Beijing has done its utmost to provide a good image to the citizens of the world who will be attending the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games this August. Yes, there have been articles against China and against Beijing and against the government but these are starting to subside as the reality of the preparation of the games becomes apparent.

Beijing is deploying about 80 sniffer dogs to patrol the subway system to sniff out flammable products such as fireworks. Xinhua quotes police officer Wang Ning as saying, ‘the security patrol ahead of the festival will be good practice for the police dogs ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games later this year’. Eight dogs have already started patrolling five downtown stations.
A special monitoring centre for food safety will be set up for the Games. Zhang Zhikuan, head of the Beijing Municipal Bureau for Industry and Commerce said the Olympic Food Safety Command Center will issue warnings of food risks and deal with food related emergencies. Food to be provided for the Games will be classified into 345 items under 10 categories, with each item checked against specific technical standards.
Beijing has started enforcing a stricter auto fuel standard to help further reduce pollution. Gasoline and diesel sold in Beijing must meet the China IV standards equivalent to the European Union’s Euro IV requirements. Beijing introduced China III fuel standards at the end of 2005 which cut emissions by 2,480 metric tons annually, and the latest benchmark is intended to cut annual emissions by a further 1,840 tons.
Nearly every policeman, from new graduates to those close to retirement, is studying foreign languages and ‘refined’ manners hoping to polish the city’s image. A handbook containing useful phrases in seven languages — English, French, Russian, German, Japanese, Korean and Arabic — has been given to all police and state-approved volunteers who will assist security service forces at the Games.
Beijing police has launched a campaign to eradicate illegal activities in Tiananmen Square and along the Chang’an Avenue ahead of the Games. Beggars, unlicensed peddlers, those distributing flyers, and illegal motorcycle and tricycle taxi riders will be fined, detained, or have their equipment confiscated.

Source: Games Bids

China has sought to smooth over scuttled plans to include Taiwan in the torch relay for next year’s Beijing Olympics. It said residents of the island were welcome to join in cultural and other exchanges surrounding the games.

Li Weiyi, spokesman for the Cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office and seen here, said, ‘We still strongly welcome Taiwan compatriots to actively participate in Olympic Games-related activities such as sports culture exchanges, Olympic training and competition activities, Olympics-related volunteer activities and so on.’

Taiwan, which has never been included in an Olympic torch relay, had objected to its placement on the route ahead of Hong Kong, saying that it would make it appear to be part of Chinese territory.

Taipei also accused Beijing of introducing last-minute conditions on the display of Taiwanese flags and national symbols along the route.

Beijing has expressed its regrets at this development but has insisted that all Taiwanese citizens will be very welcome.
Source: International Herald Tribune

In a sense, what the China 2008 Olympics lack is a load of highly motivated (think a lot of money) spin doctors to manipulate the overseas press. The Chinese government does not have such an operation which is in direct contrast to, say, the Bush administration in the United States, or, more precisely, the recent Blair regime in the UK which practically redefined the term ’spin doctor’ so that the UK had government by spin.

Now The Economist has tried to balance out the assorted stories and look at how the Games stand.

It mentions:

The impressive collection of new and renovated sports venues that will house the competitions, such as the National Stadium, and the equally impressive array of new roads, railways, and metro lines that will ferry the massive crush of spectators and athletes around the city.

It goes on to say other logistics seem likewise well in hand. The ticket program, organizers say, is proceeding smoothly. And although officials think they will need 100,000 volunteers to help run the games, they have already received more than 560,000 applications.

On the hardware side of the ledger, and especially when it comes to the venues themselves, it would seem every detail has indeed been attended to. Not only will all 37 venues be completed well in advance, officials promise, but they will be ready for any contingency.

Planners are also likely to succeed in bringing Beijing’s notorious air pollution down to more bearable levels during the games. If they have to impose draconian restrictions on traffic and industrial activity in the weeks before the games, they will have the authority they need to do so.

Even the weather is taken care of. Officials at Beijing’s municipal Weather Modification Office say the timely launching of chemicals into the atmosphere will allow them to dispel clouds and largely control the time and place of rainfall.

So on that side of the ledger everything is very well prepared. Far more so than other host countries were at the same time before their games. Athens was still slapping on paint up to the day of the opening.

The Economist lists all this and then gives the other side of the coin. It reads:

The government seems far less prepared, however, when it comes to the delicate business of handling the activists and pressure groups that are sure to use the event as a soapbox for their many and varied criticisms of its policies. Whether to do with labour rights, religious freedom, the mistreatment of ethnic minorities or general political repression, there is no shortage of causes, and no shortage of champions prepared to take advantage of the Olympic spotlight.
Much of the world assumes — with justification — that China hopes to use the games as a global coming-out party, raising its international profile and softening its image. But another important goal is to convey to the domestic audience that China has the stature and ability to take its place at the centre of the world stage. Neither goal will be well served next year by ham-fisted responses to criticism.

Which is equally true and fair. On the other hand, does China needs government by spin doctors? Should all decisions be based on what the world’s press will say? There is a middle position which, perhaps, it could be argued, China should take. The article presents both sides of the case very well.
Source: The Economist

Urban service volunteers are people who will provide voluntary services at stations around the competition venues and the key areas of the city to ensure the smooth progress of the Games and regular operations of the city.

A total of 110,657 people have applied to be volunteers for urban services during the 2008 Olympic Games since the recruitment began a month ago. The aimed for figure is an eventual 400,000.

61% of the applicants are women.
The youngest is 13 years old and the oldest 79 years.
Those aged 13 - 36 years constitute 90.8% and the middle school students aged 13 - 17 form a significant part of the applicants.
The urban service applicants generally have an excellent cultural and professional background. 76% described English as their first foreign language.
Volunteers for information services represent 52.4%, emergency services 34% and translation services 13.6%.
More than half say they can serve a session of at least seven days.
The registration process started on June 18, 2007 and will end in June 2008.

During the Games, some 500 service stations will be set up in Beijing’s districts and counties and the volunteers will provide information, emergency and translation services.

The illustration shows Chen Zhili, Chinese state councilor and first vice president of the Organizing Committee for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with a volunteer during the launch ceremony of the volunteer program.
Source: Olympic Website

Volunteers at the Beijing Olympics will be exposed to a tailored language-training program. It might be well worthwhile being a volunteer just for this part.

According to Hao Ping, president of Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), it is part of a strategic plan drawn up by educational leaders from home and abroad amd includes the online training of high-end administrative talents.

Endorsed by BFSU, the University of Nottingham and U21Global, an online graduate school network, the plan aims to raise skills among volunteers and in businesses and the tourism industry in the run up to the 2008 Games.

An online master’s degree education will cover travel management, information technology management, business and international commerce.

Hao Ping said e-learning is a highly efficient way to integrate teaching resources, educational services and new technology from different places.

Both Hao and Sir Colin Campbell, vice-chancellor of the University of Nottingham have identified a huge education market in China’s travel industry, where administrative skills remain relatively low.

Sir Colin Campbell said, ‘E-education is open to those who cannot attend regular full-time study but require further education.’ Sir Colin Campbell has had experience in exploring the educational market in China with the operation of the university’s Ningbo campus in Zhejiang Province.

Mukesh Aghi, CEO of U21Global, promised a high-end global alumni network and interactive workshops for those preparing to register. Some 3,000 students from 60 nations have registered with the network, in which participants have the advantage of educational resources from its 20 member universities, including Waseda University in Japan and Shanghai’s Fudan University.
Source: China Daily