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Sunday July 27, 2008
Beijing Olympics as hot as the summer heat
BEIJING EXPRESS
By CELESTE FONG
AS THE summer heats up, so does the Beijing Olympics.
The scene of thousands of sports fans queuing up and camping out since Wednesday at the venues to secure a ticket for the Olympics is just the start of more Olympics-related triumph!
“My son and grandson are coming back from Canada and we would like to get tickets for them to watch the games,” said an old couple who joined the queue for the final batch of tickets on sale.
There are 820,000 tickets left for phase four (domestic sales) including 250,000 tickets for competitions in the capital.
The rest are tickets for competitions held in co-host cities like Shanghai, Qingdao, Shenyang, Tianjin and Qin Huangdao.
“We don't expect to get what we intend to buy but we will get whatever tickets are available,” the grandparents told a Beijing Television reporter at one of the venues.
At the Olympics ticket outlet in Bei Tu Cheng Road, a 25-year-old man from north-east China was the first in the queue.
The local newspapers reported that he arrived at the venue Wednesday afternoon and would have had to wait at least 45 hours before the sale of tickets began on Friday.
“It's worthwhile,” he was reported as saying.
Looooong wait: People waiting overnight in line for the last chance to buy tickets for the 2008 Beijing Olympics games in Beijing on Thursday. — AP
The queue stretched into the distance and was growing longer. Many came prepared with bottles of mineral water, instant noodles, stools, umbrellas, camping tents and family or friends to take turns waiting.
This will surely go down as one of the sights of the Beijing Olympics.
Neither the heat nor the long hours of waiting deterred the crowd.
Everything seemed to be going well, and this showed the true meaning of what the Chinese authorities have been promoting – Wen ming ao yun (civilised Olympics).
However, when the sale began on Friday, it was reported that a stampede broke out at the main ticket outlet near the Olympic Stadium.
“Several Hong Kong media personnel complained about being pushed around and kicked by the security officials,” revealed a Hong Kong friend.
She said video footage of the violence broke the hearts of the press people and a female reporter cried while reviewing and editing the visuals for the evening news broadcast.
Of all the wenming shoushi (appropriate gestures) for the Olympics, clenching one's fist to hit others, I believe, is not one of them.
Then there was the news that Bill Gates, Microsoft's recently-retired president, had already paid one year's rent in advance – 100 million yuan (RM47.7mil) – for a rooftop courtyard unit in Pangu Plaza across from the Olympic Green.
But Microsoft vice-president Zhang Yaqin denied the news, implying that it might be an attempt to raise property values in the building.
Some media claimed there was no reliable information Bill Gates even planned to visit China during the Games and they suggested that the Pangu Plaza just had invited him (Gates) to live in their courtyard building for free!
Another interesting development that drew criticism and ignited a firestorm of controversy was the announcement that Beijing had set up designated areas in three parks for staging demonstrations during the Olympics.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Security Department director of the Beijing's Olympics Organising Committee Liu Shaowu said Chinese law protected the legal right of people to hold lawful demonstrations and marches.
Sceptics, however, doubted his claims and accused the Communists leaders, who are known to frown on public protests and view them as a threat to stability, of using this as a useful propaganda tool.
Demonstrators and protesters have to apply for and receive a permit in advance.
“China is hardly rolling out the red carpet for Olympic protesters, but it will give them access to some green space kilometres from the main sports venues,” reported The Sun in New York.
And Reuters reported that Liu declined to say whether anyone had applied for permits yet or if there were certain causes or groups whose applications would be rejected.
The Chinese capital is now absolutely bombarded with the Olympics and Olympics-related news and events.
Since July 20, drivers of private vehicles here have started to observe the odd and even number days to be on the road (depending on the last digit of the vehicle's number plate) and traffic flow has improved tremendously.
It's getting more exciting too.
Beijing is now so artfully lit up that even the locals are amazed by the Olympics climate.
Another 12 more days to go!
Beijing Olympics as hot as the summer heat
BEIJING EXPRESS
By CELESTE FONG
AS THE summer heats up, so does the Beijing Olympics.
The scene of thousands of sports fans queuing up and camping out since Wednesday at the venues to secure a ticket for the Olympics is just the start of more Olympics-related triumph!
“My son and grandson are coming back from Canada and we would like to get tickets for them to watch the games,” said an old couple who joined the queue for the final batch of tickets on sale.
There are 820,000 tickets left for phase four (domestic sales) including 250,000 tickets for competitions in the capital.
The rest are tickets for competitions held in co-host cities like Shanghai, Qingdao, Shenyang, Tianjin and Qin Huangdao.
“We don't expect to get what we intend to buy but we will get whatever tickets are available,” the grandparents told a Beijing Television reporter at one of the venues.
At the Olympics ticket outlet in Bei Tu Cheng Road, a 25-year-old man from north-east China was the first in the queue.
The local newspapers reported that he arrived at the venue Wednesday afternoon and would have had to wait at least 45 hours before the sale of tickets began on Friday.
“It's worthwhile,” he was reported as saying.
Looooong wait: People waiting overnight in line for the last chance to buy tickets for the 2008 Beijing Olympics games in Beijing on Thursday. — AP
The queue stretched into the distance and was growing longer. Many came prepared with bottles of mineral water, instant noodles, stools, umbrellas, camping tents and family or friends to take turns waiting.
This will surely go down as one of the sights of the Beijing Olympics.
Neither the heat nor the long hours of waiting deterred the crowd.
Everything seemed to be going well, and this showed the true meaning of what the Chinese authorities have been promoting – Wen ming ao yun (civilised Olympics).
However, when the sale began on Friday, it was reported that a stampede broke out at the main ticket outlet near the Olympic Stadium.
“Several Hong Kong media personnel complained about being pushed around and kicked by the security officials,” revealed a Hong Kong friend.
She said video footage of the violence broke the hearts of the press people and a female reporter cried while reviewing and editing the visuals for the evening news broadcast.
Of all the wenming shoushi (appropriate gestures) for the Olympics, clenching one's fist to hit others, I believe, is not one of them.
Then there was the news that Bill Gates, Microsoft's recently-retired president, had already paid one year's rent in advance – 100 million yuan (RM47.7mil) – for a rooftop courtyard unit in Pangu Plaza across from the Olympic Green.
But Microsoft vice-president Zhang Yaqin denied the news, implying that it might be an attempt to raise property values in the building.
Some media claimed there was no reliable information Bill Gates even planned to visit China during the Games and they suggested that the Pangu Plaza just had invited him (Gates) to live in their courtyard building for free!
Another interesting development that drew criticism and ignited a firestorm of controversy was the announcement that Beijing had set up designated areas in three parks for staging demonstrations during the Olympics.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Security Department director of the Beijing's Olympics Organising Committee Liu Shaowu said Chinese law protected the legal right of people to hold lawful demonstrations and marches.
Sceptics, however, doubted his claims and accused the Communists leaders, who are known to frown on public protests and view them as a threat to stability, of using this as a useful propaganda tool.
Demonstrators and protesters have to apply for and receive a permit in advance.
“China is hardly rolling out the red carpet for Olympic protesters, but it will give them access to some green space kilometres from the main sports venues,” reported The Sun in New York.
And Reuters reported that Liu declined to say whether anyone had applied for permits yet or if there were certain causes or groups whose applications would be rejected.
The Chinese capital is now absolutely bombarded with the Olympics and Olympics-related news and events.
Since July 20, drivers of private vehicles here have started to observe the odd and even number days to be on the road (depending on the last digit of the vehicle's number plate) and traffic flow has improved tremendously.
It's getting more exciting too.
Beijing is now so artfully lit up that even the locals are amazed by the Olympics climate.
Another 12 more days to go!
