Ryan Bacon

On the eve of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing the whole world is poised to witness China’s new self-confidence and its attempt to shed a tarnished past.  For any host city of the Games it’s a chance to revamp itself by giving architects almost free reign to design new monumental facilities, construct huge hotels, and to upgrade the infrastructure to haul countless visitors to each venue.  No doubt that Beijing has invested huge amounts of money, time, and man-power to prove itself in the coming weeks.  However, I feel that Beijing being the choice city to host the games this year is a total sham.

On everyone’s mind right now is the smog that is stubbornly cocooning Beijing.  The air has been so polluted in the last week that the IOC has warned athletes that their performances could be impaired and that delays are entirely possible.  In response to the problem, the Chinese government has required that 300,000 vehicles be taken off the road.  However, this could be too little-too late as the government back in 2004 promised that it would set up a plan to decrease pollutants in the air before the Games.  All the Olympians can do now is hope for a change in the weather.

Being a communist nation and having strict censorship China certainly isn’t a role model when it comes to human rights.  This is a country that still considers a “white-collar crime”, such as embezzlement and tax fraud, one that is punishable by death.  Death penalties have been known to be imposed by forced confessions and many of the defendants are never allowed a lawyer.  Amnesty International reported that China had the highest execution rate of any country in 2005; 1,770 people.  Actual numbers could be much higher as these were only documented cases.  In 1993, 77% of the world’s documented executions were in China and contrary to popular belief; not in Texas. 

References to democracy and freedom of speech are strictly banned in the country.  Any mentions of freeing Tibet, Taiwan being an independent entity, or anything remotely questioning the legitimacy of the Chinese government are considered crimes.  The Communist Party of China has also banned websites that bring up these issues and has scolded Yahoo and Google for allowing the word “democracy” to be used on their Chinese links.  Some American and European movies have also been barred from theatres, although piracy is widespread.  Earlier this year Chinese officials ran raids and deported Chinese citizens who they felt could be “trouble” and may have spoken against the country during the Games.

The city is trying to put up a friendly front, but the cracks do show.  While watching ABC News, many news cameras are still banned in parts of the city patrolled by intimidating guards and foreign news reporters must follow the same guidelines as residents online and not speak against their host country.  During the next three weeks, more signs of the country’s strict and inhumane rules may shine through.

To this day I have no idea how Beijing won the crown back in 2001.  The runner-up to host the 2008 Olympics was Toronto, Canada, which has an introverted record than Beijing and would’ve been a much safer bet.  Even back in 1993, only four years after the mass killings in Tiananmen Square, Sydney barely beat Beijing on the bid for the 2000 Olympics. 

As much as I love the Olympics and enjoy seeing the world come together in this special event, I feel like it is in the wrong place and I suspect that the IOC was somehow influenced.  But the decision has been made and the curtain is set.  Let’s enjoy the show and not think about what’s going on backstage.