For the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing advocated “One world, one dream”. However, the Chinese government’s dream is not everyone’s dream. In a huge social system that has long been under the control of a country that excels at controlling, it is difficult for the controllers and the controlled to share the same dream.
It was a dream for Beijing to welcome the Olympic Games since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had decided on the thorny dispute of the “two Chinas”. After a first request aimed at the 2000 Olympics, which was unsuccessful, the China finally organized the Olympic Games in 2008 – for the first time. It was a symbol of being accepted and recognized by the international world, a source of long-lasting pride and joy. On July 13, 2001, when Samaranch announced from Moscow the IOC’s decision to designate China as the host country for the 2008 Olympics, tens of thousands of Chinese took to the streets of the capital to celebrate this victory – perhaps it was to be the largest spontaneous gathering in Beijing since pro-democracy protests in 1989 that ended in a crackdown.
During the Beijing Olympics, hundreds of thousands of tourists and tens of thousands of journalists visited China, which brought unprecedented challenges to the Communist Party. Overseas protests have continued since the International Olympic Committee announced the success of Beijing’s bid for the Games. Different voices questioned China on human rights, freedom of the press, air quality, etc. In response to concerns, the Chinese government said the Olympics would strengthen China’s interaction with the international community, promote the improvement of human rights and press freedom in China. However, before the opening of the Games, some organizations believed that not only had China not kept this promise, but that it was increasingly suppressing “undesirable” voices.
“Chinese government’s tight control over Tibet”
At Tibet, a protest sparked deadly unrest in March 2008, with the Chinese government saying 22 people had been killed in Lhasa, while overseas Tibetan support groups estimated many more had been killed in police crackdowns. On the opening day of the Olympics, August 8, the Tibet Freedom Torch relay movement ended in Leh, Ladakh, India. The relay of this freedom flame began in Greece in March of the same year and crossed 50 cities in Europe, the United States, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Taiwan and Uruguay, calling for awareness of the Chinese government’s “tight control over Tibet.”
Tenzin Choeying, student leader of this movement, said at the time: “ This year, the Tibetan Flame of Freedom has special significance, because the Chinese government is hosting the Beijing Olympics “. And to add: “ We want to directly convey the desire of the Tibetan people to the world, that Tibet’s freedom continues. And the Chinese government is wrong to understand the Tibetan movement as a single movement of a single people. Most Tibetans living in Tibet, they want complete freedom, they want independence. »
Several “historic firsts”
As for the Olympic flame, its relay created several “historic firsts”: it was the first time that the flame passed through the North Korea, the first time the torch reached the summit of Everest, the first time the relay stopped for three days (to commemorate the 80,000 victims of the massive Sichuan earthquake in May), the first time a relay encountered as many large-scale demonstrations, including one in Paris: on April 7, Tibetan activists, human rights defenders among others disrupted the Paris route until the police removed the final stages, taking the torch up by bus to its arrival point in Charléty. The Chinese wheelchair fencer, Jin Jing, bearer of the Olympic torch who managed to protect it against demonstrators trying to snatch it, was consequently praised in China for having protected the torch against ” the separatists “.
The day before the Beijing Olympics opened, more than 200 demonstrators took to the streets of Tokyo to protest that China, as host country of the Games, ” disrespects human rights and represses ethnic minorities “. Some protesters said: “ Chinese policy simply does not recognize that it represses ethnic minorities such as Uyghurs, Tibetans and Mongolians. »
Meanwhile, in the Philippines, a group of bicycle protesters gathered in Manila to call China “ to improve its rights record “. They named the Manila Bike Tour “ Ride for Human Rights 2008 », this slogan printed on their jersey. Amnesty International joined the protesters: “ It is time for China to respect the Olympic charter which defends human rights… Now that the Olympic Games begin in five days, these commitments must be kept. »
“ Show an image of harmony and maintain stability within the country »
A month before the opening of the Beijing Olympics, Amnesty International published a report saying that China had failed to improve the human rights situation: “ In 2007 alone, thousands of petitioners and others were arrested “, For ” show the world an image of harmony and maintain stability within the country “. The Chinese government said it would set up several protest zones in Beijing during the Olympics, but some who wanted to protest due to issues such as the forcible demolition of the hutongs (traditional Beijing dwelling) in order to “ beautify the capital ahead of the Olympics » according to local authorities, refuted that the police simply rejected their request for a demonstration.
On the right to protest, Chinese officials explained that although the Chinese Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, ” special measures are necessary during special times “. According to statistics from the Associated Press, from 1989 to July 24, 2008, Beijing issued only two protest permits.
When China submitted its request to organize the 2008 Olympics, it spoke of complete freedom of reporting. However, when the time came, the chairman of the IOC media committee noticed that the Chinese government had blocked certain websites. These sites gave information on Tibet or Falun Gong (a spiritual movement, accused by Beijing of being a sect). Asked about the gap between China’s promise seven years ago that media would be able to report freely, and the reality, the Beijing organizing committee and the International Olympic Committee said blocked websites were not related to the Games, and the freedom of the media to report on the Games was not compromised. The IOC insisted that no private compromises had been made with the Chinese government, contrary to speculation.
“For the good of the country”
Air pollution in Beijing has also been problematic, causing concern for the International Olympic Committee and athletes. Even though pollution levels had dropped three days before the opening, some American athletes chose to wear masks upon their arrival in Beijing. To reduce pollution, the Chinese government has taken drastic measures, including closing and relocating factories from the capital, restricting vehicles and suspending construction. This “Blue Sky Project” inevitably led to inconveniences for workers, residents, construction-related companies, who assumed losses “for the good of the homeland”. The result on air quality was not bad: the AFP noted that “ the air in Beijing is getting better… Some athletes feel that the air in Beijing is not yet good enough, but it is ultimately not as bad as they thought “.
The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games finally opened, imbued with strong and complex emotions such as expectation, worry, condemnation, joy, excitement and resistance.
There opening ceremony was to be under the artistic direction of Steven Spielberg, but he chose to resign due to the Chinese government’s position on the issue of Darfur in Sudan. In addition to Hollywood, Nobel Peace Prize winners collectively called on China to participate in resolving the Darfur crisis. More than a hundred American lawmakers also wrote to the Chinese president at the time, Hu Jintaocalling on China, as the largest investor in Sudan, to use its influence capabilities to resolve this crisis, otherwise the Beijing Olympics could carry the notoriety of the “ethnic cleansing Olympics”.
A China that has become powerful
Coming back to sports and sportsmanship, the 2008 Beijing Olympics were undoubtedly exciting: two legends, Bolt and Phelps, amazed the whole world with their ability and energy; Afghanistan won the country’s first Olympic medal; two athletes, Georgian and Russian, hugged each other on the field despite the conflict in South Ossetia; the number of female athletes participating in these Games was the highest until then; athletes from 204 delegations set a total of 132 Olympic records…
THE Beijing Olympics have brought the Chinese government as much criticism, condemnation and doubt as opportunities and diplomatic victories. It was the most expensive Olympics at the time and impressed the world with what China could offer. This has brought China a huge flow of international cooperation and investment opportunities in the post-Olympic years. This has also left many positive legacies in Beijing: the construction of healthier urban infrastructure, cleaner air, “Olympic standards” are no longer limited to the Games. The various “undesirable incidents” before, during and after the Games also provided Beijing with experience of tense exchanges with the international community. Since 2008, China has become so powerful that it no longer has the need or intention to be humble. In the fifteen years since the Beijing Olympics, China and the world have influenced each other. Today, with significant weight in many areas on the international stage, China reminds the world of the need to adapt more to it.