Beijing wins 2008 Summer Olympics

[meezercat]

MOSCOW, July 13 — Beijing was awarded the 2008 Olympics on Friday, 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 and Osaka.

BEIJING’S VICTORY CAME seven years after it lost to Sydney by two votes in the election for the 2000 Olympics. Human rights issue were a factor in that defeat, with memories of the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square still fresh.

The 2008 bid was also targeted by human rights activists, who said giving the games to China would reward a Communist regime that brutally represses its citizens and occupies Tibet.


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.

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--Winifred Carriere

 

[jadedskies]

This *really* sucks, when I saw the headline on someone's newspaper on the train this morning, I was devastated. It should have gone to Paris, Toronto, Osaka or Istanbul, although Istanbul was never really in the running.

 

[Prox]

I dont really have a problem with Beijing getting the games. I know many people argue that their human rights issues should have kept them from getting the games, but how about thinking about it this way. What if getting the games makes them move faster to reform those issues, after all they will be in the international spotlight and no one wants their country to look bad infront of the entire world. Also arnt the olympics a time to put aside all cultural and political differences and for the entire world to come togeather to give the best athleets in the world a chance to come togeather and compete for their respective country's. I just hope that this issue doesnt get blown out of porportion to the point where countries begin to boycott the Olympics like they did when they were held in the former USSR.

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Those times I burned my guitar it was like a sacrafice. You sacrafice the things you love. I love my guitar - Jimi Hendrix

 

[jadedskies]

I just don't think it's going to do anything to help the case of human rights in China - rather I think it's going to make it worse. A ton of "undesirables" were detained in the leadup to this vote, to make Beijing look "prettier". Beijing will just put on a great show in 2008, and go back to the way it was...and pull off a Hitler-1936-style propaganda coup.