China's Olympic Legacy

With the wind down to the Beijing Olympics' Opening Ceremonies this Friday, handicappers are already speculating about the legacy imprint that the Games of the XXIX Olympiad will leave for China. Former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch has already proclaimed that this edition of the games "will be the best ever in Olympic history." For their herculean efforts and resource commitment of unprecedented proportion, Chinese government and Olympic officials certainly hope that Samaranch's benediction will ring true. Notwithstanding the various protestations over Darfur, Tibet, and Myanmar; the lingering Taiwan question; the still-festering fallout from the victims' families over the Sichuan earthquake; vacillation over media freedom and Internet censorship; and the fertile domestic human rights movement, the real risk facing Beijing is that it will forever more be known as the "Pollution Olympics." Lets hope that this is not the case.

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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121750797983500643.html?mod=2_1339_leftbox

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/01/sports/olympics/01china.html?ref=olympics

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121769525318907505.html?mod=sports

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121758515310004209.html?mod=2_1339_leftbox

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/sports/olympics/04vecsey.html?ref=olympics

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