A few weeks back, I was walking in Houston's Hermann park with 2 year old Patrick and the mutts. Hearing a plane, I look up and see one towing a banner saying along lines of "We support Beijing Olympics". I've seen political statements in Houston's sky before usually involving "The Decider" president and impeachments, but an international banner was a new one of me. To set context, this was at time of Tibet demonstrations going on around the torches parades in London and Paris.
Houston has a large Asian population and I often see Falon Gong demonstrating outside the China Consulate on Montrose. It is a bizarre scene of 20 or so folks meditating outside whilst Houston's Goths and Houston's Gays go about their business on their respective next doors. The Goths in Soundwaves music and surf shop and the Rainbows, in Berry Hill and M2M clothing store.
In my eyes, the Olympics and hosting of other major sports are one big political hard on and self enriching opportunity by lobby groups and self interest groups such as construction. For the politicians, it is their chance to get into the history book.
Olympics are the holding nation's venue to puff up their nationalistic chests, put on a good opening and close show, wave a few flags and show the world that their Country's appendage is now the largest in the world. During the 'games' themselves, the competing countries will also be arguing that their medal count gives them bragging rights in the lower nether region.
Unless you are going to Olympics, avoid Beijing in August like the uhm, bird flu. Everything will be overpriced. If you are looking for a bargain, go when the Olympics is finished. They will have built all that room capacity but there will no demand for it once games are finished.
China are using this a forum to show that they have arrived. We are modern and we are back to claim our place as a strong Civilization after many years of humiliation. Afterall, China has shown they can climb Everest with the Olympic flame.
Problem that I, and many others have, is the politics of China's regime. As a one party state, they are one brutal bunch. However, this is not the first brutal regime to host the Olympics, so would I choose NOT to visit a country over it's politics?
Would I have gone to South Africa in Apartheid days? No, I was a firm believer in boycotting goods and services of big business in SA in my student days and was glad to see it transition over peacefully.
Would I have gone to Russia at height of Communist days? Yes. That alone would have been worth seeing. Their people gladly seemed to go along with it.
Would I go to China disliking their regime? Probably yes. They have relaxed somewhat and eased up travel restrictions. I also know some Chinese nationals and they don't seem too upset with thier situation. Real reason is I'd really like to visit before it gets changed irreversibly with development. I have been to Schenzen on company business many years ago and have 2 impressions: Everywhere I looked, there was cranes and construction - no old China. Secondly, spitting. Yes, People young and old, men and women seemed to be continually coughing greenies and launching. If spitting was a Olympic Sport, China would be Gold, Silver and Bronze. (I won't visit for that !)
Would I go to Burma (pre-Typhoon)? Yes, there are some beautiful temples that I'd like to see in Rangoon and Mandalay the people would benefit from my small contribution to their economy. (on side discussion, the callousness of the Military Junta wrt typhon and relief leave me speechless with anger.)
Would I go to North Korea? That is a hard one. North Korea is one dangerous and sinister operation. The whole nation revolves around "Dear Leader" and his whims. From what I understand, there is nothing to see and Government minders will watch you very closely anyhow. In this case, I would say "no" in that people would not benefit from tourism but also there are other things I'd like to see with my limited time here. Why go to see a Concrete Stalinist hell hole when you can see Patagonia or New Zealand instead?
Would I go to Cuba? I would love to. "WHATTTTT", the more extreme Americans may say. Firstly, I believe tourism is a great way for locals to interact with foreigners which will seed discontent and a desire to change. Cuba also has unspoilt beaches and Havana itself a 1950's time warp. (Remember, the like of Castro will die out at some stage and next Generations, will demand changes. Youngesters have only know Communism and look where that has got them.) Secondly, I find it outrageous that US government bans it's citizens from visiting. So much for freedom: If I want to go, Govt should not stop me. Still it is good that Obama has recently questioned the effectiveness of the Cuba Embargo and is discussing lifting it. Good for him. Good for Cuba. If it worked in fall of East Germany (the East Germans could pick up West German TV signals), interface to West may result in change in Cuba.
Look back to the Olympics itself and in amongst the Country dick swinging, you see a history of Politics and controversy behinds the scenes.
The Olympics committee is highly political organization with a history of corruption - see Sydney vote buying scandal and cash payments and other gifts made to IOC delegates by the organising committee for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
The Olympics and World events have always been inter-related.
- 1936 Berlin Olympics where Nazi's used this to promote superiority of Aryan Race. Jessie Owens blew that one away.
- 1968 Mexico Olympics where Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave the famous "Black Panther" salute. (Remember in 1968. both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were dead. Mohamed Ali was stripped of his title for refusing to fight in Vietnam).
- 1972: Munich where Israeli athletes were killed by the PLO.
- 1980/1984: Moscow / Los Angeles boycotts. (Communists and Capitalists) which sorta goes against 'one of the basic principles of the Olympic Games: that politics play no part whatsoever in them'.
The same can be said for other major sporting activities like Soccer World Cup or Superbowl. In Houston's case, we held a Superbowl a few years back. We now have 1 metrorail line to show for it that was built specially for this event. Whilst I am a mass population transport advocate, the legacy for the locals is that the route does not service a heavily populated area."Mega-events" such as the Olympic Games require large sums of public money to be spent on venues and infrastructure improvements. In order to justify the use of public funds, economic impact studies are often commissioned which invariably project large inflows of money that will have a long-term positive effect on the economy by such means as job creation and visitor spending. Events of the scale of the Olympic Games, which attract large amounts of money from outside a local economy, are forecasted to have economic impacts in the billions of dollars.
Ex-post studies, however, have consistently found no evidence of positive economic impacts from mega-sporting events even remotely approaching the estimates in economic impact studies. In a study of the impact of Super Bowls on local economies, Philip Porter (1999) found "no measurable impact on spending associated with the event. The projected spending and spillover benefits of regional impact models ever materialize" (Porter 1999, p. 61) Porter's explanation is that capacity constraints in the hotel industry cause room prices to increase with no change in occupancy rates. Higher rates contribute to the crowding out of regular traffic and net spending in Areas other than hotel rooms changes little or not at all
When I was in Capetown South Africa, everyone was talking about them hosting the world cup. They are building the stadium and there is massive construction going on with financial speculation going on. They are even building a 6 star hotel. I keep thinking to myself, what happens after that world cup. My projection. BOOM.
London will hold games in 2012 and there are already concerns about how much it will cost. From BBC article on 2006, it was already 3.4B pounds. ($6.8B). Holy cow. Read my earlier blog on British management to say to give you a thought on what I project will happen here. Here is a clue: It rhymes with 'chuckup'.
The Olympics coming to a place also involves changes. In Beijing's case, they have been busily bulldozing the old city for development. Vancouver is hosting 2010 and question I have is what will happen to Vancouver downtown. You may not know but Vancouver has a big drug and homeless population. One thing I heard concentrates this is the relatively mild winters here. If you are homeless, you'd freeze to death in other cities. So let's see how Canadians handle this one. I doubt this will take a tip from previous 1936 Olympics:-
Hitler removed signs stating "Jews not wanted" and similar slogans from the main tourist attractions. Hitler desired to clean up Berlin, the German Ministry of Interior authorized the chief of Berlin Police to arrest all gypsies and keep them in a special camp.[1] Nazi officials ordered that foreign visitors should not be subjected to the criminal strictures of anti-homosexual laws.
Will I be watching Olympics on TV in August? I shrug my shoulders. I missed all the 2004 Athens games and ceremonies. I may watch Beijing opening and closing if I have nothing better to do: Maybe there will be a Janet Jackson moment? The 'games' themselves are of peripheral interest to me and why is synchronized swimming a sport? BTW: the only sport I like watching is International Rugby.
Should the Olympics come back to basics? Yes, let's cut down the sports, try to remove the business and political interests. So, how far back should we go ? We'll I don't advocate going back to Ancient Greece Olympics. Yuk, Lots of nude males athletes running and wrestling. We've enough swinging 'you know whats' at the country level as it is !
With all this scandal and upset going on, Maybe the official sponsors of the Olympic rings should be these guys...
Phileas Fogg,
Houston, Texas
31st May 2008
