Beijing 2008
Put out more (Olympic) flags
Submitted by Martin Slavin on Tue, 17/06/2008 - 08:06.
Barbaric Sport - a Global Plague by Marc Perelman
Submitted by Julian Cheyne on Fri, 15/04/2016 - 18:49.
Book Review | Beijing 2008 | Corruption & Ethics | Displacement | Economics | Finance | Human Rights | IOC | Mega Events | Politics | Sport
The Spectacular Construction of an Olympic Metropolis - Anne-Marie Broudehoux
The Spectacular Construction of an Olympic Metropolis
Anne-Marie Broudehoux
University of Quebec, Montreal
ABSTRACT: This article presents a critical review of Beijing’s Olympic redevelopment, and of the social, economic, and political impacts of hosting mega events as a means of urban image construction. Through an analysis of Olympic projects, city marketing initiatives, and their impact on the city’s material and cultural landscape, this article postulates that Beijing’s spatial restructuring and image construction program played an important role in exacerbating the profound inequalities that have come to epitomize China’s transition to capitalism within an autocratic political system. Acting as a developmental engine legitimating large-scale urban transformations, the Olympics have helped concentrate economic and political power in the hands of a coalition of government leaders and private investors and allowed their interests to dominate the planning agenda. Beijing’s spectacular Olympic preparations have in many ways acted as a propaganda tool and an instrument of pacification to divert popular attention from the shortcomings of China’s rapid economic transformation, accompanied by rampant land speculation, corruption, and uneven development.
Submitted by Charles Batsworth on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 00:26.
Document Archive | Beijing 2008 | Mega Events | Planning & Development | Regeneration | Tourism
The uses of children for London 2012
Back in October 2010 a row broke out over tickets to London 2012 events for children, particularly those from the East End. BoJo hit back saying 120,000 free tickets would be provided for schoolchildren. Now it transpires most of those tickets will be for Paralympic events or football games. About a million football tickets are still unsold. Only one in three children with a ticket will get to see a 'core event'. In London one in eight children is expected to get a ticket but only one in twenty-four will get to see such a core event.
Submitted by Julian Cheyne on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 22:38.
Ai Weiwei: No joy from Olympics in Beijing
Ai Weiwei, designer of the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing, says 'None of my art represents Beijing. The Bird's Nest – I never think about it. After the Olympics, the common folks don't talk about it because the Olympics did not bring joy to the people.'
Submitted by Julian Cheyne on Tue, 30/08/2011 - 17:06.
Blog | Beijing 2008 | Displacement | Human Rights | Mega Events
Beijing Olympics: How's this for cost inflation?
@bobmackin: Beijing wrestles with $70B (ca £40B) bill for 2008 #Olympics. Yes, $70B. Earlier invoice: £20B
Submitted by Julian Cheyne on Sat, 27/08/2011 - 17:13.
Blog | Beijing 2008 | Finance | Mega Events
Beijing Olympics Human Rights Legacy - More Repression
Remember those promises from the IOC that the Beijing Olympics would result in improvements in China's human rights record? Francois Carrard told the BBC: 'If the Games were not awarded to China the (human rights) situation would not have progressed, this is a contribution to progress, an accelerating factor.' Monsieur Carrard went on 'I'm convinced that when we look at this with the perspective of history we will see that the Olympic Games will have been an opportunity for considerable progress.'
Submitted by Julian Cheyne on Thu, 25/08/2011 - 08:49.
Blog | Beijing 2008 | Human Rights | IOC | Legacy
The Commercial Games
The Commercial Games - How Commercialism is Overrunning the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
"The Olympics claim to stand for pure ideals, for sports, culture and education. Unfortunately, the overwhelming cultural influence at the Olympics is now commercial culture; and the overwhelming informational message is: buy, buy, buy."
Submitted by Charles Batsworth on Mon, 06/12/2010 - 09:37.
Document Archive | Beijing 2008 | Corruption & Ethics | Sponsors
