With just a day to go before the start of the Beijing Olympics the run-up feels very different to the last two Games. In 2000, we had the excitement of the millennial Games in Sydney which was so well organised that the biggest question mark was over the size of the firework display. Then in 2004, the Greeks pulled it off, answering the doubters who said that they wouldn’t be ready in the best possible way. Looking back, both hosts delivered the one thing that all Olympics must deliver – the feel good factor!
This time, as the athletes travel to China it’s much more difficult to predict how the Games will play out. At home we’re all affected by the gloom of the credit crunch, the terrible weather and a summer without the buzz of the England Football team being involved in a major tournament. In China, there are concerns about human rights, the occupation of Tibet (and arrests following protests), the smog, a terrorist attack in Xinjiang and allegations of certain websites being off-limits to members of the press. All this makes the questions that were asked in the run-up to the Athens games look easy!
At the start of the games it’s hard to know how the world’s biggest sporting festival will play out. The Chinese people are undoubtedly looking forward to it and it’s almost certain that the event will be very good for their already burgeoning economy. There’s also a good chance that the westernised nature of the games will give the Chinese a taste of a somewhat more liberal society, but it will be interesting to see whether the Olympics will have a real impact on Chinese society and the happiness and well-being of its people. Like the rest of the world, I’ll be watching with interest over the next two weeks….. no doubt more Olympic posts will follow!
