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4 Months to Go: Is China Ready for Spotlight?

Country is proud to host Games but worries abound

By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 13, 2008 4:11 PM CDT
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(Newser) – The last-minute drama brewing in the runup to this summer's Olympic Games is of a more global and more personal nature than the infrastructure issues of Olympics past—and Chinese leaders are bristling under the scrutiny, the Chicago Tribune reports. But pride in the country's hosting gig remains strong, even among the impoverished workers who could never afford a ticket.

"It's an honor of China," says a bricklayer who will lose his job during the air pollution-related construction ban this summer. But another local is concerned that the Games will only worsen economic disparity, saying that "All it does is drive up prices." As a jailed protester says, the Beijing Games "will also be a stage for other things" besides sports.

Police tackle protesters during the Beijing Olympics torch relay, background left, in London Sunday April 6, 2008.
Police tackle protesters during the Beijing Olympics torch relay, background left, in London Sunday April 6, 2008.   (AP Photo)
China is proud of its National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, built for the 2008 Olympic Games. But as protests ramp up, the country is growing more concerned about its hosting gig.
China is proud of its National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, built for the 2008 Olympic Games. But as protests ramp up, the country is growing more concerned about its hosting gig.   (AP Photo/Greg Baker)
A candlelight vigil in protest of Chinese occupation of Tibet was held Saturday, April 12, 2008 in downtown Seattle, as the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exlied leader, was visiting the city.
A candlelight vigil in protest of Chinese occupation of Tibet was held Saturday, April 12, 2008 in downtown Seattle, as the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exlied leader, was visiting the city.   (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
China's first domestically produced bullet train, able to reach 350 kilometers per hour, will begin service on the Beijing-Tianjin route before the opening of the Olympics in August.
China's first domestically produced bullet train, able to reach 350 kilometers per hour, will begin service on the Beijing-Tianjin route before the opening of the Olympics in August.   (AP Photo/Xinhua, Yang Shiyao)
The Dalai Lama said he supports China's hosting of the Summer Olympics, but insisted that nobody had the right to tell protesters demanding freedom for Tibet to shut up.
The Dalai Lama said he supports China's hosting of the Summer Olympics, but insisted that nobody had the right to tell protesters demanding freedom for Tibet "to shut up."   (AP Photo/Katsumi Kasahara)
French athletes say they want to be able to wear a badge marked For a better world at the Beijing Olympics, in response to China's crackdown in Tibet.
French athletes say they want to be able to wear a badge marked "For a better world" at the Beijing Olympics, in response to China's crackdown in Tibet.   (AP Photo/Michael Sawyer)
Policemen surround the bus where the Beijing Olympics torch has been placed for safety reasons, Monday, April 7, 2008, during its relay through Paris.
Policemen surround the bus where the Beijing Olympics torch has been placed for safety reasons, Monday, April 7, 2008, during its relay through Paris.   (AP Photo/Patrick Kovarik)
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Beijing should have seen this coming
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AFP

 
China • economic growth • 2008 Beijing Olympics • Tibet • Dalai Lama • human rights abuse • environmental damage • Olympic protests

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