BEIJING OLYMPICS

PICTURE STORY!

Olympics Games opens in Beijing in the National Stadium nicknamed as Birds Nest !
The National stadium will host the main track and field competitions for the 2008 Summer Olympics as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. The stadium can seat as many as 91,000 spectators during the Olympics. This stadium costs 423 million US$ for China to build .This is the showpiece of the Olympics and was designed by Swiss Architects.This is an architectural wonder which shows Chinas emergence as superpower.

Inside Story !

Ai Weiwei one of China’s renowned artists collaborated with the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in designing the Bird’s Nest. But since then he has become an outspoken critic of Chinese government policies on civil liberties and other issues. The man who designed this stadium says this “I was questioning whether it’s possible for a society that doesn’t have democracy to excite the joys and celebrations of its people. And is it possible for such a society to win international recognition and approval when liberty and freedom of expression are lacking? “Ai has coined the phrase, “pretend smile,” as a label for China’s Olympic effort. The biggest disappointment as per him is that China has fallen short of its promises, which is, “One World One Dream,”As the result of criticism he has not received any invitation for the opening ceremony!

PICTURE STORY!

Birds Nest at Night

China has spent estimated $42B To Host Beijing Olympics which is a big sum for a developing country to put into a two-week sports show. This Olympics hosted by Beijing would take the title of the most expensive games ever seen, thanks to the $20 billion worth of city improvements undertaken along with the games by the Chinese Government.

Insider Story!

The ground was broken on December 2003 to build Bird’s nest , and construction was started in March 2004. In January 2008, concerns about construction working conditions arose when it was revealed that 88 workers had died during the stadium’s construction. Chinese officials deny that there have been any deaths.

Picture Story


Aerial view of the Northeast Second Ring Road, a new highway interchange, from the top floor of a housing complex.


The plan to triple the size of Beijing’s expressways and build dozens of sports facilities is one of the largest construction projects ever in China since the construction of the Great Wall.Beijing had spent $12 billion in 10 years to spruce up the city. Much of the money will be spent on infrastructure and environmental projects regardless, but hosting the Olympics is seen as a natural extension of efforts to improve Beijing.


INSIDE STORY



New sports venues and $40 billion spent to improve China’s infrastructure have not solved Beijing’s air-quality woes.

Half of Beijing’s 3.3 million vehicles hs been pulled off the roads before the
Olympics to help clean the city’s air for the games. Under the Government plan during Olympics vehicles will be allowed on the roads on alternate days according to even or odd car registration numbers from July 20 until Sept20.


The Government has shutdown polluting factories in Tianjin, about 70 miles east of Beijing, part of the regional plan to temporaryly close factories across a large part of northern China during the Games.

SUCCESS STORY !

This turtle-shell-like structure is a terminal for a new express train linking Beijing Capital International Airport to downtown Beijing.Terminal 3 will be the world’s largest at nearly 10 million square feet.


At the same time, the money spent is already bringing benefits to China. This has given a powerful impetus to the construction of housing and transport facilities; Additional government contracts have encouraged the development of domestic high tech companies working in adavanced technology areas and expertise.

TECHNOLOGY STORY !

Light glitters on the glass-and-titanium shell of the National Grand Theater and on the surrounding water.

SMOG INSIDE STORY


Members of the US athletics team arrived in the Beijing city wearing face masks Pollution levels on a typical day in Beijing

Some researchers say pollution levels are nearly five times above WHO standards for safety.

While China Succeeded in creating a world class infrastructure for thIs Olympics on par or better than any other country which hosted in the past, this is one area which appears to be a challenge and huge embarassment to the Chinese Government .

Chinese promised green with the commitment of clear sky at the time of bidding for Olympics.Chinese officials promised to pour $12.2 billion into cleaning up. The difficulty is that Beijing has been trying to control pollution as its economy grows at more than 10% a year, Workers flood in from other provinces and more than 1,000 cars are added to the road each day.

President of the IOC, has warned that outdoor endurance events will be postponed if the air quality is poor.

 While everyone was fighting for freedom and rights for Tibetians during the Olympic Torch events , the air quality has proved to be the biggest challenge now . It is finally going to be Mother nature who will decide the air quality .Wind can blow pollution to Beijing from thousands of miles away, while a lack of wind can cause chemicals and particulate matter to build up in the city.

Now the embarassment for Chinese Government for now is not freedom or human rights but this issue of freedom to breathe! The Western countries are trying to further embarass China by such gestures of asking athletes to land in China with face mask!

FINAL STORY OF ACHIEVEMENT

OPENING CEREMONY REHEARSAL


The Beijing Olympic Games will be a perfect occasion to fully display China’s 5,000-year history and its resplendent culture, a grand ceremony that will gather athletes from all over the world and present diverse and brilliant cultures.

The Olympic Games, especially the opening ceremonies, will be a showcase for the world’s fastest growing major economy. From the fantastic “bird’s nest” stadium to the lavish Olympic facilities which were all but complete last year, China is staking out its territory as an unprecedented success story on the world stage.


WELCOME BEIJING OLMPICS

WELCOME ASIAN SUPER POWER CHINA FOR THE SUPER SHOW

LET THIS BE THE MOST SPECTACULAR SPORTS EXTRAVAGANNZA OF THE YEAR 2008 !

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