With South Africans so worried about whether the country will in fact be ready to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, what with reports of stadiums falling behind construction deadlines, not to mention the regular power outages that have become a national trait, it’s easy to overlook the serious challenges that threaten the smooth running of the upcoming Beijing Olympics.
China has just come out of a dire winter which caused havoc across the country but that was nothing compared to the recent violent riots in Tibet sparked by objection to Beijing rule. Fears are rife that political unrest will occur in Beijing and other provinces during the Olympics and that the Chinese government will clamp down on media freedom.
Some 30,000 official journalists are expected in Beijing for the Olympcs, with many more unofficial journalists and bloggers likely to enter China on tourist visas.
Another hiccup in the run-up to the Olympics occurred in mid-February when iconic American filmmaker Steven Spielberg resigned as artistic director of the games due to objections about China’s policy in war-torn Darfur. (Source: Hollywood Reporter)
