to contextualise the herculean effort that was gone to in order to hold these games given China's background. Constructive criticism great, its necessary and important, thoughtless generalisations that equate to nothing more than cheap gibes, you can keep.
I have Lived in china for 8 years,
I agree with the first comment ,sensationalist reporting at its best here everyone All regurgatated points and comments we have already read from a western media nit picking and trying to find anything to have a go at china for, JACQUELIN - were you at the games??
It was amazing , very well organised and I will remember it for seeing VV win her gold in the birdsnest and a day in the sun on that same saturday afternoon watching the rowing, I wont remember it for the crap food at the events, somthing you forgot to mention, mind you the beers were only 5RMB, less than a dollar
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@ Lives in China,
A footnote?!? Sending these two old ladies to this camp is disgusting. Do the ends "a smooth, efficient, and hitch free games" justify the means? All they wanted was to be heard. Does the Chinese government really fear these two old ladies? To me the greatest achievement the Chinese government can give it's people is freedom, not two weeks of sport.