Bringing out the sun for the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Bringing out the sun for the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Meidyatama Suryodiningrat, The Jakarta Post, Beijing
On average days, the beautiful vistas of the Forbidden City
are shaded in gray. Like a thin layer of cloth draped over a
lamp, the sun shines bashfully on this traffic-clogged metropolis
once likened to the "Los Angeles of China".
But it is not the clouds that seek shelter above this city.
For years a layer of industrial smog has enveloped Beijing.
How ironic it is that the greatest spectacle of athleticism
should be held in a place notorious for its choking pollution.
Now, with just 1,000 days to go before the Olympic flame of
the 2008 Beijing Games is lit, the Chinese capital is engaging in
its own olympian task to lift this notorious, unwanted curtain.
There is little doubt that Asia's emerging economic superpower
will complete the necessary physical infrastructure for the
Games. But a thorough environmental clean up of a city that has
neglected nature for so long is a gigantic challenge.
Small miracles do happen though and the Beijing municipal
government has taken advantage of the Games' preparation to
invest in environmental protection by conducting air pollution
control programs to cut down harmful emissions.
Some 3,800 buses that ran on diesel fuel are being replaced
and it is expected that by 2007, 90 percent of buses and 70
percent of taxis will use natural gas.
In an even bolder move, a nearby steel factory, which is
notorious for its emissions, has committed to halving its current
production capacity by 2007. In addition, about 2,000 coal
boilers in the city will be replaced, and forest coverage
increased by over 50 percent by 2008.
Urban renewal has been a consistent theme of the International
Olympic Committee in the selection of past and future host
cities. Beijing is no different. The Games are being used as a
driving force for social and economic development.
The most lasting legacy will be that Beijingers can once again
see the bright colors of their city under a golden sun.
According to official data, air quality has considerably
improved. Over the last six years, the number of annual "good
quality air" days has increased from 28.6 percent to 62.5
percent, or 229 days.
Beijing will also boast an expanded infrastructure network
that would not have otherwise been built within this brief period
if not for the Olympics.
Some 200 new hotels are being built to accommodate over
500,000 foreign visitors expected to arrive for the Games, while
a third terminal under construction at Beijing International
Airport will increase annual capacity from 35 million to 60
million.
Despite sparing no effort for the preparations, the
municipality and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic
Games (BOCOG) have shown greater prudence recently by reviewing
construction costs of various sports venues.
"We are still a developing country," remarked BOCOG deputy
director for communications, Sun Weide, in his office recently
during a briefing with Southeast Asian journalists. While other
officials also regurgitate predictable party-line rhetoric such
as "sustainable development" as reasons for the review, it may
simply be that organizers are starting to feel the financial
pinch of the immense undertaking.
The "fine tuning" has led to various cuts including the
omission of a retractable roof on the National Stadium -- site of
the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics and soccer finals.
The redesign will save some 12,000 tons of steel.
The construction of the Wukesong Indoor Stadium -- venue for
basketball -- has also been significantly modified from a 119,000
square meter building to 63,000 square meters.
Altogether, 37 sports venues are being prepared, with 31 in
Beijing. Eleven of those in the capital are new, and all but one
have started construction. The rest are either renovated or
temporary facilities.
"Everything is on target," claimed Sun Weide. "All will be
completed by the end of 2007, at which time 37 test events will
be carried out".
BOCOG is confident it will retain a small surplus from its
allocated budget of US$1.62 billion. This money. however, does
not include the various infrastructure developments, which are
funded by the municipality.
What of the Beijing residents themselves?
In a country where public expression is harmonized, it is
often hard to gauge sentiment.
There is certainly an air of expectation. Hawkers are already
selling memorabilia of the 2008 Games three years in advance.
Puffing tourists who climb atop the Great Wall of China just
outside Beijing are quickly met by peddlers, who have learnt the
value of market socialism, selling Beijing Olympics t-shirts and
caps.
BOCOG touts a July survey which conveniently shows that 81
percent of Beijing residents are confident that the Games will be
a success, and a whopping 95 percent hope to serve as volunteers.
"This is a proud lifetime opportunity," explained Sun Weide.
"An extremely favorable social atmosphere has been created for
the preparations," he added.
In what would be described as social engineering in other
countries, the authorities are also set to educate the Chinese
public through "etiquette campaigns".
"We want to teach them to be good spectators," Sun Weide said.
Let the people clap, the sun come out and the Games begin...
The Beijing Games
* 16,000 athletes
* Competition in 299 events in 28 sports
* 30,000 media representatives
* 37 venues (14 new, 14 existing & nine temporary)
* Co-host cities: Hong Kong (equestrian); Qingdao (sailing);
Shanghai, Shenyang, Tianjin & Qinbuangdao (soccer preliminaries)