After dueling for the right to host the 2008 Olympic
Summer Games with the cities of Toronto,
Paris, Istanbul
and Osaka, Beijing would rise
above and claim that right. On July 13, 2001, the
International Olympic Committee selected the People’s
Republic of China’s capital city to host the 2008
Summer Olympics, and the city has been busy ever since
with efforts aimed at making the Beijing Olympics the
best ever. With plans for improvements to infrastructure
and a dedication to protecting the environment, large
strides have already been made to present the world with
a more than worthy host. These improvements will
not only benefit the Olympic Games and all those involved
with them, but will continue to benefit Beijing, and China
as a whole, providing future centers for the country’s
athletic programs, increasing ease of mobility in
transportation, and encouraging
environmental consideration as the country moves forward.
The Beijing China Olympics will be held from August
8-August 24 and the games are comprised of 328 events
in 28 different sports. Whereas the majority of
the China Olympics will be held in Beijing, certain events
such as soccer, sailing and various swimming events will
be held in other cities. Equestrian events will
take place in Hong Kong and
the city will join Qingdao, Tianjin, Shanghai
and Qinhuangdao as outside hosts for the China Olympics.
The 2008 Olympics Beijing China torch relay will begin
in Olympia, Greece on March 25, 2008, and will travel
a distance longer than any past Olympic torch relays.
The “Journey of Harmony”, will bring the torch
over 85,000 miles and last for 130 days.
“One World, One Dream” is the official slogan for the upcoming China Olympics, as chosen by the Beijing Olympic Committee in 2005. The slogan embodies the idea of the world coming together as one with a focus on the improvement of humanity. The 2008 Olympics Beijing China mascot is referred to as “FUWA”, and is actually comprised of five images with the names Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini. When the names are read together as “Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni”, they represent a Chinese phrase that means, “Welcome to Beijing”. The five images making up FUWA are a fish, a panda, the Olympic flame, a Tibetan antelope and a swallow. FUWA’s focus as the Beijing Olympics mascot is to convey peace and friendliness, as well as embody the dream of a world where mankind and nature live in perfect harmony. Following in the promotion of goodwill and a worldwide embrace, the Beijing China Olympics emblem displays an open-armed calligraphic dancer on a red background reflecting national pride and a welcome to the world to join China during the Games.
The Beijing China Olympics are broken into three concepts that display the city’s dedication to hosting the 2008 Summer Games. “Green Olympics” is a concept for the China Olympics that refers to the overall concern for the environment. Beijing has already pledged $6.6 billion to improve the environment, even going as far as moving factories outside the city. Reforestation in the surrounding mountains and fields of Beijing is expected to reduce dust and sandstorms usually carried over from the Gobi Desert. Through changing the environment, Beijing strives to affect humans and their consideration of the environment as a whole. The other two Beijing Olympics concepts are a “High-tech” Olympics, where the ever-increasing developments in communications will be featured and implemented, and the “People’s Olympics”, which aims to spread Olympic spirit and share the Chinese culture with the world. China has implemented over 70 laws and decrees to clean up its image for the Beijing China Olympics and some of these efforts have caused concern within some groups and there have been occasional protests around the games. For the most part, however, the programs that Beijing has been implementing for the upcoming China Olympics have been met with accordance by the people. As the city and its natives prepare for the Beijing Olympics, the idea is to make an indelible impression through manners and public etiquette.
Visitors to heading to the Beijing China Olympics will
find a large, sprawling historic capital that has
made a series of improvements to infrastructure, and added
a number of new facilities for the games. Beijing,
like most large metropolitan areas, has its fair share
of transportation issues, which it hopes to tackle by
doubling the size of its metro-subway system, adding a
second Airport Expressway, revamping the airport and arranging
a number of official transit routes that will transport
people to the various Olympic venues. Beijing’s
Capital Airport will receive the bulk of international
flights to China for the Olympics and as such, a new
terminal is being added with extensive means for expediting
visitors. Beijing continues with construction on
the 31 different venues it will employ at the Beijing
Olympics and the Chinese government has overseen renovation
and construction for outside venues and 59 training centers.
If you are lucky enough to visit China for the 2008 Beijing
Olympics, you will find a country that has invested in
its people and its future, and a capital city ready to
welcome you. Beijing hotels are plentiful, and some
are already taking reservations for the China Olympics.
The city has good nightlife
and dining, and visitors to Beijing during the Olympics
might consider a side trip to a section of the Great
Wall, just 40 miles outside of the city.
