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2008 Summer Olympics
Bid process (bid details) Venues Marketing (mascots) Broadcasters Concerns and controversies Torch relay (route) Opening ceremony (flag bearers) Medal table (medalists) Closing ceremony (flag bearers) Event calendar Chronological summary World and Olympic records Paralympics (medal table) IOC COC SF&OCHK BOCOG
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Concerns and controversies over the 2008 Summer Olympics consisted of a diverse variety of topics including human rights, environmental conditions, proposed boycotts, potential sabotage and terrorism, and Olympic bid discrepancies.

Topics included allegations that China violated promises made in its Olympic bid, various alleged human rights violations, air pollution in both the city of Beijing and in neighbouring areas, proposed boycotts, warnings of potential attacks from terrorist groups, a foiled sabotage attempt, potentially violent disruption from pro-Tibetan protesters, equivocal religious freedoms, the banning of ethnic Tibetans from working in Beijing for the duration of the games, criticisms of policies mandating the electronic surveillance of internationally owned hotels, displacement of residents, ticket adversities, manhandling of foreign journalists, dubious protest zones, as well as alleged harassment, house arrests, forced disappearances, imprisonment, and torture of dissidents and protest applicants.

Additionally, political activists protested the games for various causes such as Tibetan independence, China's role in the Darfur conflict, and concerns about the plight of Christians in China.

Events controversies

A number of sportsmen were criticised for their behaviour at the games:

• The Chinese men's football team was severely criticised by the domestic media for its poor sportsmanship, particularly during the match against Belgium.
• Mohammad Alirezaei was due to race against Israel's Tom Be'eri in the fourth heat of the 100 metre breaststroke, but pulled out, allegedly under the orders from officials of the Iranian delegation for political reasons.
• Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian rejected his bronze medal in 84kg Greco-Roman wrestling in protest over the judging of a semifinal match.
• Cuban tae kwon do athlete Ángel Valodia Matos kicked referee Chakir Chelbat in the face after being disqualified. Matos' records at the Beijing Games were erased; he and his coach were banned from all future World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) events.

Racism

Prior to the start of the Games, the Spain Men's and Women's Basketball teams featured in ads that appeared in the Spanish daily sports newspaper Diario Marca. The athletes were in uniform pulling back the skin on their eyelids, with smiles on their faces, at a center court bearing a dragon logo. Sarah Smith, a spokesman for the Organization of Chinese Americans in Washington, D.C. said that the photo was "clearly racist, and not even in a jovial way", saying that she expected more from a group of Olympians, many of whom have played professionally in the United States. Point guard Jose Manuel Calderon said the team was responding to a request from the photographer, while teammate Pau Gasol said it was “absurd” people were calling the gesture racist. The IOC said "clearly it was inappropriate, we understand the team has apologised and absolutely meant no offence whatsoever", and considered the matter closed.

Underage gymnasts

There was frequent speculation that members of the Chinese women's gymnastics team were 14 years of age or under and that the government altered their passports to comply with the minimum age requirements of Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique, the governing body of the sport. Younger gymnasts are lighter and more supple; they may also be more fearless when performing difficult manoeuvers.

Media focussed their attention on He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan, Deng Linlin and Yang Yilin. In response, Chinese authorities presented passport information to show that they were 16 as of 2008; however, online records listing Chinese gymnasts and their ages that were posted on official Web sites in China (including one generated by China’s State General Administration of Sport), along with ages given in the official Chinese news media, seem to contradict the passport information, indicating that He, Deng, and Jiang may be as young as 14; A registry of athletes for the Chengdu games in 2007, viewable through Google cache, list He's birthday as January 1, 1994, China Central Television (CCTV) website posted a profile indicating that Yang Yilin was 14, which the government later argued was incorrect. Yang Yun, who won two bronze medals in the 2000 Summer Olympics, admitted on state-run television that she was 14 when she had competed. The IOC asked the FIG to launch an investigation into these allegations.

Former coach of Nadia Comaneci, Béla Károlyi repeatedly alleged the 2008 Chinese women's gymnastics team cheated by using athletes who did not meet the minimum age requirements. He also criticised the FIG for setting age limits which they were incapable of enforcing.

On August 22, 2008 the I.O.C. instructed the F.I.G. to investigate the allegations that He Kexin was under-age and therefore was not eligible to compete in the gymnastics events, and were asked to report back to the I.O.C. later that day. The IOC had initially accepted the ages of all the Chinese participants, but new documents surfaced placing He Kexin's birth year at 1994, not 1992 as initially reported on her Chinese passport. The F.I.G., however, accepted passport ages as valid proof and said that those gymnasts were eligible. Sportswriter E.M. Swift criticized the IOC for "spend millions of dollars trying to ferret out drug cheats allegations of institutionalized cheating" by the Chinese government.

The investigation was initiated after an American blogger and security consultant identified as Mike Walker discovered a cached official Excel spreadsheet showing He Kexin's birthday as January 1, 1994.

State training and expectations of Chinese athletes

As the host country, China has high expectations, putting immense pressure upon athletes and coaches alike. Liu Xiang, the defending Olympic champion for the 110 meter hurdles, had pulled out of the heats with an injury. His victory in Athens four years ago was China's first gold medal in track and field, regarded by some as dispelling the widespread view that Chinese physiology was unsuitable for such a discipline. Hyped by the state and sponsors, with his fame and endorsements exceeded that of Yao Ming in China, Liu's withdrawal disappointed millions with some accusing him of being afraid to lose. Liu's coach had been told by government officials that "if Liu could not win a gold medal in Beijing, all of his previous achievements would become meaningless." Josef Capousek, a former rowing coach who was recently fired by China's sporting federation over a contract dispute (the Chinese language version stated that his athletes must win the gold medal), said "nobody can guarantee a gold in any sport...but here, anything less than gold means nothing."

There has also been criticism of the Chinese government's training regime in the state academies, where 250,000 children are enrolled, a system which some liken to the harsh one of the former Soviet Union. Children as young as three years old are often taken from their families to train. Critics also say that the sports schools focus on training at the expense of education, leaving athletes unprepared to leave the sports system that has raised them. Yang Wenjun, a C-2 rowing champion at the Athens Olympics, told The New York Times that officials threatened to withhold his retirement income if he quit before the Beijing Games, adding that it was "not possible to survive without those benefits", as he acknowledged that he was ill-equipped to go to college or start a business. While Yang and his family have received numerous rewards for his achievement (including stipends, performance bonuses, endorsements, and an apartment), he has not seen his parents in three years.

On the opposite side, for those atheletes who do win Gold medals, the State offers a significant performance bonus. In the case of Yang, his bonus payment is more than the money his parents can earn in ten years.

Opening ceremony

"Ode to the Motherland" appeared to be sung by Lin Miaoke at the ceremony, but it emerged she had mimed her performance to a recording by another girl, Yang Peiyi, who was originally selected to perform the song live. The more photogenic Lin was substituted for the stage, because a senior Politburo member objected to Yang's crooked teeth. International Olympic Committee executive director Gilbert Felli defended the decision.

Doping

Out of the 4,500 samples that were collected from participating athletes at the games, six athletes with positive specimens were ousted from the competition. Samples are sealed and frozen for eight years, so it is possible that additional positive tests may still be found.

It is unclear whether the host city or the IOC is in charge of the samples. The quality of testing came into question when the BBC reported that samples positive for epo were labeled as negative by Chinese laboratories in July. The rate of positive findings was lower than at the 2004 Summer Olympics, but it cannot be deduced that the prevalence of doping has decreased; possibly, doping technology has become more sophisticated and a number of drugs cannot be detected.

Broadcasting issues

NBC, which paid US$5.7 billion for exclusive United States broadcasting rights to the Summer and Winter Games from 2000 through 2012, requested that popular events be broadcast live during television primetime in the United States. This would require events to be held in the early morning between 8:00 and 11:00 a.m., Beijing time. The IOC granted the request for swimming and gymnastics but denied it for athletics and basketball. However NBC only broadcast events live in the Eastern and Central Time Zones.

During the opening ceremonies, NBC elected to delay the US feed of the ceremonies for over 12 hours from 8AM EDT (when the ceremonies would begin in China) to 8PM EDT in order to broadcast the ceremonies in a more primetime setting and to capitalize on potential ad revenues. This forced some US fans into a technological "cat-and-mouse" game with NBC as fans flocked to the Internet to find any video or live feeds of the ceremonies. Anonymous uploaders uploaded clips to YouTube, with Google frantically trying to quickly delete the offending videos off the site as soon as they were uploaded. Bloggers were reportedly spreading links to live streams on the internet. The IOC agreed to live internet feeds of the Beijing Olympics of respective networks, provided that geographical blocks were in place to avoid other regions of the world from tuning into the feeds. Some US fans near the Canada border watched broadcasts by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. NBC Olympic President Gary Zenkel defended the tape delay, citing; “We have a billion dollars worth of revenue at stake here, so that means we’re not public television, for better or worse.” In rebuttal, Lorie Johnson, a US fan who benefited from a German broadcaster's security lapse, replied in an e-mail to the NYTimes: “In the age of Internet (almost) anywhere, why be tied to a TV? (Television networks) ...no longer have the same viewer monopoly they had 30 years ago — why don’t they see that?”

The IOC and broadcasters were uncertain as to whether the Beijing authorities would allow them to broadcast live from locations such as Tiananmen Square, fearing protests. In 2001, Beijing announced there would be complete freedom for the media to report in China. After lengthy discussions, broadcasters were permitted to broadcast between the hours of 6-10am and 9-11pm with prior permission; however, live interviews were banned at all times. Many broadcasters were unhappy with this decision as it would "set a bad precedent in regards to press freedom", and were pushing the authorities further on the issue.

The IOC also investigated complaints from the international media that the Internet at the Main Press Centre was slow and some websites remain blocked, which may disrupt reporting. This was seen recently when Amnesty International criticised the Chinese government for not delivering on its Olympic promises of human rights; however journalists could not access the website. Additionally, websites critical of the government, or relating to Tibet and the religious group, Falun Gong remain blocked at the centre. Kevan Gosper from the IOC clarified that the 'open Internet' only refers to reporting directly on the games, and not other issues relating to China.

Protests

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While no state boycotted the 2008 games, some groups initiated independent campaigns to do so and other notable groups called for protests. It has been reported that Chinese intelligence services were collecting information on people and groups who may plot demonstrations during the Olympics. Groups in several countries have staged protests during the Olympic torch relay including protesters in London, Paris, San Francisco, and Istanbul. In addition to monitoring NGOs that were concerned with domestic Chinese issues, the Chinese intelligence was also monitoring possible terrorism-related activities and anti-American demonstrations. On April 25, 2008, Interpol warned that the games could be subject to potentially violent disruption from protesters.

Calls for sustained pressure and possible boycotts of the Olympics have come from former French presidential candidate François Bayrou, author and Sudan scholar Eric Reeves and the The Washington Post editorial board. Steven Spielberg, founder of the University of Southern California's Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education, sent a letter to Hu Jintao on April 2 2007 to discuss and possibly end China's involvement in the conflict. In February 2008, Spielberg announced he was stepping down from his role as an artistic advisor in protest of the Chinese government's refusal to pressure Sudan to stop the "continuing human suffering" in the Darfur region. He noted: "Sudan's government bears the bulk of the responsibility for these on-going crimes, but the international community, and particularly China, should be doing more." Additionally, a group of 106 lawmakers in the United States have circulated a letter calling for the US to boycott the coming Olympics because of China's support of the Sudanese regime and the forced relocation of 300,000 Chinese poor to make room for the games. Congresswoman Maxine Waters introduced a similar resolution in early August 2007.

The British Olympic Association (BOA) required that British Olympic team members signed an agreement before leaving for China, promising not to comment on any "politically sensitive issues." However, BOA spokesman Graham Newsom stated that the BOA didn't intend to censor athletes, and referred to a rule in the International Olympic Committee charter which states, "No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas."

In March 2008, Taiwanese President-elect Ma Ying-jeou stated that the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee could boycott the Games "if China continues to suppress Tibetan people and if the situation in Tibet continues to worsen". However, Taiwan would be attending the Games.

On April 5, French newspaper Le Monde quoted a French minister as stating that the attendance of president Sarkozy at the opening ceremony was "conditional" upon an end to violence against the population and the release of political prisoners, light to be shed on the events in Tibet and the opening of dialogue with the Dalai Lama. However, Minister Rama Yade said later that the word "conditions" was never used. BBC News wrote that while Sarkozy was opposed to a full boycott, he would "not close the door to any possibility" as far as his own attendance was concerned.

Masahisa Tsujitani, a Japanese craftsman who makes shots used by many Olympic athletes, announced April 14 he refuses to allow his wares to be used at the 2008 Olympics to protest against China's treatment of protesters in Tibet.

Tibetan independence groups

Boycott calls

Pro-Tibetan independence groups, such as Students for a Free Tibet, have initiated a campaign against the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics to protest for Tibetan independence, It also objected to the use of the Tibetan antelope (chiru) as the Fuwa Yingying. The Tibetan People's Movement has also demanded representation of Tibet with its own national flag. Richard Gere, chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet called for a boycott to put pressure on China to make Tibet independent. There were also plans by Tibetans in exile to hold their own version of the Olympics in May, at the headquarters of the exiled government.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) advocated boycott to express concerns over violations of free speech and human rights in China. It hopes that international pressure and petition can effect the release of prisoners of conscience, and hold China to promises made to the IOC, regarding improvements in human rights.

Disruption of torch relay

Three RSF journalists breached a cordon of 1,000 police at the ancient Olympia stadium and interrupted the speech of Liu Qi, head of the Beijing Games committee during the Olympic torch lighting ceremony in Greece March 24 2008. One protestor tried to snatch the microphone as another unrolled a black flag showing the Olympic rings as handcuffs.

Nearly 50 Tibetan exiles in India began a global torch relay March 25 2008 with a symbolic "Olympic" flame that ended in Tibet on August 8 2008, the day of the Summer Games' opening ceremonies in Beijing. Some Ethnic Tibetans were banned from working in Beijing during the duration of the Games, for fear that they may participate in anti-government protests.

Actions in Beijing during the games

On August 6 2008, 4 protesters climbed a light pole and unfurled a pro-Tibet banner near the Beijing National Stadium. The 4 were quickly arrested and deported.

On August 13, eight protesters who tried to hang a "Free Tibet" banner were arrested by Chinese authorities. John Ray, an ITV journalist was also detained for 20 minutes; according to the reporter and witnesses, police stamped on his hands.

Chinese counter-protests

Condemnation of the Peoples Republic of China resulted in a surge of nationalism and anti-foreigner sentiment in China. French goods were threatened with a boycott for the French government's handling of the torch relay through Paris, with flag burning protests outside the French supermarket chain Carrefour. A number of death threats were received against foreign journalists in China, for what some Chinese see as the biased reporting on Tibet. Time magazine suggested that patriotic protests could erupt into anti-government protests, as with the 1919 May Fourth Movement. Media reports that the attitudes of regular citizens towards foreigners in China noticeably worsened. A poll found that 80% of Chinese respondents thought that foreign media sources conveyed a biased view of China. In late April, Chinese Internet censors, who had previously permitted posts critical of foreigners, began blocking words such as "Carrefour", in what was seen as an attempt to calm tensions before the games. Foreigners in Beijing reported more regular checks of their identification and work permits, while travel agents in Hong Kong reported that multiple-entry business visas for the mainland, commonly used by foreign businesspeople who lack work visas, were no longer being issued, apparently in an attempt to prevent the entry of foreign activists.

Human rights and censorship

Protest permits and zones

Liu Shaowu announced on July 23 that the Public Security Bureau would issue permits for protesting in protest zones during the Olympics. The three designated locations were Purple Bamboo Park, Temple of the Sun, and World Park. On 18 August it was reported that of 77 applications, 74 were withdrawn, two suspended and one vetoed.

A number of protest applicants claim that they were wrongfully discouraged, rejected, or denied permits altogether. Some who applied for permits went missing or were detained. Others say they have decided against applying because they view the process only as a means to collect information about dissenters.

When a Beijing woman was denied a permit to protest the razing of her home for Olympic-related development, she and 20 supporters protested one day before the Olympics. Her son claims that she was then jailed for "disturbing social order" until September 6. A representative of 140 property owners from a development in Suzhou Industrial Park, traveled to Beijing seeking a permit to protest unjust behavior by Suzhou officials in a land dispute. As she was being interviewed by a PSB official, four Suzhou officials whom placed her under house arrest in a Beijing hotel, and then sent her back to Suzhou. In August 2008, two elderly women from Beijing, aged 77 and 79, applied five times to protest during the Olympics. They received a one-year non-judicial sentence of re-education through labour for "disturbing the public order". Their sentence was suspended subject to proper behaviour, and to restrictions on movement. They were protesting what they believed was inadequate compensation for the demolition of their homes in Beijing in 2001.

Hunan province business owner Tang Xuecheng disappeared after trying to file for a permit. Ji Sizun, a legal advocate from Fujian province, applied for permits with the intent of demanding "greater participation of Chinese citizens in political processes, and denounce rampant official corruption and abuses of power." Upon inquiring about Tang, officials denied detaining applicants. When he returned to the police station to check the status of his application on August 11, he was reportedly escorted from the building and put into an unmarked Buick by several men; and has since disappeared.

On August 18, 2008, The New York Times reported that Gao Chuancai, a farmer from Heilongjiang in northeastern China, came to Beijing to protest corruption in his home village. He mailed in his application in early August, then came to Beijing to follow up a week later, but was promptly escorted back to Heilongjiang by authorities, and was being held by Wanggang police, near Xingyi.

Web and media censorship

China had pledged that it would allow open media access during the games, but Human Rights Watch alleges that it has failed to do so, and one IOC committee member commented anonymously that "Had the I.O.C....known seven years ago that there would be severe restrictions...then I seriously doubt whether Beijing would have been awarded the Olympics". While some estimated 20,000 journalists had been assured unfettered Internet access by the IOC's Jacques Rogge, Sun Weide (孙伟德) of the Beijing Organizing Committee announced in late July that China would allow only "convenient" access —still blocking sites which reference controversial content.

In late July, U.S. senator Sam Brownback announced that he had received evidence (in the form of an official memo from China's Public Security Bureau) that foreign-owned hotels in China had been ordered by the Chinese government to comply with electronic surveillance of guests by installing special equipment (called the Security Management System for Internet Access from Public Places), or face "severe retaliation."

Due to international pressure, a number of websites, notably BBC, Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders, Apple Daily were unblocked, while others remained inaccessible during the Olympics period.

Chinese police were accused of undermining press freedom. Two Japanese journalists covering bomb attacks in Xinjiang and a British journalist covering a pro-Tibet protest in Beijing were 'roughed up' and detained, whilst equipment was confiscated or damaged. Chinese authorities apologised for the incident involving the Japanese journalists, which was serious enough for the Japanese government to lodge a formal protest. The British embassy was 'concerned' at the latter incident, and along with the IOC, was taking the matter up with the Chinese authorities.

Long queues formed the day before for the 250,000 tickets put on sale. The estimated crowd of 40,000 people overwhelmed the police officials, and the lines descended into chaos. Fights among the crowd broke out, and they clashed with the police, and reinforcements were called in. One Cable TV Hong Kong reporter was pushed to the ground by police and assaulted after refusing to leave; Hong Kong Oriental News said police demanded that two of their journalists delete their video footage. A SCMP photographer was manhandled by the police. Press complained about censorship, claiming the right to freely report the news.

On August 14, the IOC urged China to allow foreign reporters to report freely at the games.

Crackdown on minorities

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that bar owners in Sanlitun district of Beijing say they were ordered not to serve "black people or Mongolians" during the Olympics by police officials. China's official news agency Xinhua responded to the report on July 21 and stated the alleged "bar policy" was groundless and the city's public security departments, including Sanlitun police, never demanded any bar not serve customers from any region or country ahead of the games. Time magazine's Liam Fitzpatrick stated that the report by the SCMP was "unconfirmed", and its information was from "anonymous" sources.

Arrests of Hu Jia

In February 2008, AIDS and human rights activist Hu Jia was arrested and sentenced to 3.5 years imprisonment for "inciting subversion against the state," after criticizing China as the Host of the Olympics; comparing it to Nazi Germany hosting the Berlin Olympics. His wife Zeng Jinyan and their baby daughter were kept under house arrest and allegedly harassed while she continued blogging in support of her husband. Hu Jia, who disappeared after staging a hunger strike, has returned home after what he claims was a six-week ordeal in police custody, his wife said on Wednesday.

Mass displacement

The Geneva-based group Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions has claimed that 1.5 million Beijing residents would be displaced from their homes for the Olympics event. Beijing's Olympic organizing committee and China's Foreign Ministry have put the number at 6,037. Some sources say that as of May 2005, 300,000 residents were evicted in preparation for the games and that police in Beijing placed many people under arrest for protesting against the evictions. Other sources say that nearly 15,000 people were relocated.

Environmental and health issues

It has been suggested that this article be merged into Environment of China. (Discuss) Proposed since August 2008.

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The United States Olympic Committee decided to import food for its athletes, citing concerns regarding the safety of food products manufactured in China. In particular, athletes were concerned that eating meat that was raised in China could contain enough steroids to cause the athletes to test positive for steroid use. The United States Olympic Committee's plan to bring its own food to China disappointed the leader of food services for the Beijing Olympics. Several Canadian athletes have received permission to do the same.

Air pollution

Concern has been raised over the air quality of Beijing and its potential effect on the athletes. Although the Beijing Municipal Government, in its bid file in 2001, committed to lowering air pollution, increasing environmental protection, and introducing environmental technology, research data show that even if the city were to dramatically cut down its emissions, pollution would still drift over from neighboring provinces, from which 50 percent of Beijing's air was believed to originate. Air pollution was at least 2 to 3 times higher than levels deemed safe by the World Health Organization. Marco Cardinale of the British Olympic Association has stated that air pollution coupled with heat and humidity makes it "very unlikely we'll see outstanding performances in endurance sports." Despite this, Beijing committed to remove 60,000 taxis and buses from the roads by the end of 2007 and relocate 200 local factories, including a prominent steel factory, before the games begin. The Chinese government has provided assurances that "blue skies are a requirement not only for Beijing, but also for the places around it." The United States Olympic Committee has also expressed its assurance that the air quality of Beijing would not be a concern for the U.S. delegation to the games. Nevertheless, the IOC's medical commission recently analyzed air-quality data recorded by the Beijing Environment Protection Bureau in August, when test athletic events were held in the Chinese capital. The commission found that outdoor endurance events -- defined as those that include at least an hour of continuous, high-intensity physical effort -- may pose some risk.

In spite of such efforts, several countries have indicated that their athletes would arrive at the games as late as possible to limit exposure to pollution. Many teams have set up offshore training camps in Japan and South Korea to avoid the pollution.

In early July, Beijing ordered 40 factories in Tianjin and 300 factories in Tangshan, two cities close to the capital, to begin suspending operations in an effort to reduce air pollution. A major temporary air pollution control plan began on July 20, that included shutting additional factories as well as using odd-even license plate restrictions that limited Beijing motorists to driving on alternate days, depending on whether the last number on their license plate was odd or even, in order to reduce daily traffic by two million vehicles. Despite the program, by July 28 the China Daily reported that Beijing's skies remained alarmingly polluted and that authorities were considering emergency measures during the Games.

Air quality measurements in Beijing

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Weather forecasting

Meteorological findings in April 2007 also have suggested that, based on rainfall data from the past 30 years, there was a 50 percent chance of rain for the opening and closing ceremonies of the games. To combat the chance of poor weather, Beijing officials plan to seed clouds to induce rain several days before the games begin by shooting thousands of silver iodide pellets into the air using ground-based rockets. While the effectiveness of this method was questionable, Beijing was optimistic that it would reduce the chance of rainfall during the games, and planned to carry out several tests as a practice in the summer of 2007, one year before the games begin. Officials have also stated that inducing rain should also remove some of the pollution from the air.

Water and drought history

The water coming out of the water plants was safe, according to Bi Xiaogang of the Beijing Water Management Bureau. The process of transporting the water throughout the city was what contaminates it. Beijing was suffering from a drought of 15 years as well as a lack of major fresh water sources elsewhere, so many locals drink bottled water instead of that from the tap. Officials of the city water authority have ensured, however, that "the safety and efficiency of the water system" would be maintained and that the recycled water supplied to the Olympic Village would be as clean as tap water.

Marine environment in Qingdao

With less than six weeks before it plays host to the Olympic sailing regatta, the city of Qingdao has mobilized thousands of people and an armada of small boats to clean up an algae bloom, the result of a red tide, that was choking large stretches of the coastline and threatening to impede the Olympic competition. Approximately one third of the waters where Olympic events were supposed to take place were affected; this has prompted China to mobilize 20,000 people to clean up and the state media reported that 100,000 tons of algae had already been taken out of the water. Much of it was being transported to farms as feed for pigs and other animals, according to news reports. Officials claimed that poor water quality was "not a substantial" link to the current bloom.And by the time of the start of the sailing races in Qingdao ,the algae had been cleaned up.

A Template:Unit sqkm oil slick was discovered off the coast of Qingdao. Officials said that the oil would not affect Olympic sailing.The oil slick was discovered around mid-August(19/8/2008).

Ticket sales and accommodations

Hospitality price hikes and vacancies

Like previous Games, hotels and airlines have hiked their prices, while many owners of small shops and resturants had poured their life savings into expanding their businesses. Chinese officials had predicted that up to two million tourists would visit Beijing during the Games, which run from August 8 to 24, with a third coming from abroad. Following a massive expansion programme, the city now has more than 800 star-ranked hotels. Some hotels had increased prices by almost tenfold in less than a year. For example, the Prime Hotel put up room rates from £63 to £616 a night during the second week of the Olympics, the Wanfujin from £71 to £542 and the Double Happiness Hotel from £41 to £259.

However, the high demand expected has not materialised, with one luxury hotel manager estimating that there would be only 600,000 tourists by the end of the Games. 420,000 visitors have came to Beijing so far, the same as in August 2007. Hotels cut their rates by more than a third, to £391, £330 and £142 respectively, which many suggest was too late to fill the empty rooms. While many luxury hotels were booked by the organising committee and the media at fixed rates, lower-grade hotels continued to struggle with high vacancy rates. Wang Zhenghui, director of China's Hotel Assn. in Beijing, estimated that occupancy during the Olympics has been running about 50% to 60%, considerably below the expected 70% to 80%. Apartment owners, had been raising rents fivefound, according to the official New China News Agency, but only 8000 out of 20000 have been leased so far. Air fares have also been cut. In February, the cost of return flights to Beijing during the Olympics started at around £1,200 with Air China and £1,500 with British Airways. Emirates was offering return flights during the Games from as little as £497, Air China from £503 and BA from £972.

Hoteliers were blaming the lack of visitors on increased security measures and the tightening of visa rules, even for travellers who hold tickets for the Olympics, driving out thousands of itinerant foreigners and overseas students living in Beijing. City authorities temporarily closed down many karaoke rooms and other bars and erotic entertainment places deemed unfit. New visa requirements introduced in April mean that foreign visitors must now have proof of their accommodation and return flight when applying to enter, while the government has increased its military presence in the capital. One foreign Olympics consultant was quoted as saying "they made it hard to get tickets and hard to get visas. The impression they gave was that they didn’t want foreigners to come".

While the Western boycott over the unrest in Tibet never materialized, some suggested that the fallout gave a negative perception to the host country, driving away propective tourists. As well, anticipating that Beijing would be too crowded during the Games, businesses have avoided scheduling meetings during these two weeks, and potential visitors have decided to stay at home and watch the events on TV. The looming world recession and high oil prices in summer 2008 also have not helped tourism. In July, Air China, the nation's flagship carrier, saw its international passenger traffic fall by 19% from a year earlier.

Fake tickets on the internet

On 24 July 2008 it was reported that the US and International Olympic Committees had filed lawsuits two days earlier against a fraudulent online ticket seller said to be based in the USA, with no apparent links to China. Tickets were being sold through "Beijing 2008 Ticketing" at www.beijingticketing.com.

As early as March 2008 The Observer newspaper in London and the The Guardian had warned that British national, Terence Shepherd and his US based company, Xclusive Leisure and Hospitality, had setting up www.beijingticketing.com as an Internet ticket fraud.

On 4 August it was reported that more than $50 million worth of fake tickets had been sold through the website. The IOC received numerous complaints from people around the world. Despite the reports and complaints the site was operating and advertising through Google and other search sites as late as 4 August 2008.

Empty seats

According to the Beijing Olympic Organising Committee (BOCOG), the 6.8 million tickets to the Games were sold out. Journalists and visitors have noticed many empty seats, however, raising suspicions about these claims. The empty seats angered athletes of countries outside China, who had been told that 80 percent of tickets had been reserved for the Chinese. Beijing Olympic organisers had made officials and corporate sponsors a priority, and the officials and sponsors, in turn, could not find enough people to attend the events.

A senior BOCOG official has said he was concerned about the empty seats, arguing that the hot, humid weather was to blame for the poor turnout. Recently, however, officials have admitting to bussing in locals or "cheerleaders" to fill the seats.

An official suggested that many people could be leaving after one session, when many tickets were for multiple sessions of a particular event. In one instance, people in the audience left the stadium after the Chinese women's volleyball match, thinking the tickets were for one game only. But when they found there was another game, they were not allowed back in if they wanted to return. They were also not permitted to trade or hand their tickets to other fans.

Security

The head of Interpol warned China on April 25, 2008 that there was a real possibility that the Beijing Olympics would be targeted by terrorist groups.

The Beijing government issued new mandates requiring police officers in the city to act more professionally, warning that violators would be reprimanded. By doing this, Beijing hopes to clean up its image in time for the games. The government circulated pamphlets urging officers to desist from using foul language, being arrogant, and hanging up on people who call to report crimes.

A drive was also launched to improve the poor English translations common on Chinese signage and labelling in readiness for the Olympics. Signs were placed around Beijing, instructing locals not to ask foreigners any personal questions for fear of causing discomfort to tourists and athletes.

The Times reported that China had mobilised 110,000 police and other security forces in Beijing itself, plus 1.4 million security volunteers and 300,000 surveillance volunteers. The security bill for Beijing alone was estimated in excess of £3 billion. Outside the capital, cities hosting Olympic events would be patrolled by 34,000 troops, surface-to-air missiles guard key sites, and 74 military aircraft, 48 helicopters and 33 naval vessels were placed on high alert.

Terrorism

Template:Wikinewspar2 On April 10, 2008, China announced that they had foiled a sabotage plot against the games. According to the Chinese security ministry, Uyghur separatists in the North-Western Province of Xinjiang planned to conduct suicide bomb attacks on Chinese cities and conduct kidnappings in Beijing in order to disrupt the Olympic Games. Uyghur activists claim that the Chinese fabricated these terror plots in order to prevent people in the region from voicing their grievances with the Chinese.

China reported that they had arrested 35 suspects, as part of a ten day raid. Increased security has been put into place for the Olympics, and security personnel have trained to counter different terrorist attack scenarios. Anti-aircraft missiles have also been installed over the Olympic stations in Beijing. On 4 August, 2008, two attackers detonated hand grenades at a police post near the eastern city of Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, killing 16 policemen.

See also

• Beijing 2008 Olympic bid and promises

References

Citations

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Notes

1. Poor-quality air in China contributes to the death of about 400,000 Chinese annually. Ozone and fine particulate matter—bits of carbon, sulfates, and industrial by-products—will be the two biggest pollution threats to the athletes in 2008. When high ozone levels are present, lungs are not able to absorb as much air, causing coughing, wheezing, or headaches.

1. Cite error: The named reference PopSci pollution article was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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