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Sun 30 Mar, 2008 08:01 pm
Olympic torch arrives in Beijing
By STEPHEN WADE, Associated Press Writer
26 minutes ago
BEIJING - The Olympic torch touched down in Beijing on Monday amid high security before it leaves on a round-the-world relay expected to be a lightning rod for protests against China's policies and human rights practices.
The arrival was shown live on state television, and comes a week after the lighting ceremony for the torch in Greece was marred by protests. There also were protests Sunday by a pro-Tibetan group when Greek officials handed over the flame to organizers of the Beijing Games in Athens.
The torch relay has been heavily promoted by the Chinese government. The chartered Air China plane was greeted at the Beijing airport by hundreds of school children waving Chinese and Olympics flags.
Chief Beijing organizer Liu Qi carried the flame off the plane and was greeted by Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Communist Party's supreme nine-man Politburo Standing Committee.
Authorities have given few details about a torch welcoming ceremony later Monday in Tiananmen Square, the heart of China's capital.
The torch arrival in Beijing allows the government a brief respite before the relay sets off on a problematic, monthlong world tour. After a one-day stop in Beijing, the flame goes Tuesday to Almaty, Kazakhstan, the start of the 20-country, 85,100-mile global journey.
The Beijing government will halt all construction on July 1st, but they're adding some 1,200 cars per day to the pollution problem. Many athletes are saying they're going to train outside of Beijing, but the problem with that is that most of the surrounding areas of Beijing is polluted too!
They've got many problems; there is no way the athletes are going to be performing at their peak.
We need to find a nick-name for the Beijing games.
From the very beginning, Olympics should be only a sports game, which has nothing to do with politics.
However, Beijing has made a mistake at first: it is very eager to show off in the world stage. Thus it has deviated from the pure goals of Olympics, not to mention other political influence.
Now it is impossible to see a "real" Olympics.
"One world, one dream" now has become a empty slogan...
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