The 2008 Summer Olympics will be celebrated from August 8, 2008, to August 24, 2008, with the opening ceremony beginning at 08:08:08 pm CST at the Beijing National Stadium in Beijing, People’s Republic of China.
This will be the third time the Olympics are held under the jurisdiction of 2 different National Olympic Committees(NOCs) ,Hong Kong and China. The Olympic games were awarded to Beijing, People’s Republic of China after an exhaustive ballot of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on July 13, 2001. The official logo of the games, titled “Dancing Beijing,” features a stylized calligraphic character, meaning capital, referencing the host city. The mascots of Beijing 2008 are the five Fuwa, each representing one color of the Olympic rings. The Olympic slogan, One World, One Dream, calls upon the world to unite in the Olympic spirit. Athletes will compete in 302 events in 28 sports, just one event more than was on the schedule of the Athens games of 2004.
The Chinese government has promoted the games to highlight China’s emergence on the world stage, amidst concerns about environmental issues and human rights violations, particularly in Tibet. There have also been growing concerns of major nations boycotting the Olympics in protest of China’s actions in Tibet. Earlier in 2007, former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch had said that he believes that the Beijing games will be “the best in Olympic history.”
The Beijing government has issued new mandates that require police officers in the city to act more appropriately. The government has circulated pamphlets urging officers to desist from using foul language, being arrogant, and hanging up on people who call to report crimes. New guidelines are announced for Beijing police to clean up Beijing’s image ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
Police officers are under new orders to lose their arrogance, clean up their foul language, and are told not to hang up when citizens call to report crimes. According to police surveys the common complaint against officers in big cities like Beijing is a bad attitude. Authorities often respond to calls for help by saying ‘ “it’s nothing to do with me. Go and bug someone else”. Or “no evidence?” Then don’t bother us”.
But now the municipal police authority has circulated a code of conduct pamphlet that shows how to project a “sympathetic and police image”, and beginning in August, officers will be penalized for any infractions. Violators will be subject to penalties including reprimands, fines or disciplinary action.
The code also bans officers from sounding sirens unnecessarily, hanging up on people who report crimes, or responding with indifference to people needing help. Officials said penalties would be based on reports from undercover inspectors and whistle-blowers”.
A drive has also been launched to improve the poor English translations common on Chinese signage and labeling in readiness for the Olympics. Previous attempts to wipe out Chinglish – the mistranslated phrases often seen on Chinese street signs and product labels – have met with little success. Emergency exits at Beijing airport read “No entry on peacetime” and the Ethnic Minorities Park is named “Racist Park”. Chinglish has become a running joke among many foreigners in China, and several websites have been set up listing humorous examples of mistranslation. A road sign on Beijing’s Avenue of Eternal Peace warns of a dangerous pavement with the words: “To Take Notice of Safe; The Slippery are Very Crafty”. Menus frequently list items such as “Corrugated iron beef”, “Government abuse chicken” and “Chop the strange fish”.The mistranslations arise because many Chinese words express concepts obliquely and can be interpreted in multiple ways, making translation a minefield for non-English speakers. The municipal government in Beijing first tried to stamp out the problem just a month after being awarded the 2008 Olympics back in 2001.
By May 2007, construction of all thirty-one Beijing-based Olympic Games venues had begun. The Chinese government is also investing in the renovation and construction of six venues outside Beijing as well as fifty-nine training centers. Its largest architectural pieces will be the Beijing National Stadium, Beijing National Indoor Stadium, Beijing National Aquatics Centre, Olympic Green Convention Centre, Olympic Green, and Beijing Wukesong Culture & Sports Center. Almost 85 percent of the construction budget for the six main venues is being funded by US$2.1 billion in corporate bids and tenders. Investments are expected from corporations seeking ownership rights after the 2008 Summer Olympics. Some venues will be owned and governed by the State General Administration of Sports, which will use them after the Olympics as facilities for all future national sports teams and events.
It was announced on July 8, 2005 that the equestrian events are to be held in Hong Kong because of the “uncertainties of equine diseases and major difficulties in establishing a disease-free zone.” The five venues outside Beijing will be located in Qingdao, Hong Kong, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Qinhuangdao.
