Final Thoughts on the Olympics

When IOC president Jacques Rogge declared the Olympics truly exceptional, I had to agree. China went above and beyond the call of duty to pull off this Olympics. They had a point to prove to the world and they proved it. They have a rich and diverse cultural history, outstanding athletes and an Olympic training ground like no other, phenomenal logistic capabilities, friendly and outgoing people and incredible architecture. I doubt any city or country will be able to compete with China on the quality of the Olympics as they have set a new standard of how to put them on. Of course, this is only possible because the government has the power to do whatever it wants without regard to the people it affects.

The highlights for me included the overwhelming number of volunteers who made themselves readily available for any question or tourist at literally any time of the day. They even personally escorted me and other lost tourists on buses to the exact location of the venues. Often, I felt that the volunteers spent much of their time bored waiting for someone to help, but when someone did approach them, they always smiled and tried their best to give as much information as possible. Despite their long hours standing around, they kept up their spirits. At the end of events, they stood in lines waving to everyone and cheering people off. I think every university student on summer holiday contributed to make this Olympics special and personable.

Surprisingly, the architecture in Beijing really impressed me. I found the curved lines of the Bird's Nest unbelievable. The Chinese like lights as well and every building lit up. I will be interested to see what China does with all the various stadiums built just for the Olympics. More than likely, they will be training grounds for future Chinese Olympians. But to create the Olympic Green, the Chinese government displaced thousands of residents to elsewhere in the country. In fact, China created a wonderful facade of sorts just for the Olympics. The government removed all the migrant workers and boarded up all the slum areas around town. Any area that didn't look pretty enough received a makeover or the government just boarded it up with beautifully painted walls. Cleaning crews showed up every morning to remove trash from the streets and people washed the billboards regularly. When, Thomas asked me what I thought of Beijing, I told him that I found the city to be quite clean. He found that comment funny because he has witnessed the transformation over the last few months to make Beijing the city we see today.

Logistically, the subways and buses ran smoothly and despite or because of the intense security measures, no major catastrophes occurred. With the phenomenal transportation, I could make my way to every venue free of charge with my ticket. Although, occasionally, I had to hop in a cab to get to the venue quicker although, I still showed up late.

Overall, I loved watching the sporting events. For most of the sporting events, the Chinese athletes took so many golds that I now hum the tunes to their national anthem. Who knew the Chinese knew how to box? I watched them take gold a few times in the finals.
There are very few sports in which they did not take gold and I did enjoy watching athletes from other countries win. In particular, I enjoyed witnessing Jamaican Bolt break another world record in the 4x100 relay and begin and end with pointing his hand towards the sky. The track and field events are fun to watch because so many events occur at once and this is perfect for my ADD tendencies. I also took great delight in watching the Australian pole vaulter tie the Olympic record. I'm glad I had the opportunity to watch track and field in the Bird's Nest since I didn't have the opportunity to watch the Opening Ceremonies live.

Nonetheless, the beauty and artistry of the Opening Ceremonies left me emotional and in awe. China took mass humanity as art to a completely new level. However, I did not appreciate learning the sacrifices the artists made to put on those opening ceremonies. The volunteers had to wear adult diapers just so that they could train for 6 hours straight in military compounds in the heat. They never left the compound and trained for hours on end without breaks. Many people sustained injuries when they fell off platforms in the rain. But in China, the show must go on. I'm sure every performer remained proud of their contribution to the Opening Ceremonies despite the painful long hours. To their credit, the world learned a little more about China and all the beauty of the people.

Really, the best part of the Olympics has been partying with the Olympians and in sharing in their victory celebration. So many unknowns became famous overnight and enjoyed the spotlight.
Everyone wanted to be around a Gold medal winner and they made the parties that much more fun. I never imagined that I would party with Olympians when I came to Beijing. They won't join my Facebook network necessarily, but I enjoyed celebrating with them in their Olympic win.

My birthday present to myself this year is hard to top for next year. I do hope to attend the 2012 Olympics in London, however, I know it won't be as fanciful as Beijing and I doubt I will be able to afford any tickets. But, the Olympics are worth the effort, and I am sure I will try to attend again.