Host selection process

Public transport

Development and preparation

Venues

Beijing National Stadium

Marketing

Emblem

Mascots

Tickets

Slogan

overseas Olympic E-shop

Music

Sports

• Archery (4)
• Athletics (47)
• Badminton (5)
• Baseball (1)
• Basketball (2)
• Boxing (11)
• Canoeing (16)
• Cycling (18)
• Diving (8)
• Equestrian (6)
• Fencing (10)
• Field Hockey (2)
• Football/Soccer (2)
• Gymnastics (18)
• Handball (2)
• Judo (14)
• Modern pentathlon (2)
• Rowing (14)
• Sailing (11)
• Shooting (15)
• Softball (1)
• Swimming (34)
• Synchronized swimming (2)
• Table tennis (4)
• Taekwondo (8)
• Tennis (4)
• Triathlon (2)
• Volleyball (4)
• Water polo (2)
• Weightlifting (15)
• Wrestling (18)

  Torch relay

  The plans accepted by the IOC for the Olympic torch relay were announced on 26 April 2007, in Beijing. The relay, with the theme Journey of Harmony, is expected to last 130 days and carry the torch — the longest distance of any Olympic torch relay. So far, the torch relay has been a public relations disaster for China, with protests of China's human rights record, particularly in Tibet.
     The relay began 24 March 2008, in Olympia, Greece. From there, it traveled across Greece to Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens, and then to Beijing, arriving on 31 March. From Beijing, the torch followed a route passing through every continent except Antarctica. The torch visited cities on the Silk Road, symbolizing ancient links between China and the rest of the world. A total of 21,880 torchbearers have been selected from around the world by various organizations and entities.
     The BOCOG carried the flame to the top of Mount Everest In March 2008, China banned mountaineers from climbing its side of Mount Everest and later persuaded the Nepalese government to close their side as well, officially citing environmental concerns. It also reflected concerns by the communist government that Tibet activists may try to disrupt its plans to carry the Olympic torch up the world's tallest peak.
     The original route included a stop in Taipei before heading for Hong Kong. Taiwan's government, however, later rejected this proposal, claiming that such arrangement would make the Taiwan relay be seen as part of China's domestic route, rather than the international route. The IOC eliminated Taipei from the relay; both China and Taiwan have blamed each other for injecting politics into the event.
     The Olympic Torch is based on traditional scrolls and uses a traditional Chinese design known as the "Propitious Clouds" (祥云). The torch is designed to remain lit in 65 kilometer per hour winds, and in rain of up to 50 millimeters per hour.
     The relay has been a problematic, month-long world tour that has seen wide-scale protests to China's human rights abuses and recent crackdown in Tibet. After trouble in London saw several attempts to put out the flame, the following day, the flame was extinguished in Paris . The American leg in San Francisco on 9 April was altered without prior warning to avoid such scenes, although there were still demonstrations along the original route, but the remaining legs have not been as disastrous. The relay was further delayed and simplified after the devastating 2008 Sichuan earthquake affecting Central China.

  Participating NOCs

  Though the qualifying competitions for various sports are well underway, it can't be certain which of the current 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) will participate in 2008. Most NOCs participate regularly, although various circumstances could cause a nation to be absent from the games, as was the case for six NOCs at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Nevertheless, placements in various qualifying events can help predict which nations and how many athletes will be at the games. Steven Roush, chief of sport performance for the United States Olympic Committee, expects that the United States will bring about 600 competitors to the games, their largest Olympic team thus far.

  Participation changes

  The Marshall Islands gained NOC status in February 2006, and are expected to participate in the Games. Representatives from Tuvalu also met with IOC president Jacques Rogge in 2005, who indicated that the country was likely to be voted a full-fledged Olympic member at the 119th IOC session in 2007. At that meeting, the Tuvalu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee was accepted as a new National Olympic Committee.
     In May 2006 (just after the 2006 Winter Olympics), the citizens of Montenegro voted in a referendum that severed its political union with Serbia. The states of Serbia and Montenegro, which participated at the 2004 Games jointly as Serbia and Montenegro, will now compete separately. The Montenegrin Olympic Committee was accepted as a new National Olympic Committee at the 119th IOC session along with Tuvalu. giving Curaçao and Saint Maarten—like Aruba—a status aparte. This status would have permitted the islands to create their own NOCs, allowing them to compete separately at the games. However, the dissolution was postponed until December 2008, four months after the scheduled 2008 Olympics, forcing any newly formed NOCs to wait until the 2012 Olympics to participate in the Summer Games.
     On February 17, 2008, the IOC also promised to recognize the Republic of Kosovo as a new independent nation. However, it isn't probable that athletes from the newly formed republic will be able to qualify for the Olympics in time to send a delegation to Beijing. Their participation is additionally compromised by the fact that the new nation has yet to be recognized by many other international athletic federations. North Korea and South Korea have considered sending a united team to the 2008 Olympics. In the past, the two nations have walked together in the parade of nations during the opening ceremonies, but have never competed as one team. The two NOCs met with IOC president Jacques Rogge on September 5, 2006, to discuss the possibility of creating such a combined team. In early 2007, Korean Olympic Committee President Kim Jung-Kil and North Korean Olympic Committee President Mun Jae-duk met to further discuss the logistics of sending a unified team. The NOCs failed to reach an agreement on representation, but said they'd have further discussions in the future.

  Broadcasting

  Nation	roadcaster	ite
  	Seven Network, SBS
  	VRT, RTBF
  	Globo
  	BNT
  	CBC, Radio-Canada, TSN, RDS
  	TVN
  	CCTV-1, CCTV-5
  	Caracol, RCN
  	Eri-TV
  	Eurosport
  	YLE
  	France 2
  	ARD, ZDF
  	ERT
  	ATV, TVB
  	Magyar Televízió
  	Doordarshan
  	RCTI, TPI, Global TV
  	IRIB Channel 3
  	RTÉ
  	RAI (Rai Due)
  	NHK, others
  	LTV7
  	Televisa
  	Astro, RTM
  	NPO/NOS
  	TV ONE
  	ATV
  	Solar Sports
  	RTP
  	TVR
  	VGTRK, Channel One
  	RTS
  	StarHub CableTV, MediaCorp TV
  	STV
  	KBS
  	Teledeporte
  	BBTV Channel 7 and Modern Nine TV
  	TRT
  	BBC
  	NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, USA Network, Telemundo, Universal HD
  	Venevision, Meridiano TV, TVES
  	VTV

  In their bid for the Olympic games in 2001, Beijing confirmed to the olympic evaluation commission "that there will be no restrictions on media reporting and movement of journalists up to and including the Olympic Games."
     These games will be the first to be produced and broadcast entirely in high definition television, and will likely garner upwards of four billion viewers. In Canada the public network CBC/Radio-Canada and cable networks TSN and RDS will broadcast its final games before a private consortium involving CTV/Rogers/TQS takes over for the 2010 Winter Olympics, which will be happening within Canadian borders, in Vancouver. In Brazil the Games will be broadcasted by TV Globo, Rede Bandeirantes (free-to-air) and Sportv, ESPN Brasil and BandSports (cable-tv networks).

  Issues

  Likely competitors in the Games, especially swimmers, have voiced dissatisfaction with the IOC's decision to schedule some events to meet the requests of NBC, which paid US$5.7 billion for exclusive United States broadcasting rights to the Summer and Winter Games from 2000 through 2012. NBC requested that popular events, such as swimming, athletics, basketball, and gymnastics, be broadcast live during television primetime in the United States between 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. EDT (between 00:00 and 03:00 UTC) for maximum advertising revenue. This would require events to be held in the early morning between 8:00 and 11:00 a.m., Beijing time. The IOC granted the request for swimming and gymnastics but denied it for athletics and basketball. The IOC has precedent for its decision: at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, some swimming, gymnastics, and athletics finals were held in the morning. Also, at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, gymnastics finals were held in the afternoon which allowed most of Europe to view gymnastics during their primetime.

  Concerns and controversies

  Concerns over the games include the potential for boycotts from pro-Tibetan organizations such as Students for a Free Tibet as well as from organizations such as Amnesty International upset with China's involvement in the crisis in Darfur. China has also been battling problems with air pollution both in the city of Beijing and in neighboring areas, which the Beijing Organizing Committee (BOCOG) says it hopes to remedy before the games. The head of Interpol warned China on April 25, 2008 that there's a "real possibility" that the Beijing Olympics will be targeted by terrorist groups, as well as potentially violent disruption from pro-Tibet protestors.

  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. Beijing's Olympic organizing committee and China's Foreign Ministry have put the number at 6,037. Some sources say that as of May 2005, 300,000 residents have been evicted in preparation for the games and that police in Beijing placed many people under arrest for protesting against the evictions. Other sources say that nearly 15,000 people have been relocated.

  Human Rights Violations

  Numerous human rights violations have taken place in China because of the Olympics, according to an Amnesty International report. In 2006, Beijing implemented a detention without trial scheme called "Re-education Through Labor" which targets people who have committed minor offenses and are forced to work long hours and can be detained for 4 years. Activist Hu Jia was detained in December 2007 for voicing concern over human rights abuses by the Beijing Police. He was charged for “inciting subversion of state power” and was sentenced for 3.5 years in prison.
     The Beijing municipal authority has declared that more than 70 local laws and decrees 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.

  Sabotage Plot

  On April 10, 2008, China announced that they'd foiled a sabotage plot against the games. According to the Chinese security ministry, Uyghur separatists in the North-Western Province of Xinjiang planned to conduct suicide bomb attacks on Chinese cities and conduct kidnappings in Beijing in order to disrupt the Olympic Games. Uyghur activists claim that the Chinese fabricated these terror plots in order to prevent people in the region from voicing their grievances with the Chinese. (External Link) Xinjiang province is historically mainly an Islamic region of China which is largely populated by Turkic peoples, some who wish to make Xinjiang an independent state called East Turkestan. China reported that they'd arrested 35 suspects, as part of a ten day raid.

  Protests

  While no state has indicated that'll boycott the 2008 games, some groups are initiating independent campaigns to do so and other notable groups have called for protests. It has been reported that Chinese intelligence services were monitoring the activities of foreigners suspected of plotting demonstrations during the Olympics. In addition to monitoring NGOs that are concerned with domestic Chinese issues, the Chinese intelligence is also monitoring possible terrorism-related activities and anti-American demonstrations.

  Tibet

  Pro-Tibetan independence groups, such as Students for a Free Tibet, 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. Hollywood actor Richard Gere in his position as the chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet called for the boycott of the games to put pressure on China to make Tibet independent. There have also been plans by Tibetans to organise their own version of the Olympics in May at the headquarters of Tibetan government-in-exile, because Tibet doesn't get representation.
     The press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders has advocated a boycott expressing concerns over violations of free speech and human rights in China. It hopes that international pressure and petition can effect the release of prisoners of conscience, and hold China to promises made to the IOC, regarding improvements in human rights. 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.

  China's Involvement in Darfur

  Activists working to address the ongoing violence in Darfur, Sudan, have called for pressure to be exerted on China because of their financial and diplomatic support for Omar al-Bashir, who is responsible for the Sudanese government's proxy militias. These advocates, which include actress Mia Farrow, NBA athlete Ira Newble, and Sudan researcher Eric Reeves, have organized a global advocacy campaign called Olympic Dream for Darfur. Some have begun to refer to the Beijing Olympics as the "Genocide Olympics" as noted in The China Post as a way of connecting Beijing's close political and economic ties to the Sudanese regime. The Chinese government, in turn, has criticised the activists for "politicising" the Olympics and outlined its plans to help the Sudanese economy.

  China's Involvement in Myanmar

  Since China has close economic and military ties with Myanmar, it's seen as a major lever against the repressive regime in Myanmar. Many have also criticized China's opposition of sanctions against Myanmar's military rulers, who used force against anti-government protesters in 2007. The Olympics are considered a way to motivate China to take a firm stance against human rights violations in Burma.
     On September 28, 2007, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu urged China to intervene in the ongoing protests in Myanmar. Tutu said that if China didn't take a stance against the military rulers in Myanmar he'd "join a campaign to boycott the Beijing Olympics". His call has been taken up by the U.S. Campaign for Burma.

  Boycotts

  Calls for sustained pressure and possible boycotts of the Olympics have come from former French presidential candidate François Bayrou, actor and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow, Genocide Intervention Network Representative Ronan Farrow, and the The Washington Post editorial board. Filmmaker Steven Spielberg, founder of the Los Angeles' University of Southern California's Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education, sent a letter to Hu Jintao on April 2 2007 to discuss and possibly end China's involvement in the conflict. In February 2008, Spielberg announced he was stepping down from his role as an artistic advisor in protest of the Chinese government's refusal to pressure Sudan to stop the "continuing human suffering" in the Darfur region. He noted: "Sudan's government bears the bulk of the responsibility for these on-going crimes, but the international community, and particularly China, should be doing more." Additionally, a group of 106 lawmakers in the United States have circulated a letter calling for the US to boycott the coming Olympics because of China's support of the Sudanese regime and the forced relocation Congresswoman Maxine Waters introduced a similar resolution in early August 2007.
     The British Olympic Association (BOA) will require that before leaving for China, British Olympic team members sign an agreement, stating that they "are not to comment on any politically sensitive issues." However, BOA spokesman Graham Newsom stated that the BOA didn't intend to censor athletes, and referred to a rule in the International Olympic Committee charter which states, "No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas."
     On April 2, 2008, the Japanese government announced that its royal family won't participate in the opening ceremony, now that the violent crackdown in Tibet has been the focus of international concern. These issues led the government to decide to reject the request.
     On April 5, French newspaper Le Monde quoted a French minister as stating that the attendance of president Sarkozy at the opening ceremony is "conditional". Three conditions were set: "an end to violence against the population and the release of political prisoners, light to be shed on the events in Tibet and the opening of dialogue with the Dalai Lama." However, Minister Rama Yade said that Le Monde misquoted her as listing conditions, and that the word "conditions" was never used. BBC News wrote that while Sarkozy was opposed to a full boycott, he'd "not close the door to any possibility" as far as his own attendance is concerned.
     Masahisa Tsujitani, a Japanese craftsman who makes shots used by many Olympic athletes announced April 14 he refuses to allow his wares to be used at the 2008 Olympics to protest against China's treatment of protesters in Tibet.

  Environmental and health issues

  Concern has been raised over the air quality of Beijing and its potential effect on the athletes. Although the Beijing Municipal Government, in its bid file in 2001, committed to lowering air pollution, increasing environmental protection, and introducing environmental technology, research data show that even if the city were to dramatically cut down its emissions, pollution would still drift over the neighboring provinces, from which 50 percent of Beijing's air is believed to originate. At current levels, air pollution is at least 2 to 3 times higher than levels deemed safe by the World Health Organization. Marco Cardinale of the British Olympic Association has stated that air pollution coupled with heat and humidity makes it "very unlikely we'll see outstanding performances in endurance sports." The United States Olympic Committee has also expressed its assurance that the air quality of Beijing won't be a concern for the U.S. delegation to the games. Nevertheless, the IOC's medical commission recently analyzed air-quality data recorded by the Beijing Environment Protection Bureau in August, when test athletic events were held in the Chinese capital. The commission found that outdoor endurance events -- defined as those that include at least an hour of continuous, high-intensity physical effort -- may pose some risk.
     In spite of such efforts, 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.
     Meteorological findings in April 2007 also have suggested that, based on rainfall data from the past 30 years, there's a 50 percent chance of rain 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. While the effectiveness of this method is questionable, Beijing is optimistic that it'll reduce the chance of rainfall during the games, and planned to carry out several tests as a practice in the summer of 2007, one year before the games begin. Officials of the city water authority have ensured, however, that "the safety and efficiency of the water system" will be maintained and that the recycled water supplied to the Olympic Village will be as clean as tap water.
     Following recent scares regarding the safety of food products manufactured in China, the United States Olympic Committee has 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.

  Chinese counter-protests

  The condemnation of China by Western countries has caused a surge of nationalism and anti-foreigner sentiment in China, with the risk that violence will be directed at foreign visitors to the Olympics. French goods have been threatened with a boycott for the French government's handling of the torch relay through Paris, with flag burning protests outside the French supermarket chain Carrefour. A number of death threats have been received against foreign journalists in China, for what some Chinese see as the biased reporting on Tibet by the Western Media. Time magazine suggests current patriotic protests could erupt into anti-government protests, as with the 1919 May Fourth Movement.
  

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