Beijing 2008

The upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing have stirred great expectations. Prabhjot Singh on how China is gearing up for the biggest sports event

The National Aquatics Centre, known as ‘The Water Cube’, will be one of the most dramatic venues to feature sporting events for the Beijing Olympics. An architectural marvel, the building's structural design is based on the natural formation of soap bubbles. The centre will host the swimming, diving and synchronised swimming events — Photos by AFP

With the Beijing Olympic Games just a fortnight away, both China and its Olympic Committee face more hostilities than support for not living up to the Olympics motto of ‘one world one dream’.

The holding of Olympic Games by socialist or communist states has never been without problems because of ideological or political reservations on the part of the advanced countries about the absence of fundamental freedoms.

While the Moscow Games in 1980 were robbed of sheen due to the boycott led by the United States and its allies, China has been under fire for its failure to keep the promise of improving its human rights record. China had made this promise to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) while getting the games allotted.

By August 7, Beijing will have half a million visitors from overseas, including 10,500 athletes and 20,000 mediapersons. Sportspersons from all over the globe will take part in 28 events, who will be participating in the games from August 8 to 24

Beijing’s $40-billion makeover has transformed this ancient capital city into a modern metropolis. However, the Beijing sky that is generally shrouded in a thick grey haze has posed the biggest challenge to the organisers who are taking all steps to keep the host city’s air clean for the world’s greatest athletes. The organising authorities have ordered at least half of the 3.3 million vehicles in Beijing to stay off the roads, besides ordering a temporary closure of polluting factories.

Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, one of the greatest distance runners in the world, has already withdrawn from the marathon event because the pollution in Beijing’s air may irritate his breathing. Even IOC chief Jacques Rogge has gone on record saying that outdoor endurance events, lasting more than an hour, will be postponed in case the air quality remained poor.

Dope threat

Doping remains the biggest threat though Jacques Rogge hopes to "see the cleanest, most drug-free Olympic Games this time."

As the last edition of the games in Athens was rocked by the incidence of doping, the IOC has no choice but to be extra cautious this time. As many as 26 positive cases, the highest ever in any Olympic games, were reported from among 3,667 samples taken during the Athens games. In Sydney, of 2,359 doping cases, 11 tested positive.

Realising the gravity of the problem, the IOC chief says that 4,500 doping tests, including improved test for human growth hormone, will be conducted during the Beijing Olympic Games. The IOC has also promised to call in the Chinese police to investigate suspected drug supply rings.

In fact, India, too, has had a taste of this menace in various international sporting events, including the Olympic Games. In Athens weightlifters Pratima Kumari and Shanmacha Chanu faced expulsion because of doping charges.

Despite this, the Indian weightlifting authorities have not learnt their lesson as the sport is again sullied by doping scandals even before the beginning of the games.

Bulgaria has withdrawn its entire team after 11 lifters tested positive for steroids, while Greece is now sending only four athletes after 11 of its lifters were suspected of doping. Incidentally, both Greece and Bulgaria, besides India, are repeat offenders. Even in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Bulgaria, also known as the powerhouse of weightlifting, was rocked by a doping scandal. Three of the Bulgarian lifters had to surrender their gold medals after testing positive for drugs.

In Athens, a Greece lifter lost his bronze medal due to doping charges. In case more doping cases are reported in Beijing the possibility of weightlifting getting dropped from future games is not ruled out.

Besides weightlifting, athletics, especially the track and field events, has a higher incidence of athletes taking performance-enhancing banned drugs. This is what has prompted the new CEO of the US athletics body, Doug Logan, to pledge driving doping cheats out of sport. "Relying just on testing and disciplining offenders would not solve the problem of doping," he has been quoted in the media.

Tall order

While the USA will aim to lead the overall medals tally for the fourth consecutive time, both China as well as Russia are out to challenge its supremacy.

In 2004, China produced its best gold medal haul since its return to the Olympics in 1984. It finished second behind the USA in Athens. The Americans have led the medals tally in Atlanta, Sydney and Athens while the Soviet Union remained the leader for eight times from 1956 to 1992.

The advantage of hosting the games, along with the efforts and investments made in select sports, will enable China to give a tough competition to the Americans, who have been reigning supreme in world sports after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

China will have its biggest-ever contingent of 613 athletes with gold medal prospects in table tennis, gymnastics, shooting, weightlifting, badminton, rowing, tae kwon do besides a few team sports.

Swimming, track and field events and gymnastics are the strongholds of US athletes, who will also be a formidable challenge in tennis, basketball and other games.

Russia, Germany, Australia and Korea, too, may not be far behind in the race for top six in the medals tally. Controversies and controls apart, Beijing hopes to see the world’s best athletes in action during the 16-day sporting extravaganza.

Punjabi presence

Interestingly, Sansarpur, a small village on the outskirts of Jalandhar, which has earned the reputation of being India’s hockey nursery, will still figure in the men’s hockey event. Bindi Kular, who has roots in Sansarpur, will be playing for Canada. Over the years, many other athletes from Sansarpur have represented India, Kenya and Canada in the Olympic Games.

Though hockey, a game dominated by Punjabis, will be poorer because of India’s failure to qualify for the 2008 Games, there will be some consolation as four of Canadian players — Bindi Kular, Ranjeev Deol, Ravi Kahlon and Sukhwinder "Gabbar" Singh — have a Punjab connection. Along with them, Jasbir Singh, a weightlifter, will represent Canada while athlete Sandeep Kumar will don Australian colours.

Sadly, the number of Punjabi players in the Indian contingent will be the lowest this time, primarily because of the disqualification of the hockey team.

Interestingly, the number of immigrants in various national squads, including those of the US, Canada, Australia and the UK, has been on the rise. The US squad will have 50 non-American athletes, including some from China.