So I was asked to write about the Beijing Olympics for a rather minute article in an online magazine. Needless to say I was rather reluctant at first. How can I write about the Beijing Olympics without pressing my own opinions and views on readers? Even then, how am I supposed to write about the Beijing Olympics when the games have not started and a majority of media attention is negative? Heck, China detains most journalists and forbids most things from being broadcast. Nevertheless, I’ve done my research, I’ve watched the live feeds, I’ve written my Goddamn Beijing Olympics article.
When the Olympic torch was lit at a ceremony in Greece, it was surrounded by one thousand police officers. Activists were still able to break through the blue barrier and disrupt the ritual; one protester carried a black flag which depicted the Olympic rings made from handcuffs. As officers bundled them away, all media broadcasting ceased and the ceremony continued with the activists safely locked away from the event. The ceremony continued peacefully and the Olympic torch began its journey around twenty-one countries and passing hands 21,880 times.
So, the preparations for the Beijing Olympics had begun, but it wasn’t without its hiccups.
The Olympic flame was hijacked by Italian demonstrators who were attacking the key sponsor of the Olympics, Coca-Cola, in an attempt to strike a blow against capitalism.
Following several incidents, London decided to tighten their security by mobilising two thousand police officers whose goal was to ensure the safety of the torchbearers. This didn’t stop thousands of pro-Tibet activists from taking to the streets of London in their “Free Tibet” t-shirts, wielding banners with slogans such as “No torch in Tibet, China Stop the Killing and Talk to the Dalai Lama”. Although the torchbearers were joined by a convoy of officers, protesters were seen swooping towards the torch itself and activists brandishing fire extinguishers were arrested for trying to extinguish the flame. Routes were changed, transportation was altered and photo-shoots were disrupted as the torch made its gruelling voyage through London.
A Chinese student who tried to defend China by yelling at pro-Tibet demonstrators in London was also punched in the face and had his Chinese flag thrown to the ground. When British journalists asked a different Chinese student if he would stand up to pro-Tibet demonstrators in China, he admitted that he would not.
The Olympic torch’s voyage has now come to an end with a successful finish in Beijing.
As I was writing this article, I could hear the live stream of the opening ceremony from Beijing’s bird’s nest stadium. Needless to say, I could not avoid staring at the spectacular events taking place. Thousands of Chinese drummers lined up and preformed various rituals, bright, sparkling lights lit the stadium and the crowd cheered. Two years of preparation appeared to pay off as the countdown began with large, floor-lights displaying the numbers from sixty to zero. It was certainly an epic ceremonial display. China, being the fireworks capital of the world, managed to broadcast a superiorly colourful pyrotechnic display of streaming fire and light from 35,000 fireworks.
The entire performance was complete with the Olympic rings made of various lights, floating and tilting in the air. Really giving off a sense of harmony and peace, certainly everything the Olympic rings and the Olympics itself represents.
China had obviously put in a lot of work for the events as each one symbolised a different ritual and had great meaning. For instance, fireworks explosions marked twenty-nine immense footprints in the sky, each perfectly co-ordinated along Beijing’s central axis towards the stadium.
An abnormally large scroll began to open in the stadium, revealing a bulky canvas which was dotted with dancers who were etching symbols into the paper. This was just one of the 23 key events of the night. And so, with the opening ceremony ending without incident, the sports can finally begin.
There are 302 gold medals to be awarded to athletes, of which there are 10,708 competing in 471 events ranging from archery, basketball and boxing to sailing, shooting and Taekwondo.
Let’s hope that the Olympics go without a hitch, each country brings home a golden medal and the Olympic rings and the harmony which the Olympics represent stays true.
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