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BEIJING: On the road to the August 8 to 24 Olympic
Games, Beijing has won praise for operational skills but could do
better in other areas.
A report card on Beijing’s
performance with just over seven months to go before the opening
ceremony:
PLUS SIDE
Venues:
Organizers are preparing 37
venues to stage 28 medal sports during next Games and have won high
praise from all sides. Notable venues are the National Stadium or
Bird’s Nest, the eye-catching structure of twisted steel beams and
the National Aquatics Center, known as the Water Cube because of its
blue membrane that looks like bubble-wrap.
Games operations:
A series of 27 test events in
2007 put venues through their paces and will be followed by 19 more
in the lead up to August next year. The International Olympic
Committee described the test events as a “triumph.”
Marketing:
The Beijing Olympic marketing
program is expected to be the most profitable ever seen with foreign
and domestic firms queuing up to take part in the world’s biggest
sports festival in the world’s fastest-growing market.
City infrastructure:
A $41-billion spending spree is
upgrading Beijing’s road, rail and airport systems as well as
improving vital infrastructure such as waste-water management and
energy supply. Social life is enjoying a resurgence thanks to new
bars, restaurants and theaters including a new national opera house.
MINUS SIDE
Pollution:
Bad air quality is a danger to
the successful hosting of the Games. International Olympic Committee
chief Jacques Rogge has said some events, especially endurance
races, could be delayed or postponed as a result of pollution.
Ticketing:
Olympic officials say they
underestimated demand when the electronic booking system for Olympic
tickets crashed in October, delaying sales for six weeks. The head
of the ticketing department was sacked.
Torch relay:
Beijing announced the planned
route of its Olympic torch relay amid fanfare on live TV in April,
including a stopover in Taiwan. However, Taiwan said it had never
agreed to be on the route.
-- AFP
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