Blogging From Beijing: Beach Volleyball Closeup

From The Olympics, with expertise:

Beijing Unveils Its Curtain – Ever So Cautiously

Seven years after its Olympic bid for the 2008 Summer Games was
accepted, China has now welcomed all to its show, centered in Beijing.
During the first week everyone has enjoyed the record-setting exploits
of Michael Phelps, cheered on the U.S. gymnastics teams to medals, and
checked out the bikinis and boardshorts of the beach volleyballers. As
the Games begin its second week, all look ahead to superb competition
in track and field, as well as in the team sports as USA battles
against China in the medal count race.

Beijing, the hub of the Olympics activity, has opened its doors to the
several million spectators who will attend the Games.

Under a light-grey sky and amidst telltale whiffs of sulfur, I walked into the
heart of the expansive Forbidden Palace and across the elongated plaza
at Tiananmen Square – both overwhelming in size and presence. On this
Sunday, tens of thousands of Chinese descended into both the heart of
their culture and into a world of dreams by traversing through the
Palace grounds and then strolling across the Olympic-adorned Square.

Overseeing this activity were robot-like security guards who were
stationed practically every step of the way – as if to say, enjoy the
scene but not too much. As a reflection of
China’s methodology to hosting these Olympics, this watchdog atmosphere
is both comforting, yet irritating – especially to outsiders
unaccustomed to such sobriety and control.

The Beijing Olympic Committee is in a bind of sorts. For it must not
only kowtow to the strict Chinese government rules but also must
acquiesce to the International Olympic Committee’s unbridled directives
to showcase its Games. And these Olympics are not only an invitation
for foreigners to peek into this country that has long been shrouded
under a huge veil of secrecy, but for its own one billion inhabitants
who yearn for a better tomorrow by glimpsing the world through this
show.

As I hopped on a modernized metro system back to my hotel at the end of
a long day compounded by jet lag, I noticed a sea of
ecstatic countrymen in packed subway cars headed back to their homes after
enjoying Beijing’s coming out party. And I couldn’t help but wonder
what lies ahead for China as it uses these Olympics as a springboard
for progress and prosperity.

Next up… a report from the cordoned-off Olympic Green area, the pulse
of the Olympics, as I attend the marquee gymnastics and athletics
events.

Tom Burke,
Author, Order On The Court
Inside Pro Beach Volleyball

www.orderonthecourt.com