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Beijing starts Olympics inspection
BEIJING, China -- Officials in Beijing have been working round-the-clock to prepare for an Olympics inspection crucial to the Chinese capital's hopes of hosting the 2008 Summer Games. On Wednesday, a 17-member delegation from the International Olympic Committee began four days of touring the city's sports facilities. The findings of their survey will be crucial to the IOC's final decision over which of five candidates will win the right to host the Games. The vote will be held in Moscow on July 13.
With so much riding on the visit, authorities have warned reporters not to bother the IOC inspectors as they go about their business. "The inspection commission is not opposed to meeting the media, but they won't accept any interviews," Beijing Vice Mayor Liu Jingmin said. "The media must not interfere in the work of the commission nor disturb commission members during their visit."
Security has been tightened across the city for the visit, with uniformed and plainclothes police checking bags and IDs at Tiananmen Square, China's symbolic political heart. Traffic police were also out in force, confiscating bicycles at one intersection and piling them onto a truck, apparently because they lacked the proper registration. The heavy security contrasted with the city's well-groomed appearance. Crews touched up lawns with green dye, and rows of colorful fake flowers line the roads. China's questThe inspection of Beijing's sports facilities, infrastructure and plans for holding the Olympics is pivotal to China's quest for the 2008 Games and the international prestige it would bring. Chinese officials say more than half of the IOC's members have never visited Beijing or China. They are expected to turn to the inspection commission's findings in making their choice. The Chinese capital is still widely regarded as the front-runner for the 2008 Games, helped by a haul of 28 gold medals at last year's Sydney Olympics and a high-profile anti-doping campaign. But China has struggled to keep the focus off its human rights record, one reason why Beijing lost its bid for the 2000 Olympics. Human rights groups and the relatives of dissidents have pressed the inspectors to look beyond Beijing's neatly groomed streets and the stadiums, hotels and other facilities that officials plan to show them. Tiananmen Square, which was peaceful Tuesday with guards posted at its entrances, has been the scene of persistent protests by the outlawed Falun Gong meditation group over the government's crackdown on the sect. Falun Gong says dozens of practitioners have been killed, tortured and abused and thousands more imprisoned during the 19-month crackdown that has prompted widespread international criticism.
Human Rights in China, a New York-based group, has urged the Olympic Committee to question officials about sweeping detention policies that allow police to clear city streets of beggars, the homeless, prostitutes, street children and others ahead of important foreign visits and major political events. "Without some action on your part, serious violations of human rights could be committed in the name of 'cleaning up' Beijing," the group said. "It is a virtual certainty that if Beijing hosts the Games and this system remains unchanged, large numbers of innocent people will be detained prior to the Opening Ceremonies." The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report. RELATED STORIES: Good start as Games team checks Beijing RELATED SITE: 2008 Beijing Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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