By Larry Siddons/AP
On Friday there was some serious partying on the streets of Beijing. Fireworks lit up the sky, while thousands of people in Millennium Square in the western part of the Chinese capital sang and waved flags. Traditional lion dancers joined a group of ballerinas on stage, and green lasers swept the sky.
But it wasn’t the New Year. Beijing was celebrating its award of the 2008 Olympics on July 13, winning the games for the world’s most populous country for the first time.
The International Olympic Committee picked China over rival bids from Toronto; Paris; Istanbul, Turkey; and Osaka, Japan. Beijing won on the second round of a secret ballot by receiving 56 votes, three more than a majority.
“Comrades! We express our deep thanks to all our friends around the world and to the IOC for helping to make Beijing successful in its Olympic bid,” President Jiang Zemin shouted to the crowd after he and other members of the Cabinet and Communist Party politburo appeared briefly on stage in Beijing.
Toronto got 22 votes, Paris 18, and Istanbul nine in the final round. Osaka was eliminated in the first round of voting, with six votes, when Beijing led with 44.
“I want to express the gratitude of the International Olympic Committee to all five candidate cities for their excellent work,” IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch said just before announcing the winner.
Then came the words the Chinese capital had waited seven years to hear:
“The games of the 29th Olympiad in 2008 are awarded to the city of Beijing.”
In the trade center hall where the vote took place, Beijing supporters screamed and pulled out Chinese flags. A banner appeared with the slogan, “Eternal Beijing, Olympic Games, a century dream come true.”
“It’s a milestone for the future of our country,” said Yang Lan, a member of Beijing’s official presentation team to the IOC earlier in the day.
Beijing was the front-runner throughout the race, even with criticism about its human rights record. IOC members clearly believed the Olympics will open China to the world, improve the human rights situation and speed social and economic reforms.
“We are totally aware at the IOC there is one issue on the table ... and that is human rights,” IOC director general Francois Carrard said. “Human rights is a very serious issue in the entire world ... It is not up to the IOC to interfere in this issue, but we are taking the bet that seven years from now, we sincerely and dearly hope we will see many changes.”
But many IOC members — as well as some politicians — embraced the position that the Olympics would promote positive change in the country of 1.3 billion people.
Henry Kissinger, the former U.S. secretary of state who helped open China to the West in the 1970s and is now a ceremonial member of the IOC, agreed the victory “will have a positive impact.”
IOC officials said China deserves to host the games because it is a rising sports power which has been a force in the Olympics since returning to the games in 1984 after a 32-year absence.
Toronto and Paris had cast themselves as risk-free “bids of certainty.” Toronto portrayed itself as the best bid for the athletes, while Paris played on its allure as the world’s favorite tourist city.
But Toronto’s chances were hurt by its mayor, Mel Lastman, who recently said he feared attending an Olympic meeting in Africa because “I just see myself in a pot of boiling water with all these natives dancing around me.”
African IOC members brought up the matter during Toronto’s presentation to the general assembly. Canadian officials said Lastman had apologized, and he was left out of Toronto’s official team at the ceremony.
Chinese Americans React
In Chinatown, the news of Beijing hosting the Olympics brought smiles and thumbs up. Among the morning chatter at the fish and vegetable markets, many toted Chinese newspapers and talked about the selection.
“We just heard it from the cook,” said Calvin Leung, while eating soup for breakfast at a bustling restaurant. “We wish to congratulate Beijing on being the successful bidder. They’ve got seven years to get better. They’ll have to.”
In the San Francisco Bay Area, which has the country’s largest population of Chinese Americans, with nearly a million residents, some saw the announcement as the first step to open the country to the world, forcing the government to improve living and working conditions.
“I think this is great for China,” said Judy Leung, who emigrated from Hong Kong. “I think there are lots of changes over there.”
Judy Leung said the issue of human rights in China should not be overlooked, but that the Olympics could bring about better conditions through economic benefits and the spirit of sportsmanship. She added that every country has its problems: “Even in California, there’s the power crisis,” she said.
The Committee of 100 in New York, which works to bridge economic and social rifts between America and China, believes the bid will help China forge new economic relationships with countries that ordinarily wouldn’t have considered it as a trade partner.
“Human rights, economic cooperation — it all comes together with trade relations and entry into the WTO, all of these come together,” said Committee Chairman Henry Tang. “I do think it will improve trade as well as many of the other areas China needs to work on.” |
