I thinck that the IOC made the wrong decision because China are Communists, they have military problems and they have extreme pollution problems, there tickets to see the games have been bought by members of the Chna Communists party, and then not used, so I think the IOC made a big mistake.
I don’t think that Beijing should have held the Olympic Games this year. They were clearly not prepared and weren’t up to holding it. The pollution and smog above the city is very dangerous and unhealthy. It reduces visibilty and makes it harder for the athletes to compete. The leaders in the country are much too controlling and the people don’t get enough freedom and rights. A
I think at the time of decision it was a good idea to consider China because of their culture and recognisable society, but I don’t think when you look closely at the facts of China it was not the best idea, Based on their pollution problems, they are a very closed off country (we have just found this out because they have restricted internet) and we also have just found out that they are very shallow because they wouldn’t let a girl with a beautiful voice sing at the opening ceremony because she wasn’t pretty enough, instead they made a small ‘pretty’ girl lip sing for the chubby girl.
All in all I think it was a bad idea to choose China for the Olympic Games instead of a country that is clean, not shallow and real.
I think the IOC made a horrible mistake in choosing Beijing for the 2008 Olymic Games. Think about all the problems Beijing has got.
The smog stops athletes from performing at their peak which is what the Olympics are all about isn’t it?!
Doesn’t the girl not getting to sing because she wasn’t pretty enough show that Beijing are a superficial country?!
And the ticket-sellers have said that tickets have sold out at the Games but then there have been reports that very little people have actually been spectating!!
The IOC have truly made a horrible mistake.
Now this isn’t necessarily a problem but I think that the Chinese over-did the culture thing in the Opening Ceremony, the Opening Ceremony went for about 4 hours and about 2 thirds of it was the four great inventions by the Chinese!! Some people agree and some don’t but I think they over-did the culture part. Don’t get me wrong, it was amzing, it just went for too long.
Think about all the other better countries that could have held the Games: New York, Las Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, and ,many others.
But I think that the IOC made a good decision in choosing London for the 2012 Olympics.
no!!!:(
China shouldn’t have been chosen for the 2008 Olympic Games, because they were not ready for it, they are all too focused on their economy, they’re all not ready for the Olympics. They needed to focus on their natural environment and not their economy, and when they can do that, that will be the time for them to host the Olympics.
I think they are just not ready yet.
their economy is their main focus, their country is full of pollution, and they are just not ready.
I think that Germany shoul’ve had the Olympics instyead of China. Even though Hitler was German, we just need to get over that.
I dont think they did because when the athletes entered the opening ceremony the Track & Field athletes werent allowed to come on because of the pollution and the smog might damage their lungs so they cant run to their full extent.
The second reason that Beijing made was that they chose a prettier girl over a more talented girl to sing the opening song this shows that they are superficial.
The last reason is that lots of people bought tickets but they heard it wasnt that great and they didnt go. Beijing was dissapointed because they spent so much on the Opening Ceremony and they were hoping to get it back in the tickets but so far they havent earnt that much.
i think they did not make the right decision because of the poor facilities in the sailing, the water is full of moss and green. also the pollution, this could be the difference between a gold medal or a world record. the opening ceremony was alright, the fireworks were fake so the crowd wouldn’t be able to see them. the smog and mist is hard to see through and so for the cycling that would be hard. it is dissapointing that the girl who sang was mouthing the words. the chinese kicked out the real girl that sang because of her looks; i mean how else would i get in the olympic games! i feel incredibly sorry for the girl that didn’t have the looks to get in the opening ceremony.
No, China, let alone Beijing are currently not ready to host the 2008 Olympic Games. There are many reasons why China is not ready, like the huge amount of pollution. In China, there is so much pollution that, in the morning you can’t see anything at all, except for a thick wall of pollution. Another issue is that, China are not prepared for the Olympics, or developed enough. China’s architectural work (the Water Cube and Birds Nest) may be magnificent, and their high tech technology may be ground breaking, but i believe that China as a country do not have the proper infrastructure to pull off a feat, such as the Olympic games. Until China can prove themselves as a developed, green then they should not be allowed to host a major event like the Olympics. Another very sensitive issue is the topic of Tibet, if the Olympics is about peace, then why are China hosting the Olympics when they are not giving Tibet their freedom. Recently, news has surfaced that some of the fireworks at the Opening Ceremony were fake, as well as the young girl, who was told that she was not pretty enough to sing at the Opening Ceremony. This is why I believe that 2008 is not the year for China, maybe 2088, as China love their number 8’s, then there will be one more 8 and maybe that will give them the luck they need to host an amazing Olympic Games.
Personally I think Beijing was not the best place to hold the Olympic because of the recent American tourists to be attacked, the pollution, the smog, poor fireworks display (photo shopped), and media attention for the wrong reasons.
Having Australia third last is disgraceful when in other country we are near the top! That man who attacked the two American tourists has given China the wrong media attention. They also tried to stop the pollution but it has not work it probably only increased the pollution, by more people being inside using more energy.
NO!!! I think Beijing was the wrong city to be chosen to host the 2008 Olympic Games.
1. First of all Beijing is definitely not the best city in the world.
2. The pollution in Beijing is very threatening to the athletes and the officials and will affect their performances hugely. The Olympics is supposed to be the best athletes competing at their peak and breaking world records. But this is not happening because of the pollution.
3. I also think that the Olympics have not been a big success because of the spectators has not been turning up, to watch the Olympians.
4. It is very disappointing that the girl that sang in the Opening Ceremony was mouthing the words. But I expected that, but what was worse is that the Chinese kicked out the real girl because she was not pretty enough. It goes to show that The Chinese prefer looks then a natural talent.
All these points go to show that the IOC (in my point of view) choose the city to host the 2008 Olympic Games.
But I have to congratulate Beijing and China on making the facilities top class.
I don’t think so, because there have been many complaints about various reasons on that Beijing is not the right country for the Olympic Games.
A lot of those complaints have been about the environment, about how the pollution is in such a horrific state in china at the moment. With the Pollution and the humidity, the list goes on.
Another main complaint about this year’s Olympics was about the fake or the digitally enhanced fireworks. As well as that how some of the singers were mouthing the songs because they were prettier then the real singers. The Audience at the ceremony were not seeing anything like what the television viewers were.
More factors of why I think china is not the right place for the Olympics is the safety and the military. The violence circling around the city with the father of the American Volleyball coach, who was stabbed and killed.
The Military around the games I think is quite frightening about how the Military were just walking around looking brainwashed, there were tanks sitting outside of the Aquatics centre. Which obviously shows that China is not the safest and the best place to live in?
Although I do think the facilities are at a very high standard, I do not believe that it makes up for all the problems and tragedies that have occurred in the games.
These are the reasons why I don’t believe that Beijing was the right city to host the 2008 Olympic Games.
I don’t think that Beijing was the correct choice to hold the 2008 Olympic Games.
The pollution in China is terrible. Not only can the athletes not see as well, but it is bad for their health. In some outdoor events people might forfeit because of asthma. This reduces the chances of the athletes performing at the best of their abilities.
The athletes went to the games expected full crowds. China sold all the tickets but no one is showing up. This is disappointing for the athletes and for the fans that missed out on getting tickets. In the bike riding road race event, the Australians were not allowed to go to the finish line because only the Chinese were! Most of the Chinese were snoozing anyway!
China shouldn’t of been chosen to host the Olympics. They may have tried very hard to prepare the Olympics but in the end China was to polluted and didn’t suit the athletes needs.
I think the IOC made the right decision in choosing Beijing to host the 2008 Olympic Games because of the following reasons:
They tried really hard to stop the pollution and shut down some of their power generators. Many people showed the Olympic spirit to help remove recent algae problems so the sailing can go ahead. In most sports, the crowds are really enthusiastic and there are many people supporting their countries. For example, the USA versus China basketball match had the biggest audience watching that game. The sports stadiums were very well created and the players liked playing in the sports stadiums. They olympic village was one of the best residential place that the olympians have ever stayed in. They deployed many milatary personnel to keep the olympic venues safe, they also try their best to keep the tourist and athletes safe. One main reason is that the time difference is good for us because they are only two hours behind so we can watch it and support our country. They spent lots of money to build many new facilities, the National Sports Stadium and the Water Cube would have cost over twenty million dollars!
The IOC made a really smart decision in choosing Beijing to host the 2008 Olympic Games.
Personally I think Beijing was not the best place to hold the Olympic Games. The pollution, smog and humidity all disgraced the otherwise great Opening Ceremony, and may contribute in long term to respiratory problems in the athletes. The “digitally enhanced” fireworks and mimed songs in the Opening Ceremony all prove that China is a superficial country. China is under lots of pressure because of Tibet and the “6-day war” between Georgia and Russia.
Even though Beijing is a big and great city with many opportunities and a huge population, I don’t think it is the best place to host the Olympic Games.
This website just proves my points. http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/smog-stops-marathon-man/2008/03/11/1205125870895.html
I think it was not the right decision to host the Olympic games in Beijing. Beijing has allot of problems. For example;
-the pollution in Beijing decreases visibility and makes it very hard to breath, and china has been very nerves about what the world will think for example in the opening ceremony the decide a girl could not sing because she was not pretty enough! So they used a girl who was prettier to mime it instead! China is also at war with Tibet. Beijing has tried to fix up the pollution by firing rockets into the sky but they should try and fix the problem long term not just short term instead. So in concussion I think Beijing was not the right choice for the 2008 Olympic games!!!
I don’t think that Beijing should have held the Olympic Games this year. They were clearly not prepared and weren’t up to holding it. The pollution and smog above the city is very dangerous and unhealthy. It reduces visibiltiy and makes it harder for the athletes to compete. The leaders in the country are much too controlling and the people don’t get enough freedom and rights. A very good example of this is in the opening ceremony when a young girl chosen to sing in it was taken out on the last rehearsal and replaced with a prettier and better looking girl who mimed the words while the original girl chosen sung the song. The whole structure of the country is to violent and controlled and doesn’t have a good environment. They are catering totally for international viewers more than their own people. One example of this is in the Opening Ceremony again, the fireworks that all viewers saw on TV were not actually there but digitally imposed. So all of the people in the stadium didnt see them. The security and military around the whole city is frighteningly strong and imposing and this poses a question about the safety and security of Beijing. Tanks were even found surrounding the swimming and diving centre to protect it. This wouldn’t happen in any other of the big cities in the world. I think that Beijing weren’t prepared enough and shouldn’t have held the Olympic Games.
I think the IOC made a horrible mistake in choosing Beijing for the 2008 Olymic Games. Think about all the problems Beijing has got:
The smog stops athletes from performing at their peak which is what the Olympics are all about isn’t it?!
Doesn’t the girl not getting to sing because she wasn’t pretty enough show that Beijing are a superficial country?!
And the ticket-sellers have said that tickets have sold out at the Games but then there have been reports that very little people have actually been spectating!!
The IOC have truly made a horrible mistake.
Now this isn’t necessarily a problem but I think that the Chinese over-did the culture thing in the Opening Ceremony, the Opening Ceremony went for about 4 hours and about 2 thirds of it was the four great inventions by the Chinese!! Some people agree and some don’t but I think they over-did the culture part. Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing, it just went for too long.
Think about all the other better countries that could have held the Games: New York, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, and many others.
But I think that the IOC made a good decision in choosing London for the 2012 Olympics.
Did the Olympic Committee make the right decision in choosing Beijing to host the 2008 Olympic Games?
NO, I don’t think they chose the right decision on choosing Beijing to host the Olympics because
There are too many people in China/Beijing
Also because of pollution
China also cheated in the shooting when the guy missed and the judge said he had hit the targets and they guy got GOLD!
Opening Ceremony it started really really good then it stayed at the same expectation when it should of got better and better.
Where has all the beggars gone? Has the Chinese took them away?
Where is all the protesters gone?
Why is all the Chinese cheering for other countries?
China is a very dirty place
They waisted lots of money on the technology stuff
China should have focused more on their culture then just fancy stuff
That’s very groovy.
Only a bit had to do with the culture.
China has too much other things on their mind other then the Olympics.
I think they did not make the right decision. Beijing is a bad place for the Olympic games because the smog that they promised that the smog would be all gown is still there which makes it harder for the athletes to perform at their peak. The main resinous I think it’s wrong is because when they got it the deal was they would let the protester protest but they put them off to the side in a park miles away so no one can see them and to protest you have to put in a form to say why your protesting but they still don’t let them protest. And in the shooting the judge was biased when the chinse guy missed the target the judge counted the shot even though he missed and he went on to win the gold medal. My fourth argument is there is to much security and in china only the privileged people can go. In some events they are booked out but no one goes.
I reckon it was a bad decision to have the games in Beijing. The facilities are very good like the birds nest and the water cube but one thing let them down having the soccer oval in Shanghai. The pollution is very bad and the heat is to high and one guy has already gone into a coma. The pollution decreases visibility and hard to breath. They are very shallow with fake fireworks and having a pretty girl to mime the actual singer. There is always a war going on and it is at Tibet at the moment. At the time it was good to consider China with their culture and society. They also have restricted internet. It was definitely a bad decision.
In my opinion the Beijing Olympics was not a good choice by the Olympic Committee. China was unprepared for the coming Olympics because the amount of pollution in china is crazy and they could have done things about it. One of the things is that they could have lowered the production rate of the factory’s about 6 week prior to the Olympics but the only cut it 2 week before the Olympics. That shows that china is more concerned about the economy rather than the environment. Another problem is china is a big country and is currently under terrorist threats. There was also a girl that was not allowed in the Opening Ceremony because she wasn’t pretty enough. This all adds up to china not being prepared for the Olympics games.
I completely disagree. China was a perfect choice to host the olympics. EVERY country has its negative points, and every country has the potential to improve or eliminate its troubles. The following post made by someone of this post was racist:
“China is a very dirty place.”
I’m disgusted by the way that the media has swayed all of your minds.
Go China! (And I’m not Chinese.)
Also, Ronald’s post was not accepted for being unrelated to literature, whereas this post was allowed. Do you see the logic? Because I certainly do not.
WELL…There are bad things about it being in china but there are also good things about it too ( more bad than good ) ok starting with the bad.
the thing about the opening being digitaly inhansed made me anoyed because it looked so cool then people said that bits had been changed made me sad BAD. The part that a girl couldnt sing because she was not pretty enough was bad as well and then she sung for the other girl BAD. the pollution is really bad it makes it hot and humid which makes it difficult for the athelets to compete BAD.Last the home crowd advantage but all the countries get that when they have the games with them. now to the good things yay
its good that china got the to home the games on the luckiest month in a centurey so good for them GOOD. its also good that alot of people have beaten worl records GOOD. and thats all i can think of. haha
Dear Anonymous,
You are quite right – this post is about a political issue, not literature. Ms Kerr posted it to launch a writing exercise with her Lit Circles group. I have talked to her about it, and although we will leave it on The Portal so her students’ writing is published, it will not be included when we are judging competitions such as the ‘most commented on post’. Point taken!
I’m disgusted by the way in which the media has portrayed Beijing to be a terrible choice to host the Olympics.
Firstly, somebody mentioned that being communist, China should not have been chosen to host the Olympics. This is an utterly stupid comment – similar in fashion to saying that London should not host the next Olympics because it is a monarchy. There are negative aspects to all political ideologies, and China is certainly not the worst. Whatever happened to “One world, One dream”, which implies that ALL nations, no matter what race, political ideology, location or stance on a certain issue, are part of this united world?
Secondly, this same person said “there tickets to see the games have been bought by members of the Chna Communists party, and then not used, so I think the IOC made a big mistake.” This is utterly false. Tickets, surprisingly, can be bought my people who are not members of the Communist Party. The fact that there may not be full attendance does not mean that the political party in power is stopping people from buying tickets. It is simply a process linked to capitalism called ’supply meets demand’. If people don’t want to go to see an event, then they don’t. It’s not as if the Chinese Government is somehow saying, “Only we can see the events.” This is a proposition made with no merit, and no supportive evidence.
Furthermore, Jack said that “They were clearly not prepared and weren’t up to holding it.” If there was an award for preparation before the Olympic Games, then Beijing would definately have won it. Not only did they put in creat construction effort, the environment was dramatically improved with actions such as cleaning away the algal bloom on the sea, reducing the amount of cars on the road, and temporarily pausing industrial action. China hosted an Opening Ceremony which was clearly top-notch, despite a few inevitable slip-ups.
Jack also said that “The leaders in the country are much too controlling and the people don’t get enough freedom and rights.” I must ask you one question, Jack. What do you define as ‘enough rights’. Every country governs differently, and it is not the role of the Olympics to make every country adhere to a strict set of freedom regulations. As I have said before, and will repeat many a time, “One world, One dream” does not imply taht every country must have identical rights and freedoms, or that they must be above a certain minimum. It implies that the world will work together in creating a more peaceful and united planet.
“they are a very closed off country (we have just found this out because they have restricted internet) and we also have just found out that they are very shallow because they wouldn’t let a girl with a beautiful voice sing at the opening ceremony because she wasn’t pretty enough, instead they made a small ‘pretty’ girl lip sing for the chubby girl.” Not only is this statement made by Zack incorrect, one part of it is completely racist. The Chinese are not “very shallow” as you seem to have suggested. Just because one Communist Party director, or one musical director, is shallow, it does not mean that all Chinese are shallow. Racism is not welcome in Australia, and I begin to question whether we were worthy of hosting the games with such attitudes to internation relations.
In response to the comment about being a ‘closed-off’ nation, China is certainly moving in the opposite direction to such an idea. Eceonomic interests have led to a recent opening-up of the economy and culture, and the Olympics will do nothing but improve such relationships with other countries.
“The security and military around the whole city is frighteningly strong and imposing and this poses a question about the safety and security of Beijing. Tanks were even found surrounding the swimming and diving centre to protect it. This wouldn’t happen in any other of the big cities in the world.” This is also untrue, as the militaries of the world can often be equally as imposing on daily life. Whether China has a military or not, it should still be applicable to host the Games. SInce when does the fact taht a country has an active military force affect its chances of hosting the Olympics. And secondly, the fact that there is a militcary guarding China very strongly means that the athletes and spectators are not being protected enough? Something is usrely wrong with your logic.
Lastly, Nathan, China is VERY prepared. It acted against the pollution, with acts which I have specified previously, and it is NOT under terrorist threats, and if you search around the world, I’m sure that you will find that every country must be concerned with its economy to survive. Do you expect Beijing to just stop earning a living so that they can host the Olympics? The fact they they put in some effort at all is impressive.
I stand by my conclusion that Beijing was a perfect choice to host the Olympics.
I don’t think they deserve to host the olympics after they faked the singing girl. She was even pulled out at the last minute! how would you feel if you were about to sing a solo in the commonwealth games and you had to sing for someone else becuase you are too ugly? that is just not right.
So that one incident should be the basis of your opinion. Personally, I’m quite happy that the Olympics were given to a developing country rather than one of the rich ones that usually get them.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:04 am
I thinck that the IOC made the wrong decision because China are Communists, they have military problems and they have extreme pollution problems, there tickets to see the games have been bought by members of the Chna Communists party, and then not used, so I think the IOC made a big mistake.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:06 am
I don’t think that Beijing should have held the Olympic Games this year. They were clearly not prepared and weren’t up to holding it. The pollution and smog above the city is very dangerous and unhealthy. It reduces visibilty and makes it harder for the athletes to compete. The leaders in the country are much too controlling and the people don’t get enough freedom and rights. A
August 14th, 2008 at 10:09 am
I think at the time of decision it was a good idea to consider China because of their culture and recognisable society, but I don’t think when you look closely at the facts of China it was not the best idea, Based on their pollution problems, they are a very closed off country (we have just found this out because they have restricted internet) and we also have just found out that they are very shallow because they wouldn’t let a girl with a beautiful voice sing at the opening ceremony because she wasn’t pretty enough, instead they made a small ‘pretty’ girl lip sing for the chubby girl.
All in all I think it was a bad idea to choose China for the Olympic Games instead of a country that is clean, not shallow and real.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:12 am
I think the IOC made a horrible mistake in choosing Beijing for the 2008 Olymic Games. Think about all the problems Beijing has got.
The smog stops athletes from performing at their peak which is what the Olympics are all about isn’t it?!
Doesn’t the girl not getting to sing because she wasn’t pretty enough show that Beijing are a superficial country?!
And the ticket-sellers have said that tickets have sold out at the Games but then there have been reports that very little people have actually been spectating!!
The IOC have truly made a horrible mistake.
Now this isn’t necessarily a problem but I think that the Chinese over-did the culture thing in the Opening Ceremony, the Opening Ceremony went for about 4 hours and about 2 thirds of it was the four great inventions by the Chinese!! Some people agree and some don’t but I think they over-did the culture part. Don’t get me wrong, it was amzing, it just went for too long.
Think about all the other better countries that could have held the Games: New York, Las Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, and ,many others.
But I think that the IOC made a good decision in choosing London for the 2012 Olympics.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:12 am
no!!!:(
China shouldn’t have been chosen for the 2008 Olympic Games, because they were not ready for it, they are all too focused on their economy, they’re all not ready for the Olympics. They needed to focus on their natural environment and not their economy, and when they can do that, that will be the time for them to host the Olympics.
I think they are just not ready yet.
their economy is their main focus, their country is full of pollution, and they are just not ready.
I think that Germany shoul’ve had the Olympics instyead of China. Even though Hitler was German, we just need to get over that.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:12 am
I dont think they did because when the athletes entered the opening ceremony the Track & Field athletes werent allowed to come on because of the pollution and the smog might damage their lungs so they cant run to their full extent.
The second reason that Beijing made was that they chose a prettier girl over a more talented girl to sing the opening song this shows that they are superficial.
The last reason is that lots of people bought tickets but they heard it wasnt that great and they didnt go. Beijing was dissapointed because they spent so much on the Opening Ceremony and they were hoping to get it back in the tickets but so far they havent earnt that much.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:13 am
i think they did not make the right decision because of the poor facilities in the sailing, the water is full of moss and green. also the pollution, this could be the difference between a gold medal or a world record. the opening ceremony was alright, the fireworks were fake so the crowd wouldn’t be able to see them. the smog and mist is hard to see through and so for the cycling that would be hard. it is dissapointing that the girl who sang was mouthing the words. the chinese kicked out the real girl that sang because of her looks; i mean how else would i get in the olympic games! i feel incredibly sorry for the girl that didn’t have the looks to get in the opening ceremony.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:14 am
No, China, let alone Beijing are currently not ready to host the 2008 Olympic Games. There are many reasons why China is not ready, like the huge amount of pollution. In China, there is so much pollution that, in the morning you can’t see anything at all, except for a thick wall of pollution. Another issue is that, China are not prepared for the Olympics, or developed enough. China’s architectural work (the Water Cube and Birds Nest) may be magnificent, and their high tech technology may be ground breaking, but i believe that China as a country do not have the proper infrastructure to pull off a feat, such as the Olympic games. Until China can prove themselves as a developed, green then they should not be allowed to host a major event like the Olympics. Another very sensitive issue is the topic of Tibet, if the Olympics is about peace, then why are China hosting the Olympics when they are not giving Tibet their freedom. Recently, news has surfaced that some of the fireworks at the Opening Ceremony were fake, as well as the young girl, who was told that she was not pretty enough to sing at the Opening Ceremony. This is why I believe that 2008 is not the year for China, maybe 2088, as China love their number 8’s, then there will be one more 8 and maybe that will give them the luck they need to host an amazing Olympic Games.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Personally I think Beijing was not the best place to hold the Olympic because of the recent American tourists to be attacked, the pollution, the smog, poor fireworks display (photo shopped), and media attention for the wrong reasons.
Having Australia third last is disgraceful when in other country we are near the top! That man who attacked the two American tourists has given China the wrong media attention. They also tried to stop the pollution but it has not work it probably only increased the pollution, by more people being inside using more energy.
In general I think China stuffed its chance up.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Nick, you are so right about everything you just wrote!!
August 14th, 2008 at 10:16 am
NO!!! I think Beijing was the wrong city to be chosen to host the 2008 Olympic Games.
1. First of all Beijing is definitely not the best city in the world.
2. The pollution in Beijing is very threatening to the athletes and the officials and will affect their performances hugely. The Olympics is supposed to be the best athletes competing at their peak and breaking world records. But this is not happening because of the pollution.
3. I also think that the Olympics have not been a big success because of the spectators has not been turning up, to watch the Olympians.
4. It is very disappointing that the girl that sang in the Opening Ceremony was mouthing the words. But I expected that, but what was worse is that the Chinese kicked out the real girl because she was not pretty enough. It goes to show that The Chinese prefer looks then a natural talent.
All these points go to show that the IOC (in my point of view) choose the city to host the 2008 Olympic Games.
But I have to congratulate Beijing and China on making the facilities top class.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:16 am
I don’t think so, because there have been many complaints about various reasons on that Beijing is not the right country for the Olympic Games.
A lot of those complaints have been about the environment, about how the pollution is in such a horrific state in china at the moment. With the Pollution and the humidity, the list goes on.
Another main complaint about this year’s Olympics was about the fake or the digitally enhanced fireworks. As well as that how some of the singers were mouthing the songs because they were prettier then the real singers. The Audience at the ceremony were not seeing anything like what the television viewers were.
More factors of why I think china is not the right place for the Olympics is the safety and the military. The violence circling around the city with the father of the American Volleyball coach, who was stabbed and killed.
The Military around the games I think is quite frightening about how the Military were just walking around looking brainwashed, there were tanks sitting outside of the Aquatics centre. Which obviously shows that China is not the safest and the best place to live in?
Although I do think the facilities are at a very high standard, I do not believe that it makes up for all the problems and tragedies that have occurred in the games.
These are the reasons why I don’t believe that Beijing was the right city to host the 2008 Olympic Games.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:17 am
I don’t think that Beijing was the correct choice to hold the 2008 Olympic Games.
The pollution in China is terrible. Not only can the athletes not see as well, but it is bad for their health. In some outdoor events people might forfeit because of asthma. This reduces the chances of the athletes performing at the best of their abilities.
The athletes went to the games expected full crowds. China sold all the tickets but no one is showing up. This is disappointing for the athletes and for the fans that missed out on getting tickets. In the bike riding road race event, the Australians were not allowed to go to the finish line because only the Chinese were! Most of the Chinese were snoozing anyway!
China shouldn’t of been chosen to host the Olympics. They may have tried very hard to prepare the Olympics but in the end China was to polluted and didn’t suit the athletes needs.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:18 am
I think the IOC made the right decision in choosing Beijing to host the 2008 Olympic Games because of the following reasons:
They tried really hard to stop the pollution and shut down some of their power generators. Many people showed the Olympic spirit to help remove recent algae problems so the sailing can go ahead. In most sports, the crowds are really enthusiastic and there are many people supporting their countries. For example, the USA versus China basketball match had the biggest audience watching that game. The sports stadiums were very well created and the players liked playing in the sports stadiums. They olympic village was one of the best residential place that the olympians have ever stayed in. They deployed many milatary personnel to keep the olympic venues safe, they also try their best to keep the tourist and athletes safe. One main reason is that the time difference is good for us because they are only two hours behind so we can watch it and support our country. They spent lots of money to build many new facilities, the National Sports Stadium and the Water Cube would have cost over twenty million dollars!
The IOC made a really smart decision in choosing Beijing to host the 2008 Olympic Games.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Personally I think Beijing was not the best place to hold the Olympic Games. The pollution, smog and humidity all disgraced the otherwise great Opening Ceremony, and may contribute in long term to respiratory problems in the athletes. The “digitally enhanced” fireworks and mimed songs in the Opening Ceremony all prove that China is a superficial country. China is under lots of pressure because of Tibet and the “6-day war” between Georgia and Russia.
Even though Beijing is a big and great city with many opportunities and a huge population, I don’t think it is the best place to host the Olympic Games.
This website just proves my points.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/smog-stops-marathon-man/2008/03/11/1205125870895.html
August 14th, 2008 at 10:20 am
I think it was not the right decision to host the Olympic games in Beijing. Beijing has allot of problems. For example;
-the pollution in Beijing decreases visibility and makes it very hard to breath, and china has been very nerves about what the world will think for example in the opening ceremony the decide a girl could not sing because she was not pretty enough! So they used a girl who was prettier to mime it instead! China is also at war with Tibet. Beijing has tried to fix up the pollution by firing rockets into the sky but they should try and fix the problem long term not just short term instead. So in concussion I think Beijing was not the right choice for the 2008 Olympic games!!!
August 14th, 2008 at 10:20 am
I don’t think that Beijing should have held the Olympic Games this year. They were clearly not prepared and weren’t up to holding it. The pollution and smog above the city is very dangerous and unhealthy. It reduces visibiltiy and makes it harder for the athletes to compete. The leaders in the country are much too controlling and the people don’t get enough freedom and rights. A very good example of this is in the opening ceremony when a young girl chosen to sing in it was taken out on the last rehearsal and replaced with a prettier and better looking girl who mimed the words while the original girl chosen sung the song. The whole structure of the country is to violent and controlled and doesn’t have a good environment. They are catering totally for international viewers more than their own people. One example of this is in the Opening Ceremony again, the fireworks that all viewers saw on TV were not actually there but digitally imposed. So all of the people in the stadium didnt see them. The security and military around the whole city is frighteningly strong and imposing and this poses a question about the safety and security of Beijing. Tanks were even found surrounding the swimming and diving centre to protect it. This wouldn’t happen in any other of the big cities in the world. I think that Beijing weren’t prepared enough and shouldn’t have held the Olympic Games.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:20 am
I think the IOC made a horrible mistake in choosing Beijing for the 2008 Olymic Games. Think about all the problems Beijing has got:
The smog stops athletes from performing at their peak which is what the Olympics are all about isn’t it?!
Doesn’t the girl not getting to sing because she wasn’t pretty enough show that Beijing are a superficial country?!
And the ticket-sellers have said that tickets have sold out at the Games but then there have been reports that very little people have actually been spectating!!
The IOC have truly made a horrible mistake.
Now this isn’t necessarily a problem but I think that the Chinese over-did the culture thing in the Opening Ceremony, the Opening Ceremony went for about 4 hours and about 2 thirds of it was the four great inventions by the Chinese!! Some people agree and some don’t but I think they over-did the culture part. Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing, it just went for too long.
Think about all the other better countries that could have held the Games: New York, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, and many others.
But I think that the IOC made a good decision in choosing London for the 2012 Olympics.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Did the Olympic Committee make the right decision in choosing Beijing to host the 2008 Olympic Games?
NO, I don’t think they chose the right decision on choosing Beijing to host the Olympics because
There are too many people in China/Beijing
Also because of pollution
China also cheated in the shooting when the guy missed and the judge said he had hit the targets and they guy got GOLD!
Opening Ceremony it started really really good then it stayed at the same expectation when it should of got better and better.
Where has all the beggars gone? Has the Chinese took them away?
Where is all the protesters gone?
Why is all the Chinese cheering for other countries?
China is a very dirty place
They waisted lots of money on the technology stuff
China should have focused more on their culture then just fancy stuff
That’s very groovy.
Only a bit had to do with the culture.
China has too much other things on their mind other then the Olympics.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:21 am
I think they did not make the right decision. Beijing is a bad place for the Olympic games because the smog that they promised that the smog would be all gown is still there which makes it harder for the athletes to perform at their peak. The main resinous I think it’s wrong is because when they got it the deal was they would let the protester protest but they put them off to the side in a park miles away so no one can see them and to protest you have to put in a form to say why your protesting but they still don’t let them protest. And in the shooting the judge was biased when the chinse guy missed the target the judge counted the shot even though he missed and he went on to win the gold medal. My fourth argument is there is to much security and in china only the privileged people can go. In some events they are booked out but no one goes.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:21 am
ms kerr, don’t read the first nick one, read the last one
August 14th, 2008 at 10:23 am
I reckon it was a bad decision to have the games in Beijing. The facilities are very good like the birds nest and the water cube but one thing let them down having the soccer oval in Shanghai. The pollution is very bad and the heat is to high and one guy has already gone into a coma. The pollution decreases visibility and hard to breath. They are very shallow with fake fireworks and having a pretty girl to mime the actual singer. There is always a war going on and it is at Tibet at the moment. At the time it was good to consider China with their culture and society. They also have restricted internet. It was definitely a bad decision.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:39 am
In my opinion the Beijing Olympics was not a good choice by the Olympic Committee. China was unprepared for the coming Olympics because the amount of pollution in china is crazy and they could have done things about it. One of the things is that they could have lowered the production rate of the factory’s about 6 week prior to the Olympics but the only cut it 2 week before the Olympics. That shows that china is more concerned about the economy rather than the environment. Another problem is china is a big country and is currently under terrorist threats. There was also a girl that was not allowed in the Opening Ceremony because she wasn’t pretty enough. This all adds up to china not being prepared for the Olympics games.
Nathan
August 14th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
I completely disagree. China was a perfect choice to host the olympics. EVERY country has its negative points, and every country has the potential to improve or eliminate its troubles. The following post made by someone of this post was racist:
“China is a very dirty place.”
I’m disgusted by the way that the media has swayed all of your minds.
Go China! (And I’m not Chinese.)
Also, Ronald’s post was not accepted for being unrelated to literature, whereas this post was allowed. Do you see the logic? Because I certainly do not.
August 14th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
WELL…There are bad things about it being in china but there are also good things about it too ( more bad than good ) ok starting with the bad.
yay
the thing about the opening being digitaly inhansed made me anoyed because it looked so cool then people said that bits had been changed made me sad BAD. The part that a girl couldnt sing because she was not pretty enough was bad as well and then she sung for the other girl BAD. the pollution is really bad it makes it hot and humid which makes it difficult for the athelets to compete BAD.Last the home crowd advantage but all the countries get that when they have the games with them. now to the good things
its good that china got the to home the games on the luckiest month in a centurey so good for them GOOD. its also good that alot of people have beaten worl records GOOD. and thats all i can think of. haha
ryan
August 15th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Dear Anonymous,
You are quite right – this post is about a political issue, not literature. Ms Kerr posted it to launch a writing exercise with her Lit Circles group. I have talked to her about it, and although we will leave it on The Portal so her students’ writing is published, it will not be included when we are judging competitions such as the ‘most commented on post’. Point taken!
August 15th, 2008 at 9:31 am
I’m disgusted by the way in which the media has portrayed Beijing to be a terrible choice to host the Olympics.
Firstly, somebody mentioned that being communist, China should not have been chosen to host the Olympics. This is an utterly stupid comment – similar in fashion to saying that London should not host the next Olympics because it is a monarchy. There are negative aspects to all political ideologies, and China is certainly not the worst. Whatever happened to “One world, One dream”, which implies that ALL nations, no matter what race, political ideology, location or stance on a certain issue, are part of this united world?
Secondly, this same person said “there tickets to see the games have been bought by members of the Chna Communists party, and then not used, so I think the IOC made a big mistake.” This is utterly false. Tickets, surprisingly, can be bought my people who are not members of the Communist Party. The fact that there may not be full attendance does not mean that the political party in power is stopping people from buying tickets. It is simply a process linked to capitalism called ’supply meets demand’. If people don’t want to go to see an event, then they don’t. It’s not as if the Chinese Government is somehow saying, “Only we can see the events.” This is a proposition made with no merit, and no supportive evidence.
Furthermore, Jack said that “They were clearly not prepared and weren’t up to holding it.” If there was an award for preparation before the Olympic Games, then Beijing would definately have won it. Not only did they put in creat construction effort, the environment was dramatically improved with actions such as cleaning away the algal bloom on the sea, reducing the amount of cars on the road, and temporarily pausing industrial action. China hosted an Opening Ceremony which was clearly top-notch, despite a few inevitable slip-ups.
Jack also said that “The leaders in the country are much too controlling and the people don’t get enough freedom and rights.” I must ask you one question, Jack. What do you define as ‘enough rights’. Every country governs differently, and it is not the role of the Olympics to make every country adhere to a strict set of freedom regulations. As I have said before, and will repeat many a time, “One world, One dream” does not imply taht every country must have identical rights and freedoms, or that they must be above a certain minimum. It implies that the world will work together in creating a more peaceful and united planet.
“they are a very closed off country (we have just found this out because they have restricted internet) and we also have just found out that they are very shallow because they wouldn’t let a girl with a beautiful voice sing at the opening ceremony because she wasn’t pretty enough, instead they made a small ‘pretty’ girl lip sing for the chubby girl.” Not only is this statement made by Zack incorrect, one part of it is completely racist. The Chinese are not “very shallow” as you seem to have suggested. Just because one Communist Party director, or one musical director, is shallow, it does not mean that all Chinese are shallow. Racism is not welcome in Australia, and I begin to question whether we were worthy of hosting the games with such attitudes to internation relations.
In response to the comment about being a ‘closed-off’ nation, China is certainly moving in the opposite direction to such an idea. Eceonomic interests have led to a recent opening-up of the economy and culture, and the Olympics will do nothing but improve such relationships with other countries.
“The security and military around the whole city is frighteningly strong and imposing and this poses a question about the safety and security of Beijing. Tanks were even found surrounding the swimming and diving centre to protect it. This wouldn’t happen in any other of the big cities in the world.” This is also untrue, as the militaries of the world can often be equally as imposing on daily life. Whether China has a military or not, it should still be applicable to host the Games. SInce when does the fact taht a country has an active military force affect its chances of hosting the Olympics. And secondly, the fact that there is a militcary guarding China very strongly means that the athletes and spectators are not being protected enough? Something is usrely wrong with your logic.
Lastly, Nathan, China is VERY prepared. It acted against the pollution, with acts which I have specified previously, and it is NOT under terrorist threats, and if you search around the world, I’m sure that you will find that every country must be concerned with its economy to survive. Do you expect Beijing to just stop earning a living so that they can host the Olympics? The fact they they put in some effort at all is impressive.
I stand by my conclusion that Beijing was a perfect choice to host the Olympics.
Than you,
Tyronec
August 18th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
I don’t think they deserve to host the olympics after they faked the singing girl. She was even pulled out at the last minute! how would you feel if you were about to sing a solo in the commonwealth games and you had to sing for someone else becuase you are too ugly? that is just not right.
August 20th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
So that one incident should be the basis of your opinion. Personally, I’m quite happy that the Olympics were given to a developing country rather than one of the rich ones that usually get them.