What was the Olympic Committee thinking?

Parent Cafe
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<p>Okay as we get close to the Olympics being held, everyday I am reading a new article about the problems in China. I especially found it interesting that the water venue for yachting is now a bog of algae. Today’s was the smog level is 5x higher than the WHO limits.</p>

<p>With that being said, why did they choose China?</p>

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<p>They have to choose among cities that submit applications. Beijing was chosen way back in 2001. Remember that when a city is chosen, none of the facilities is in place and functioning.
[112th</a> IOC SESSION - Election of the host city - Evaluation report](<a href=“http://moscow2001.olympic.org/en/2008/rapport.html]112th”>http://moscow2001.olympic.org/en/2008/rapport.html)</p>

<p>To the IOC, Beijing is ancient history. I know someone who works for the US committee and is already deep into work on London and Sochi (scroll down to “Future Games”).
[INTERNATIONAL</a> OLYMPIC COMMITTEE](<a href=“http://www.olympic.org/uk/index_uk.asp]INTERNATIONAL”>http://www.olympic.org/uk/index_uk.asp)</p>

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<p>We, in Toronto, have been wondering the same thing for the past seven years! Everyone could have been coming here this summer. :)</p>

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<p>Selecting Bejing was a big mistake. The IOC is so phony. It’s all about corporate sponsorships. Amateurism and dignity take a back seat. The Olympics should never be held in a repressive nation.</p>

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<p>I understand the whole selection process. Bullet and I took the kids to Torino in 06…we started saving for it in 00. Turin was great, but again I questioned the IOC. Let me give some examples:</p>

<ol>
<li> The train from Milan runs to Turin, however, the IOC never forced Italy to run the train later in hours…last train left for Milan at 10, the skating and hockey events did not end until 11-11:30. Now how hard would it have been to the extend the hours?<br></li>
<li> The trolleys were packed and they did not add extra cars…to say we were sardines is an understatement. Add onto the fact that they forgot to close down streets for trolleys only, a 20 minute ride in the morning turned into a 90 minute in the evening…</li>
<li> The Park n Ride, to take the trolley did not have self pay kiosks, instead only 2 people working it, another 45 minute line, to buy your ticket to get on the trolley…my favorite out of this…nobody ever collected tickets, just get on and go!
4.THE ABSOLUTE BEST: Turin was so behind the eight ball building hotels, that they literally draped them in white tarps and painted windows, shutters and planter boxes on them to make it look like it was completed. It took a couple of times of passing by it, saying that just doesn’t look right, to realize it was painted.</li>
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<p>The IOC had no control over this, it was Turin’s fault, but the IOC should have realized the infrastructure wasn’t there to support it. Also, Turin never had problems with their sites being in trouble, unlike the Chinese. The US yacht team is clearing out the Algae, how can track and field perform with 5x the level in smog? Are you telling me the IOC didn’t realize that would be a problem…hint, hint LA Olympics!</p>

<p>I just can’t understand why we don’t re-visit places that have had successful Olympics instead of starting from ground zero again. From what I understand many of these countries believe that it will be a training draw, or they can re-use them for World events, but most are not being able to convert them to that level.</p>

<p>The real problem for this yrs Olympics, is many people being disgusted by the Chinese political views, and time difference. I hope NBC didn’t pay alot, since when Seoul had them, they stated they took a beating and had their worst viewer ratings ever!</p>

<p>IMHO the IOC wanted to be politically correct…the Olympcs were not created for political correctness!</p>

<p>As much as I wanted to see NYC get the Olympics, I do believe London is an excellent choice! They have the infrastructure to handle it, and the cool weather for runners! If we hadn’t lived there for 4 yrs, I would definetly go to that one!</p>

<p>BTW my SIL’s cousin is in London also working on the Olympics, they also did the Atlanta Olympics.</p>

<p>One of the most interesting things we found out when we went to Turin, was that we met a ton of people who only vacation every 4 yrs, just going to winter Olympics. They said Salt Lake was the best, this included people from England and Canada, that the bus system was perfect and the ticket prices were great. In Turin the Bobsled, and Skeleton was 75 ea, Salt Lake started in the 20-30 range. They were floored that you could get to the rail, and it was only shoulder to shoulder. At Salt Lake, they said 6 hrs prior the rails were 6 people deep shoulder to shoulder. I took our DD with me to the Ladies figure skating short program, the tickets were 250 a piece. My DH took our DS’s to Ice Hockey USA against Russia, and paid 150 for a ticket. 5 days of tickets for a family of 5 was 5000. Granted we saw the higher demanded events, incl. short track, and free-style ski jump, but it also explains why the avg Italian did not go to see the events…I don’t really remember hearing anyone speak Italian around us, most of the people were from overseas.</p>

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<p>Gee, now Atlanta’s Olympics doesn’t look so bad in retrospect??? ;)</p>

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<p>Hey…how about LA? Remember the marathon? </p>

<p>Showing my age!</p>

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<p>^^^ Need a refresher course, PIMA about the marathon-- especially since I have an '84 olympics tshirt with a runner on it and dont know its special meaning!</p>

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<p>I’ve heard that they placed the Olympics in China in part to focus scrutiny on their human rights, environment, etc. Which it has, but it’s not like China is going to do anything about it.</p>

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<p>Refresher course:
LA was being slammed for their smog level, heat, and traffic congestion! </p>

<p>Probably your runner is hacking, feighnting or something negative!</p>

<p>Chuy,
The IOC would make more of an effect if they said sorry we won’t give you the Olympics b/c of your human rights issues/environment. Instead the IOC said we are going to give it to you, but we want you to behave. I have heard the same thing as you about their reasonings.</p>

<p>I am in total disgust with the IOC. I feel as if they are selling out to the highest bidder and could care less about the athletes or spectators…all they want is a financial cut. Check out what it would cost to buy a ticket, which the IOC gets a cut. Mens/Womens swimming finals 425-495 a ticket. Gymnastics is the same cost. Who can afford that, even if you are buying 2 ticketc, that is 1000 for 2 hours!</p>

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<p>You wouldn’t be showing <em>that</em> much age unless you meant the 1932 LA Olympics instead of the 1984 version.</p>

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<p>I was in LA in 1984 and it was great. The smog and traffic abatement plans the organizers and city put in place worked wonderfully. LA was never so clean and relatively traffic free as it was during the '84 games. Freeway traffic was light and free-flowing. You could drive from one end of LA to the other in about 20 minutes.</p>

<p>From what I’ve read Beijing is hoping to do something similar, but they’ve got to come from a lot farther behind. Their normal traffic and smog are much worse that LA’s were back in 1984.</p>

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<p>I don’t know what LA’s smog level is, but 5x the WHO standard, would put them far behind LA.</p>

<p>It is comical in this day and age of everyone being green, the Olympics is going to a country that is a health hazard. Even in VA where we have very little smog, or when I lived in AK in the winter, we still have smog advisories! Doubt they were ever at the level China is facing!</p>

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<p>^^Sorry for misreading your OP.</p>

<p>Anyway… China isn’t the US. (Well, maybe China IS Wal-Mart or Wal-Mart is Chiina; but that’s the subject for another
thread :slight_smile: .)</p>

<p>We’ve been a technologically advanced nation for a long time so, as coureur points out, had less smog cleanup distance to travel and more means and wealth to achieve it. You sound like you’ve done a lot of overseas travel, so you know the types of problems developing nations face. For better or worse, they tend to grow their economies first and clean up later (if at all). Just as we’ve done. Russia’s the same way, coming out from under Soviet control. They’ve had explosive growth in the number of private vehicles in Moscow, for example, in the last decade–and have the awful pollution that goes with it. My brother and SIL have traveled to China a lot over the past few decades. Still do. From what they’ve described to me over the years, the changes have been staggering to watch unfold.</p>

<p>I’m not defending the IOC, but what are they supposed to do? Athletes from those human-rights-violating, high-pollution countries compete too. Chuy may be right; I don’t know. But China, as host country, is getting and will continue to get negative as well as positive coverage under the spotlight of the world press. Something to think about.</p>

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<p>With human rights abuses apparently having been committed by the United States, I guess that the Olympics could not be held here either.</p>

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<p>The IOC has a long history of conveniently ignoring the unsavory deeds of the governments of countries it awards the games to:</p>

<p>1936 - Berlin. Can you say Hitler? Can’t get much worse than that
1940 - Tokyo. Another Fascist regime. These games were canceled due to the outbreak of WWII.
1944 Winter Games - Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. More Fascists. Also canceled for the war.
1980 - Moscow. Communists.
1984 Winter Games - Sarajevo. More Communists</p>

<p>So viewed in the context of that den of wickedness, China fits right in.</p>

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<p>Sorry, but I cannot remember ever seeing an American tank plowing down citizens for speaking out in protests in the last 20 yrs. What about Tibet?</p>

<p>Please enlighten me on what human rights abuses the US has committed upon their own citizens that is comparable to Tiananmen?</p>

<p>Mudder I agree they are getting the spotlight, most of it is negative. I have yet to read or hear anything positive. I did not mean to bring this into a political realm.</p>

<p>I meant this to be about the IOC and how they determine the host nation. We are only a month away from the Olympics, and it seems that China is not ready. It seems ridiculous that the IOC did not realize that they have environmental issues, is anyone going to believe that 5X smog level just appeared in the past 6 yrs?.</p>

<p>I say again What were they thinking?</p>

<p>All the IOC did was put a spotlight on China in a negative way. Throw the human rights out the door…what about the venues not being ready? Why are the tickets costing 450+ for a high demanded event…100 for badminton/table tennis. Fencing is 250. My girlfriend went to Atlanta 12 yrs ago and paid 25 for fencing. I pd face value (Euros)for the winter in 06, so it is not about Americans being charged more.</p>

<p>I will be watching te yachting…got to see how they got rid of the sea of algae…check out [DRUDGE</a> REPORT 2008®](<a href=“http://www.drudgereport.com%5DDRUDGE”>http://www.drudgereport.com) for the article.</p>

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<p>NOW IT’S LOCUSTS</p>

<p>Here’s the article:

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<p>No doubt China’s human rights abuses are worse than ours. But abuses, regrettably and to our great shame, there were and are.</p>