Beijing Olympics Problems

Calgary had no snow. Atlanta was marred by a bomber. Salt Lake City had its scandals, and Athens had all those empty seats.

Most Olympic hosts encounter problems, some foreseen, some that seem to come from out of the blue. Beijing — already a controversial choice as host in light of human rights issues — seems to have had more than its share of challenges as it (sort of) opened its doors to the world.

Here are just some of the issues that have taken some of the bloom off the nation’s Olympic rose:

1. Murder: An American tourist, a relative of the U.S. volleyball coach, was murdered by a Chinese civilian in an apparently random act of violence.

2. Bad air: Despite efforts to clean things up by reducing traffic and shutting down factories, Beijing’s legendary haze has been an image beamed all across the planet.

3. Nature strikes back: Prior to the start of the Games, Beijing organizers endured bad publicity when a plague of millions of locusts descended on the city and a 154-square-mile algae bloom threatened sailing competition. Some scientists blamed the problems on the country’s rapid growth and the accompanying pollution.

4. Fake fireworks: A spectacular fireworks display during the Opening Ceremonies wasn’t quite what it seemed. The televised images were enhanced by computer generated graphics.

Pages: 1 2