Beijing 2008 a success


The Opening ceremony surpassed the expectations of the world especially the West.Not only was the scale of the performance gigantic the singing and dancing showed a nation that were in unison, A china united.

There was a little controversy over the firework sequence which looked like footprints walking through the city of Beijing.The Chinese had reportedly begun work on the sequence a year earlier and came under much criticism for trying to deceive the public.
This may have been sensationalised by the Western press further, especially the U.S and U.K.
China categorically raised the bar on the quality of the games and what is expected from a host nation.

Political complaints seemed to be silenced or made to seem that way throughout the two week sporting celebration. And China surprisingly welcomed journalist and the media to Beijing with uncharacteristic warmth and charm.

The opening and closing ceremonies were a visual spectacle to say the least. The past was celebrated aswell as the future and the appearance of former and current athletes were used to symbolise this.

The only problem is, with the Success of Olympics still fresh in our minds, what will Britain do for 2012?

Competing is not an option as we don’t have the budget or the scale to recreate Beijing 2008.

Should the Chinese politics remain separate from the Olympics ?

The Olympics games are the worlds’ biggest sporting event. The dedication and discipline it takes an athlete to become an Olympic qualifier is admirable. They have been physically and mentally preparing themselves for this moment, Beijing 2008. A few weeks of competitive sport at it’s highest level. The games are a global media feast you have huge sponsors, athletes, TV personalities not to mention the host nations hospitality along with opening and closing ceremonies.

Is it really fair to boycott the games?

It’s a grand attempt to pressure china into reviewing its involvement with Sudan. This campaign affects more than China, all the negative press surrounding China will raise awareness on the issues taking place in Dafur. However by boycotting the games it’s the Olympic committees and athletes that suffer the most.

Award winning director Steven Spielberg has withdrawn as artistic director for the 2008 Olympics games.He was originally employed in hope that he would help create an unforgettable opening and closing ceremony for the games.
The director is the latest to take a stand against china's involvement with the Sudanese government and the genocide that is taking place in Dafur. Although it is alleged actress and long time human rights activist Mia Farrow was responsible for adding pressure on Spielberg to resign.

In a recent statement the director said;

"I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue business as usual, at this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies, but on doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in Darfur."
So what is China involvement?
With a population of 1.4 billion people. China undoubtedly has greatest concentration of people in the world.

As a result of this China needs oil reserves for its growing domestic economy. This has caused its government to pursue investments in many countries of marginal stability and democracy
This is due to China nearly using all of its own oil reserves located in the north of the country. It is now heavily involved with the Sudanese government and the trading of their oil supplies.