Beijing's Olympic memories should help win 2022 Games
- By Mark Dreyer
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E-mail China.org.cn, July 22, 2015
Work hours in the broadcast center were long, but it was privilege to be there - and an access all areas media pass certainly softened the blow. Two highlights spring to mind: while I also saw part of Michael Phelps' incredible quest for eight gold medals, my highlight in the pool was watching young Canadian swimmer Tobias Oriwol - coached by my cousin back in Montreal - swim the race of his life to make the semi-finals of the men's 200-meter backstroke. I was also in the Bird's Nest stadium, five or six rows from the track, about 85 meters down the 100-meter straight, when Usain Bolt ran an extraordinary 9.69 seconds. Watch the race again, and you'll see Bolt turning to the crowd to celebrate early, looking right at me while he did so.
But while the sporting atmosphere was occasionally staid, with reports of locals brought in simply to fill empty seats, the one thing that impressed me immensely was the enthusiasm of the thousands of student volunteers in China. What they lacked in experience or knowledge was more than compensated by their friendliness and willingness to help. They were, collectively, a credit to their country, and I couldn't help but think that the following Summer Games in London would have been a disaster if the first impressions of visitors to the U.K. were formed by dealing with a group of surly students.
After Beijing, everything became a comparison to my first Olympic reference point.
Vancouver 2010 got off to a slow start, especially after the unfortunate death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, but after Canadian ice dance darlings Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue converted their early promise into a gold medal, the host country was hooked. The red uniforms of Canada - mittens and all - dominated every scene, and the mild temperatures turned downtown Vancouver into a massive street party, especially when NHL star Sidney Crosby scored in overtime of the men's hockey final to give the Canada the one gold it craved above all others.
At London 2012, the first two memories that spring to mind both have a Chinese connection: firstly, the remarkable performances of young female swimmer Ye Shiwen - and the subsequent accusations that her times were simply too good to be true; and secondly, I remember the fact that at the media center post office, restrictions were placed on the number of commemorative Olympic-themed stamps each person could buy, because Chinese reporters had been snapping them up in bulk - allegedly to resell on Taobao!
Looking ahead to the imminent awarding of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games host city, China sits in a very strong position, not least because this is only a two-horse race. The decisions to be made on facilities, infrastructure, transport and the rest will likely speak for themselves. IOC members can award each element a score and see how Beijing's final numbers stack up with those of Almaty.
But it's the intangible elements that weigh heavily in China's favor.
Official polls stating that the Chinese people are universally in favor of having the Games should be taken with a grain of salt, but it is true that Chinese are instilled with a patriotism and pride found in few other places. Londoners may well have wanted to host the Games, but Beijingers see it as an honor for their country - an entirely different perspective.
The claims that 300 million Chinese would get involved in winter sports should Beijing become the first city ever to host both a Summer and Winter Olympics seem hopelessly optimistic, but what is certain is that China would fully embrace the opportunity. If even a fraction of that 300 million were to take up skiing, skating and curling, it could revolutionize the entire winter sports industry - and that is a tantalizing prospect that the IOC surely will not pass up.
Mark Dreyer is the founder of China Sports Insider and has more than 15 years experience in sports journalism. He has worked for Sky Sports, Fox Sports and AP Sports, and covered three Olympic Games from 2008-12. He has been based in China since 2007 and can be contacted at mark@chinasportsinsider.com
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