The $42BN Olympics

China has spent a record breaking sum of money, $42BN, on the forthcoming Beijing Olympics (due to start on 8 August).

Included in the bill are the costs of the $3BN new airport terminal, and the $500M "Bird's Nest" National Stadium. The last Olympics in Athens in 2004 cost $15BN, and bankrupted the Greek government.

Whilst China may be able to afford this, what of the future?

Which countries seriously want to spend absurd sums of money such as this, merely to hold a two week sporting event designed to promote international consumer brands and to temporarily shore up a faltering government's popularity with their voters?

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Banned Items

With less than a month to go before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, on 8 August, the authorities are laying down the rules as to what people cannot bring into Olympic venues.

Included on the list are "GO China" banners (on the grounds of fairness spectators will be expected to cheer for all competitors), soft drink containers, musical instruments and whistles.

The BOCOG has also prohibited leaflets publicising commercial activities, religion, politics, the military, human rights or environmental or animal welfare.

Other banned items include; banners and flags larger than two metres by one metre, flags of non-participating countries, flash photography, drunkenness, nudity, gambling, sit-ins, demonstrations, guns, ammunition, crossbows, daggers and goods thought to be flammable, caustic or radioactive.

You have been warned!

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An Olympic Thirst

The Beijing Olympics, which begin on 8 August 2008, are adding to China's water woes.

The San Fransisco Chronicle reports that the games are expected to increase Beijing's water consumption by at least 5%, and that reserves are being drawn down from neighbouring towns and provinces.

The article then goes on to state that:

"According to some environmentalists:

-Half of China's 617 largest cities, including Beijing, face water shortages.

-At least 300 million people do not have access to safe drinking water.

-90% of cities' groundwater and 75% of rivers and lakes are polluted.

-Chinese industries dump 40 billion to 60 billion tons of untreated wastewater into rivers and lakes every year.

-90 million people are exposed to water pollution on a daily basis.

-Beijing golf courses use 21,900 acre-feet of water each year."

Let us hope that the money earned from the Olympics will be used to address these issues.

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Final Cat Rescued

Great news, Celia Hammond has rescued the final cat from the 2012 Olympics site.

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The Dog's Off

Those of you with a penchant for dog, who are hoping to indulge your culinary fantasies in Beijing during the Olympics, are set for a disappointment.

The Beijing Tourism Bureau vice director, Xiong Yumei, has stated that if a customer ordered dog meat restaurant staff should "patiently" suggest another entree.

The Beijing Catering Trade Association (BETA) has issued a circular that forbids all 112 designated restaurants to provide dog meat dishes during the August Olympics. It also strongly advises other establishments to suspend serving dog until September.

Any restaurant found violating the ban would be blacklisted by the association.

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Terrorists Detained

Chinese police have so far this year detained 82 suspected terrorists, in the Muslim populated northwest of China, who have been accused of planning to attack the Beijing Olympics in August this year.

Chinese state media say that the 82 belong to five groups that "allegedly plotted sabotage against the Beijing Olympics."

Yesterday Chinese state media announced that police had shot dead five Muslims, who allegedly wanted to launch a "holy war".

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Sakorzy Changes His Mind

Following hot on the heals of the announcement by President Bush that he will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics 8 August, President Sarkozy of France has fallen into line and said that he will attend as well.

Sarkozy was the first world leader to threaten to miss the opening, in protest at China's crackdown in Tibet after riots and protests there in March.

Sarkozy has now told Chinese President Hu Jintao that he would attend the ceremony on August 8.

The President's Office issued a statement that said that France wants to "deepen its strategic partnership with China".

Money matters, especially when there is an Airbus contract in the offing!

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The Final Month

With just one month to go before the opening of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the final touches for the games are being put into place.

Venues and transport facilities are, on the face of it, ready; something that was not a certainty in Athens four years ago. However, there is still much concern about the air quality in Beijing.

The past few weeks has seen Beijing enveloped in smog.

Beijing has budgeted $12BN to clean up the environment before the games, part of that has been allocated to improving air quality.

The IOC maintains that most athletes will be unaffected by pollution. However, those taking part in endurance events lasting more than one hour could be at risk and events may have to be rescheduled.

Given the extensive preparations for the 2008 games, it will be a major disappointment to the organisers if the abiding memory of 2008 was the smog.

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