The Beijing Magic!

THE BEIJING MAGIC!

“One world, one dream” This is the theme for this Olympics held in Beijing, China. Though at first glance, the caption/theme of this Olympics seems nothing out of the ordinary, a detailed, in-depth analysis gives a far better picture. The Greeks were the first one to conduct these Olympic Games in the year 776 BC in Olympia. So, it’s more than clear that Greece was the cradle of ancient Olympics. Since then, these games are at the beginning of every “Olympiad.” An Olympiad is a period of four years, associated with the Olympic Games of Classical Greece. In the Hellenistic period, beginning with Ephorus, Olympiads were used as calendar epoch. In this reckoning, the first Olympiad lasted from the summer of 776 BC to that of 772 BC. By extrapolation, the 4th year of the 696th Olympiad begins in summer 2008.
Today, an Olympiad refers to a period beginning January 1 of a year in which the Summer Olympics are due to occur, and lasting four years. The first modern Olympiad began in 1896, so the second began in 1900, and so on.
To better co-ordinate the games, the International Olympic Committee was founded in 1894 on the initiative of a French nobleman, Pierre Frédy, Baron de Coubertin. The IOC has become the heart of the "Olympic Movement", a conglomeration of sporting federations that are involved in the organization of the Games. As the Olympic Movement has grown so has the profile and complexity of the Games. Participation in the Games has increased to the point that nearly every nation on earth is represented. With the proliferation of satellite communications, the internet, and the continuing trend towards globalization, the Olympics are consistently gaining supporters.[6] This growth has created numerous challenges never before envisioned by Baron de Coubertin. Some of these difficulties include political boycotts, the use of performance enhancing medications, bribery of officials, and terrorism.
Despite these challenges the Olympics have continued to thrive and flourish. Each successive Games attempts to add more events in order to keep up with the ever-evolving advance of athletic expression around the world. The upcoming games in Beijing are planned to comprise 302 events in 28 sports.[7]. The most recent Winter Olympics in 2006 featured 84 events in 7 sports.[8] While the Olympic Games do continue to evolve, they also encompass many rituals that were established during their infancy in the late 19th and early 20th century. Most of these traditions are on display during the Opening and Closing ceremonies, and the medal presentations. For its part, the Olympic Movement has made considerable progress in fostering participation among as many nations as wish to compete, as well as focusing on the Olympic motto: Citius Altius Fortius - Faster, Higher, Stronger!
Now, coming back to the theme, the Chinese, for long, wanted to show-case to the world their booming economy & world-class infrastructure. Hence they are using these events to make their growing presence felt in the international stage. For this, Beijing in particular, & China in general have undergone a “transformation” For those in command in China, it was an opportunity to showcase to the world that China is not just the “Great Wall” alone. Hence, China generously invested over a whopping $43 billion US dollars! This makes it the most expensive ever sport on the planet yet. This is also more than thrice the amount spent in the previous Olympics in Athens, $15 billion US Dollars. It was not just the city & the building that underwent a plastic surgery, but also the people. The Chinese government invested several millions in trying to teach Beijingers, English & also basic manners.
Though critics argue that China could show the same amount of involvement in its human rights record & also in narrowing the rich-poor divide, China is reluctant. Truly, the scale & style of the arrangements for the games leaves visitors spell-bound! China has even banned private vehicles from plying on the roads, days before the events to rein in on the alarmingly high pollution levels. It worked. Beijing, after decades of urbanization, has finally seen clear skies! China has also relaxed its “iron grip” on free media, & has opened the doors for the international media. It has promised to continue the same even after the games.
All these arrangements are finally only benefitting the athletes, Visitors/tourists & hard-core fans. Well, that, i feel is a welcomable sign. Because, finally Olympics is not about the stadium or the money that goes into it, but the athletes & their spectators! Hoping for a even better games in the next 2012 London Olympics.