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)