2008 Summer Olympics – Beijing

Introduction:
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, will be celebrated from August 8, 2008, to August 24, 2008, with the opening ceremony commencing at 08:08:08 pm CST (12:08:08 GMT) at the Beijing National Stadium (nicknamed the “Bird’s Nest” from its appearance) in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Some events will be held outside Beijing, namely football (soccer) (in Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenyang and Tianjin), equestrian (in Hong Kong) and sailing (in Qingdao). The Olympic games were awarded to Beijing, People's Republic of China after an exhaustive ballot of the International Olympic Committee on July 13, 2001.
By May 2007, construction of all thirty-one Beijing-based Olympic Games venues had begun. The Chinese government is also investing in the renovation and construction of six venues outside Beijing as well as fifty-nine training centers. Its largest architectural pieces will be the Beijing National Stadium, Beijing National Indoor Stadium, Beijing National Aquatics Centre, Olympic Green Convention Centre, Olympic Green, and Beijing Wukesong Culture & Sports Center. Almost 85 percent of the construction budget for the six main venues is being funded by US$2.1 billion (RMB¥17.4 billion) in corporate bids and tenders. Since early 2007, licensed Olympics merchandise stores have been in business throughout China. More than 800 official stores were in operation at the end of July 2007.
Slogan:
	The Olympic slogan, One World, One Dream, calls upon the world to unite in the Olympic spirit, during which time athletes will compete in 302 events in 28 sports.

同一个世界同一个梦想
(One World, One Dream)
The "Dancing Beijing" emblem/logo depicts a Chinese seal inscribed with the character "Jīng" 
(京, from the name of the host city) in the form of a dancing figure.

Mascots:
In Chinese, they are known as “Fu Wa” (literally “Fortune Dolls”). There are five of them, a number which resonates with the traditional idea of Five Fortunes (good luck, prosperity, longevity, happiness, wealth) as well as the colors of the five Olympic rings. These five mascots are: a fish (blue), panda (black/white), Olympic flame (red), Tibetan antelope (oranage) and swallow (green). 
Fish	Panda	Olympic Flame	Tibetan Antelope	Swallow	
Fish – Bei Bei (Blue)
Fish in Chinese is pronounced “yu”. The headdress of this doll is a “fish in water” which represents a bountiful harvest of medals and money for everyone. 

Panda – Jing Jing (Black)
Jing Jing is a giant panda from the forests of Sichuan in Western China. There are only about 1,000 wild pandas left in the Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan. The giant panda symbolizes the harmony of man and nature. The head dress of Jing Jing is a lotus flower representing harmony. Jing Jing the panda is a friendly, optimistic and energetic fellow. 

Fire - Huan Huan (Red)
This is the only mascot that’s not an animal. It’s a “Fire Doll” representing the Olympic flame. The flame on Huan Huan’s head is reproduced from the picture of a flame on a Dun Huang Cave painting. (Dun Huang is a city on the famed in Western China where there are many caves with Buddhist paintings and scriptures.) Huan Huan is an outgoing character adept at many ball games.

Tibetan antelope – Ying Ying (Yellow)
The symbol of a “green” Beijing 2008 Olympics. This antelope that roams the Tibetan highlands is being hunted for its wool which is finer, softer and warmer than lamb's wool and cashmere. It's been estimated that only 75,000 to 100,000 Tibetan antelopes are left in existence. The headdress is a motif from the Tibetan and Xinjiang cultures in North Western China. The Tibetan antelope is an alert and fast creature and represents the track and field events of the Beijing 2008 Olympics. 

Swallow – Ni Ni (Green)
The idea for Ni Ni comes from the traditional Beijing Swallow kites which are frequently flown over Tiananmen square. Swallow, pronounced “yen” in Chinese also refers to “yen jing” the ancient name for Beijing. Ni Ni will be featured in gymnastics events.
Problems and Protests
The Chinese government has promoted the games to highlight China's emergence on the world stage amidst concerns about environmental issues and the human rights violations, particularly in Tibet.:
Pollution: Concern has been raised over the air quality of Beijing and its potential effect on the athletes. Several countries have indicated that their athletes will arrive at the games as late as possible to limit exposure to pollution. Some countries including Japan and South Korea have set up offshore training camps to avoid the pollution. The United States Olympic Committee has also decided to import food for its athletes. In particular, athletes were concerned that eating meat that was raised in China could contain enough steroids to cause the athletes to test positive for steroid use. The United States Olympic Committee's plan to bring its own food to China has disappointed the leader of food services for the Beijing Olympics. 
Weather: 50% chance of rain is expected for the opening and closing ceremonies of the games. To combat the chance of poor weather, Beijing officials plan to seed clouds to induce rain several days before the games begin by shooting thousands of silver iodate pellets into the air using ground-based rockets.
Tibet: There have also been growing concerns of major nations boycotting the Olympics in protest of China's actions in Tibet. Concerns include the potential for boycotts from such pro-Tibetan organizations as Students for a Free Tibet as well as from organizations such as Amnesty International, which is upset with China's involvement in the crisis in Darfur (because of China’s financial and diplomatic support for Omar al-Bashir, who is responsible for the Sudanese government's proxy militias). 
Water: Another issue of concern is that of Beijing's poor tap water supply. A high-ranking Beijing official has stated that tap water in the city should be avoided.
Mass Displacement: The Geneva-based group, Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions has claimed that 1.5 million Beijing residents will be displaced from their homes for the Olympics event.
Culture: Numerous human rights violations have taken place in China because of the Olympics according to Amnesty International. In 2006, Beijing implemented a detention without trial scheme called "Re-education Through Labour" which targets people who have committed minor offenses and are forced to work long hours and can be detained for 4 years.  The Beijing municipal authority has also declared more than 70 local laws that would be made before the 2008 Summer Olympics which would banish local people who don't have hukou (residency permits) of Beijing. It would also banish vagrants, beggars, and people with mental illness from the city. The municipal authority also made it clear that it would strengthen border control, call for a "special holiday", or forcible shutout, to make Beijing citizens stay at home during the Olympics. It also seeks to strengthen controls over Chinese and foreign NGOs and forbid any protests during the games. The government has also strengthened its laws relating to prosecution of those deemed to be disseminating material not beneficial to the state.
Protests/Terrorism: The Chinese intelligence is also monitoring possible terrorism-related activities and anti-American demonstrations. Along the same lines are Pro-Tibetan independence groups, such as Students for a Free Tibet, which have initiated a campaign to protest the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. The group plans to protest for Tibetan independence and objects to the Chinese government's use of the Tibetan antelope (chiru) as one of its five mascots. The Tibetan People's Movement has also demanded representation of Tibet with its own national flag.
Response:
The Beijing government has issued new mandates that require police officers in the city to act more appropriately. The government has circulated pamphlets urging officers to desist from using foul language, being arrogant, and hanging up on people who call to report crimes. They have been told that violators will be reprimanded. By doing this, Beijing hopes to clean up its image in time for the games. A drive has also been launched to improve the poor English translations common on Chinese signage and labeling in readiness for the Olympics.
Anticipating a huge rush during the games, Beijing's subway system is currently undergoing a major expansion which will increase its capacity to more than twice its existing size. The system currently is composed of four lines and 64 stations. An additional seven lines and more than eighty new stations are being constructed, including a direct link to Beijing Capital International Airport.
On the ground, Beijing is set to designate 38 official public transit routes that will link the Olympic venues. During the games, 2,500 large-size buses, and 4,500 minibuses will be operated by a total of 8,000 drivers to transport people across various venues. Prior to the games, public transport will be optimized in order to reduce the existing 110 overlapping routes. 
Smoking is banned in the 66,000 cabs, the violation of which would lead to a fine of 100 - 200 yuan ($13-$26). Beijing authorities are thus trying to make the event a non-smoking event.
Torch Relay:
The torch relay (themed "Journey of Harmony") will last 130 days, carrying the torch 137,000 km (85,100 miles) – the longest distance of any Olympic torch relay (though most of it is by air). The relay began on March 24, 2008, in Olympia, Greece. From there, it traveled across Greece to Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens, and then to Beijing, arriving on March 31. From Beijing, the torch will follow a route passing through every continent except Antarctica. The torch will visit cities on the Silk Road, symbolizing ancient links between China and the rest of the world. 
A total of 21,880 torchbearers will be selected from around the world by various organizations and entities.
The torch relay has already proved problematic: it has already seen wide-scale protests to China's human rights abuses and recent crackdown in Tibet. On April 6, 2008, the relay in London saw several attempts to put out the flame. The following day, the flame had to be extinguished in Paris as a result of opposition to Chinese rule in Tibet. As a result of these disruptions the American leg in San Francisco on April 9th was altered without prior warning to avoid such scenes, although there were still demonstrations along the original route.
“Reporters Without Borders” journalists interrupted the speech of China organizing committee chief during the Olympic torch lighting ceremony in Greece March 24, 2008. Three of them breached a cordon of 1,000 police at the ancient Olympia stadium and ran behind Liu Qi, head of the Beijing Games committee, as he made a speech. One protestor tried to snatch the microphone as another unrolled a black flag showing the Olympic rings as handcuffs. The trio, from a French human rights group, were dragged away by police. Nearly 50 Tibetan exiles in India began a global torch relay March 25, 2008 with a symbolic "Olympic" flame that will end in Tibet on August 8, 2008, the day of the Summer Games' opening ceremonies in Beijing.