The 2008 Olympics' Impact on China
The 2008 Olympics' Impact on China
From new construction projects to attracting the spotlight, the Olympics will have a lasting effect on China by Lee M. Sands
For the PRC leadership and most Chinese, the July 13, 2001 International Olympic Committee (IOC) announcement that Beijing would host the 2008 Olympic Games marked China's emergence as a major global player. Just as the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1988 Seoul Olympics propelled Japan and South Korea onto the global stage, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will be China's "coming out" party—an event that showcases China's maturation into a great economic and, to a lesser extent, political power. As PRC Premier Wen Jiabao noted on April 24 this year, the Beijing Olympics present an opportunity for China to show the world how "democratic, open, civilized, friendly, and harmonious" it is.
Quick Glance
• After winning its 2001 bid to host the Olympic Games, China launched a massive seven-year effort to prepare for the event.
• The huge inflows of investment to support the Olympics and recreate Beijing have had an important ripple effect on economic growth.
• Though China has experienced some significant hardships this spring, the games will probably be even more important to the country than initially expected.
The 2008 Olympics will be among the most expansive ever held, with 16 days of competition from August 8 to 24 in 28 sports inside 37 arenas for 302 gold medals. In addition to Beijing, six other cities will host Olympic events—Hong Kong; Qingdao, Shandong; Qinhuangdao, Hebei; Shanghai; Shenyang, Liaoning; and Tianjin—making the Olympics a national event.
China has embraced the basic ideals of the Olympics with its own slogan, "One World, One Dream," and has widely promoted a green and high-tech Olympics. To prepare for the games, China invested nearly $40 billion in infrastructure alone from 2002 to 2006, transformed the cityscape of Beijing, made national stars out of PRC Olympic champions—such as
From new construction projects to attracting the spotlight, the Olympics will have a lasting effect on China by Lee M. Sands
For the PRC leadership and most Chinese, the July 13, 2001 International Olympic Committee (IOC) announcement that Beijing would host the 2008 Olympic Games marked China's emergence as a major global player. Just as the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1988 Seoul Olympics propelled Japan and South Korea onto the global stage, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will be China's "coming out" party—an event that showcases China's maturation into a great economic and, to a lesser extent, political power. As PRC Premier Wen Jiabao noted on April 24 this year, the Beijing Olympics present an opportunity for China to show the world how "democratic, open, civilized, friendly, and harmonious" it is.
Quick Glance
• After winning its 2001 bid to host the Olympic Games, China launched a massive seven-year effort to prepare for the event.
• The huge inflows of investment to support the Olympics and recreate Beijing have had an important ripple effect on economic growth.
• Though China has experienced some significant hardships this spring, the games will probably be even more important to the country than initially expected.
The 2008 Olympics will be among the most expansive ever held, with 16 days of competition from August 8 to 24 in 28 sports inside 37 arenas for 302 gold medals. In addition to Beijing, six other cities will host Olympic events—Hong Kong; Qingdao, Shandong; Qinhuangdao, Hebei; Shanghai; Shenyang, Liaoning; and Tianjin—making the Olympics a national event.
China has embraced the basic ideals of the Olympics with its own slogan, "One World, One Dream," and has widely promoted a green and high-tech Olympics. To prepare for the games, China invested nearly $40 billion in infrastructure alone from 2002 to 2006, transformed the cityscape of Beijing, made national stars out of PRC Olympic champions—such as