Beijing Should Lose the Olympics
As the Games get closer, I’m becoming increasingly convinced that the IOC should bite the bullet and threaten to switch host cities. In fact, I think they should have begun to discuss this drastic and unprecedented action months ago when it first started to become clear that there were going to be major problems. This is not about human rights, and it’s not about Cross Straits issues. This is about preparation for the Olympics and the fact that Beijing has shown no interest in living up to its promises.
Loading …Plain and simple, China has shown no desire to implement the types of policies needed for a successful event. Its planning mirrors its overall emphasis on development, and development alone. It’s true that most of the facilities will be ready, and with the opening of the new Number 5 subway line, the transportation is in good shape. But on other fronts there has been a stunning callousness that, being extremely polite, borders on arrogance. Here is a graphic from the Wall Street Journal on the progress that has been made (full article here):
It is no secret that Beijing has a horrible environmental record, but the fact that they have decided not even to close the factories around town during the Games, and reduced the reduced traffic test run to 4 days at half speed speaks volumes. Countries are so afraid of the air pollution conditions that they are not sending their athletes until just before the events, which is insane if you have ever experienced jet lag.
It’s long past due for the IOC to grow a pair. When they signed up with China they knew that political reform and human rights were not going to take place at any reasonable speed, but the least that they could have expected was adequate infrastructure and an honest effort to clean up the air. One out of four goals simply is not enough. Even with transportation, the new light rail to airport is scheduled to open a month before the Games, leaving no leeway if there is a delay.
As insane as it is, Beijing should lose the Games if they don’t clean up their act. Maybe the organizers should threaten to put the Games in Tokyo. That ought to light a fire under them.
I’ll leave you with a beautiful scene on a typical morning outside my apartment. Imagine playing a soccer match in this goop:
China Law Blog responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2007 at 12:42 pm →
Too late.
I agree the pollution is terrible (and I always seem to be there when everyone is claiming it’s “one of the best days ever”), but this is the Olympics, dude.
Jeremy responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2007 at 4:57 pm →
Hey Josh,
Good for sticking with principle here - breaking promises is never a good thing to do. I don’t think they should actually move the Olympics from Beijing, but the threat would be enough to get them to clean up their act, right?
John Guise responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2007 at 5:54 pm →
I agree this has been eight years in the planning — even if the central government doesn’t live up to its promises. They aren’t going to move the games now. Is a backup city even prepared for a case such as this?
J.
China Notebook » CN: 11-6-07 responds:
Posted: November 6th, 2007 at 7:52 am →
[...] *Beijing should lose the Olympics [...]
J.. responds:
Posted: November 6th, 2007 at 8:20 am →
A move now would mean cancellation of the entire Olympics. No way that will happen. But it is going to be interesting watching these athletes try to perform at a high level in this air!
The Humanaught responds:
Posted: November 6th, 2007 at 6:21 pm →
With China wetting its gitch in excitement over the great and wonderful opportunity they have for showing the world how modern and wonderful the country is, it’s almost amusing (in the way a slow-motion car crash is) to watch this all unfold.
I was in Greece just prior to the last games, and aside from the hurried construction on pretty much everything around town, you wouldn’t even have known the Olympics were coming. In China, I wasn’t here a full day before I was bombarded with Olympic propaganda - and it’s only increased since.
I think what China’s done to the IOC and the Games in general is pretty much on par with what they’ve done to the quality of most other products they’ve released on the world.
chriswaugh_bj responds:
Posted: November 6th, 2007 at 8:14 pm →
Nuh, forget it.
1: It’s too late. Really. What other city could possibly be anywhere near close to ready less than a year out? A switch ain’t happening.
2: It’s not about sports, anyway, so who cares? The Olympics are the world’s biggest marketing fest. Sport is merely the medium. What better way to bring the maximum number of eyeballs to your Kodak, Coca-Cola and Tsingtao ads than the spectacle of Cathy Freeman [literally] choking on the women’s 100m? Seriously, that is the state this world has been reduced to.
3: Your photo is not typical. “Weather” like that happens often, but it is due as much to natural phenomena (still, humid air) as artificial. Doesn’t change the fact that the sun is not often enough that photographable to make that photo typical. Too often for comfort, but still, not typical.
That’s why I voted “no problem”: Not because I believe there will be no problems, but because there is no valid argument for shifting the Olympics.
Now, if you wanted to discuss abandoning the whole ridiculous exercise in wrapping absurd and poisonous consumerism up in the clothes of healthy sport, I’d leap on your bandwagon without a second thought…
…I am the Grinch. I stole Christmas.
Kelly responds:
Posted: November 7th, 2007 at 12:58 am →
Too late to move the whole shebang, but -
IOC should have put in provisions in the agreement with Beijing to ensure that the country met certain environmental benchmarks leading up to the Olympics - thus offering more time and leverage to move the games if needed.
I think it is still reasonable to consider moving part of the shebang to another country. In particular, it may be appropriate to move long distance endurance events such as the marathon as these athletes would be most affected by the air pollution.
Ben Ross responds:
Posted: November 7th, 2007 at 2:24 am →
It might be a little unfair to judge Beijing’s air quality based on the current conditions. I say this because the first time I was in Beijing was during Spring Festival, when factories were closed. The skies were all clear and blue. If Beijing does close factories during and before the Olympics, and they do impose the suggested car ban, there is reason to believe pollution will drop drastically. This of course doesn’t address the real problem of pollution in a global environmental responsibility sense, but it would prevent Olympic athletes from having to deal with the horrible conditions.
Josh responds:
Posted: November 7th, 2007 at 8:06 am →
Ben,
The only problem with that is they’ve already announced that they will NOT close factories during the Olympics, and the car removal effort completely failed in August.
Maybe that sweet mid-western air has given you a rosier outlook on life in China
Josh responds:
Posted: November 7th, 2007 at 10:53 am →
Chris,
On point number 3, sadly that picture is very typical. During July and August I was trying to document the impact of the Chinese policy to push cars off the road and almost every day for two months looked like that. This weekend I’ll put together a post that documents it clearly.
Peter responds:
Posted: November 7th, 2007 at 5:01 pm →
In lack of a better alternative, I voted “Go ahead - there is no problems”.
I missed the option saying: “Go ahead - let em try to succeed or fry in their own fat”.
Personally I am concerned about the whole deal. Not quite sure whether the Chinese are ready or capable of lifting this job in neither the practical nor the politics areas. If the manage to make it fly, it is a positive thing, but on the other hand, if they crash and burn, maybe it will be a lesson to both China and the Olympic committee.
chriswaugh_bj responds:
Posted: November 7th, 2007 at 7:03 pm →
Josh, I’ve spent more than a few summers in Beijing, and last summer was exceptionally bad. For whatever reason, we had two months straight of still, humid air trapping all the pollution in the city. In previous summers I’ve spent in Beijing, such weather has lasted a week at the most, not two months straight without a break. You can not judge Beijing’s summer weather on one summer alone. So, no, that photo was not “very typical”. Typical is a wide variety of weather, from stunning blue skies (yes, even in summer time) to the current fog/smog. And I write fog/smog, because there is real fog trapping the smog in the city.
Yang responds:
Posted: December 4th, 2007 at 10:49 am →
i still remember my first long-term exposure to beijing air when i was laid up for 2 weeks because my windpipes hurt so bad. i was in beijing last summer too, and my lungs were used to the air by then, but the heat and humidity kept me cooped up in my house afraid to venture outdoors. the conditions are deplorable and i’d hate to be an athlete running around in the beijing summer. but maybe that’s their plan, if the other countries’ athletes are all laid up then the chinese will take all the gold
oh, and moving the olympics to tokyo would be hilarious! talk about hitting a nerve…