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My Beijing 2008:
Writing for the Huffington Post During the
Olympic Games
Andy Miah
regenerated posh ones where it’s how things are being managed.
hard to see the celebrations. It’s But, I still can’t tell how many of
somehow reassuring to witness the Olympics visitors have
places within the city that have arrived yet, so perhaps it will
been able to escape the Olympic become much more testing as
branding. The Hutongs cannot be time goes on.
missed.
I’ve tried to obtain a couple of
Tiananmen Square is decidedly pieces of Olympic merchandise
postmodern, with extravagant and the shop on Tiananmen was
floral displays, which are difficult quite sparse by 1930 tonight,
to place stylistically. I can’t when I visited. Have they sold
imagine the design team in out of everything already, or is it
just each day’s stock that goes
like hot cakes? In Wangfujing, the
Olympic store – which is still
modest in size compared to
previous Games – has a lot more
stock. I’ll probably pick up a mug
or two and perhaps a bag, but
nothing tacky, obviously.
filming the dancing and my driver even knew the best way to
attention was drawn to the scrap, get around the security routes, to
though I stopped filming quite get us as close as possible to the
quickly in its development. I’m stadium. From there we could
not sure why, but I imagined the walk within a good distance to
gaze of the locals who would shoot some photos.
prefer I didn’t film this, not for
censorship, but just because it I felt the driver’s pride in
wasn’t a fair impression of our showing us the stadium and our
evening together. And it wasn’t. reactions upon seeing it for the
first time must have been positive
Tomorrow, it’s the Bird’s Nest reinforcement. I was last here in
and the Aquatic Centre, if I can 2006 and was able to get a tour
get close. around the stadium, though it
was still in construction. Seeing it
today met with all expectations.
5 August: Bird’s Nest, Water It’s difficult to believe that Beijing
Cube & Dick Pound will really be the end of iconic
Olympic stadia, as this presence
is such inspiration for great
architects. They even have their
legacy plans all worked out and
there seems merit in the idea that
iconic buildings with responsible
legacy plans should be the
governing principles of the most
ambitious Olympic bid cities,
rather than temporary
constructions. The trick is to find
The Beijing ‘Bird’s Nest’ National the way of achieving this within
Olympic Stadium limited budgets. So that’s the
brief.
This morning started with a taxi
ride shared with an architect, a The walk around part of the
sociologist, a media theorist, a stadium found us amongst many
philosopher and a sports local Chinese and scrambling
manager to the Bird’s Nest under flyovers and up the side of
stadium and Water Cube, part of streets to take a photograph
the Olympic Green in Beijing. without the wire security fence
This is the final day of full dress obstructing the view. We even
rehearsals for the Opening witnessed what seemed like a
Ceremony, but we figured it’d be protest, but turned out to be an ‘I
possible to get around the love China, I Love Beijing’
stadium before it all kicked off in manifestation. I’m not sure that
the afternoon. There were no counts and I’m not sure I really
problems with the taxi and the understood what it was about,
but cameras were filming and the I felt that this might be the last
police were content to let it chance to get this close to these
unfold. two major venues before Games
time. The public square outside
the aquatic centre was partly a
car park for accredited vehicles
and they will surely have to close
of these streets for unticketed
spectators, otherwise the space
will become unmanageable.
However, they do have a public
Olympic bus, which takes people
around the Olympic venues. We
hopped onto this after seeing the
The Water Cube cube and got to see a bunch of
other venues from the road –
If the stadium inspires awe with archery, tennis, media village,
its façade, the Water Cube athletes’ village, Olympic Forrest.
aquatic centre inspires mystery It’s a great service, especially
for what lays within. It promises since so many people will not
an extraordinary interior that is have tickets to see the sports
almost worth returning to Beijing themselves.
after the Games to see, as I’m not
counting on getting inside to see By 2pm, this area was beginning
the swimming. I believe tickets to shut down for the rehearsal.
sold out for this almost before So, a brief lunch in a fish
they went on the market. restaurant, then back to the hotel
However, seeing the outside of before the Olympic Studies
structures is also a key part of the conference I am attending, along
Olympic experience, which is a with the architect, the media
succession of inaccessible places; scholar, etc. It’s run by the
places of mystery, intrigue. For Capital Institute of Physical
want of a better phrase, these are Education, Beijing and the
forbidden cities, which hold Olympic Studies Centre of
value because of their feeling University of Western Ontario,
privileged spaces where only a Canada. The Keynote at tonight’s
few may go. Coming to terms event was from Richard W.
with this is crucial if you want to Pound, whom I’ve met on
avoid frustration as an Olympic various other occasions. We’ve
tourist, as there are far more undertaken a few shared radio
places you will not see than you interviews too, over the years.
will. Indeed, there is a strong
sense of collective absence from He remembered our last Gene
these places of Olympic worship. Doping exchange in Stockholm in
2005 and I’m getting calls from a
bunch of press to do some
interviews for this these days – Will they or won’t they let us into
another Games, another Gene the media centres? Will they or
Games. Anyway, I’ll save doping won’t they let us blog. Oh, I
for another day. Dick Pound should mention that I can’t access
deserves some attention and since the Huff Po in Beijing. I can’t
he just quit the World Anti- access Flickr or Wordpress either.
Doping Agency, he looked like he Wikipedia is ok though. By the
was carrying a lighter load at this way, can someone please edit my
Games. He told me that he’s wikipedia entry, I was abused
enjoying being a spectator for last time I tried to set the record
once. straight, but it’s terribly out of
date.
Dick Pound’s a controversial
figure. I’m aware that people love So, it was mainly a day of
him and hate him for it, but each conferencing, the Games
time I’ve seen him, it’s impossible preparations are happening
not to have respect for his without me today. Well, almost.
contribution. He brings a The place I’m staying is part of a
presence and authority to debates University campus, which is
on the Olympics and he’s functioning as a training facility
probably entitled to. Anyone who for athletes. The headline today
wants to know today’s Olympics was seeing the manholes within
has to read his history. He’s the campus being welded tight,
negotiated the two big areas of for security reasons. But, the in-
the last 20 years – doping and depth story of the day was the
media rights – and he’s still not new media panel I pulled
satisfied that the IOC house is in together for this meeting.
order on either of these issues.
The main headline: he’s confident
that the international leg of the
torch relay is over. You read it
here first.
convinced all of the journalists full of small street acts, but very
really know how their space few toilets, no water vendors and
differs from others. If the IBC no information kiosks anywhere.
people – the International This takes its toll a bit.
Broadcast Centre – just strolled
over to the BIMC – the Beijing We then take the No.1 Olympic
International Media Center – Bus for a packed – but air
they’d discover a whole different conditioned ride – around the
Olympic world that exists beyond venues – again, for the second
the sport. But most of them time, but busier. We alight at the
won’t. Still, the BICC was even final stop and glance into a small
more interesting. neighboured where they have a
reasonable sized screen, which I
The ITN – a non-rights holder – expect will be for the sports. If
sits within the NBC news set-up every such neighbourhood has
and it’s not an accredited centre this, then Beijing will have
at all. However, a lot of these delivered the most extraordinary
broadcasters have accreditation Live Site programme in history.
to the Main Press Center (MPC),
so it feels as though there are
many routes through which
companies are trying to access
Olympic news and information.
We were kindly shown around
the BICC, in exchange for my
interviewing for them about gene
doping. The presenter expressed
that they’ve no issues with regard
to using the Internet, everything
was working excellently and
they’ve even got a great studio
backdrop of the Bird’s Nest. All
seems well.