Grading the Games -- Beijing Strikes Highs and Lows

(ATR) The accolades for Beijing should become a torrent in the coming days. The Olympics close without a major glitch as this report card is written on the day before the closing ceremony.

The Olympic cauldron on the Bird's Nest Stadium. (ATR)World records, smooth transport and the ubiquitous smiling and solicitous volunteers all made Beijing a pleasure to visit this month.

At the same time, the Beijing Olympic canvas is not perfect. Distances to events, a dull atmosphere outside the venues and chronic media relations failures were among the difficulties.

Our grade of the Games is based on the experiences and observations of the Around the Rings staff in Beijing as well as what people have told us about their time in the Olympic city. With comments from athletes, spectators, sponsors and federations, we have assessed our grades using a well-rounded perspective of the Games.

And while most of the grading is based on what happened during the Games, pluses and minuses encountered in the lead-up to the Games figure into our report card on Beijing, as well.

We grade these Games in six broad categories: Atmosphere: C, People: A minus, Operation: B+, Media: C+, Venues: A minus, Sport: A.

Overall, Beijing gets a B.

Atmosphere: C

Within the venues, the spectator experience was typical of Olympic Games with enthusiastic crowds and mostly full venues. But step outside, even to the Olympic Green which should have been an electric place for crowds to gather, the mood was muted. Only in the final days of the Games did the activity and excitement pick up on the Olympic Green.

London leaders found themselves promising a bit more fun for Olympic visitors in 2012 in response to the dull scene in Beijing.

Distances between venues also helped to isolate Olympic crowds from one another and made it tough to attend après-Games soirees. Smog shrouded the look of the Games at first but dissipated some during the week. (Getty Images)

However, there was outstanding use of landscapes, banners and building wraps throughout Beijing, like no other Olympic host city before.

In the category of Atmosphere, we will also include the air in Beijing, which defied expectations and offered a mostly pleasant setting for the Games, including sunny days and starry nights for the final days. Some rain days helped cool the city and clear the air. The government deserves praise for its work to reduce air pollution by limiting cars and shutting factories.

People: A minus

Maybe the most consistent positive comment about Beijing was made about the A familiar sight: a smiling volunteer. (ATR)people of Beijing, whether volunteers, staff or people on the street. They truly made the world feel welcome.

Language was sometimes a barrier, but not impossible to overcome.

The fatal knife attack on two U.S. visitors in the early days of the Games remained an isolated incident and Chinese officials reacted with compassion.

But it wasn’t the stabbing of tourists that led to a less than perfect score in this category for Beijing. Blame the taxi drivers for that. More times than not, we found taxi drivers ill-prepared for the Olympics. They did not know how to reach venues or other spots in town. Their inability to communicate more than the cost of a ride was obvious. Fares were cheap compared to other world-class cities, but we’d pay more if their knowledge of the city was comparable to what London cabbies are required to deliver.

BOCOG staff we came in contact with for problem solving were always glad to help and effective finding solutions.

Operations: B+

A smooth running Games overall, generally better than Games of recent vintage. Transportation moved athletes and media on Some 110,000 officers were on call to keep the peace during the Games. (Getty Images)thousands of bus trips without even a momentary meltdown. Public transit for spectators failed to get bogged down. Olympic lanes were a blessing for those able to use them.

Events began on time and weather-related postponements were handled easily.

Despite the concerns about how China would secure the Games, the presence of police, military and other security officers seemed no more obvious than past Games. New procedures for screening media and other credential holders reduced the number of passages through mag and bag screening, where the words “thank you for your cooperation” was the cue that a body wanding was complete.

Objectionable was a requirement for mag and bag for media entering their residences in the two BOCOG-operated media villages, a requirement not imposed on people staying in hotels. Also offensive was the decision made one day to station an armored personnel carrier outside the Main Press Center. The tank was gone the next day.

Media: C+

Working conditions were among the best ever for media, but facilities alone do not make a great Olympics for journalists. The Main Press Centre itself scores high, but Beijing media operations don't measure up. (ATR)

Press conferences of BOCOG and the IOC were often tedious meetings that tested the patience of both sides. While questions about human rights, protestors and Internet censorship might have had little to do with the staging of the Games, BOCOG was unprepared to deal with them in an effective way.

Changing the daily schedule of briefings to every other day came across as a scheme to avoid the press and exacerbated the media’s distrust in both BOCOG and IOC.

Speaking of avoidance, where is Liu Qi, president of BOCOG? In every Olympics the BOCOG president is a familiar face and willing to meet with the press when appropriate. Liu is a mystery man, despite his influential role in hosting the Games. His last known press conference with western media came more than two years ago.

We also give lower marks to BOCOG and the IOC for their inability to resolve issues over Tiananmen Square broadcasts by TV rights holders until just before the Games. And the IOC should never have let China have the upper hand on Internet access. The IOC host city contract must be strengthened in this regard.

Speaking of Internet access, the costs of Internet connections from the rate card for media seemed exorbitant, more than $1,000 per month per wireless or ADSL connection.

We applaud China for easing up on its blackout of news reports on CNN, BBC and other international channels that are deemed unfavorable to China.

With the media and the Beijing Olympics, it’s been a mixed bag.

Venues: A minus

About the only negative thing to say about the New icons: the Water Cube and Bird's Nest. (Getty Images)Beijing venues is the distance required to reach them from the Olympic Village/Main Press Center area. Judging from the comments of athletes and officials, the fields of play were at a high level of quality and no complaints were raised about venue conditions.

Hong Kong delivered on its promise to deliver a spectacular setting for equestrian events, but it would have been better to have the sport close by. Such an arrangement was not possible due to concerns over the spread of equine disease.

Sailing in Qingdao was the only alternative for landlocked Beijing, 1000km from the sea. But the venue was sterling and the local support for sailing impressive.

Architectural marvels were created in two venues, the Water Cube and National Stadium. But the stadium in particular, while a striking edifice, proved to be a very ordinary stadium inside, right down to the cheap molded plastic seats.

Legacy plans for most of the venues are still not clear, which would be a shame for China given the great leap forward sport has taken in the country thanks to the Olympics.

High marks for the Olympic Village, winner of best-ever comments from athletes and officials, and slated to become private residences after the Games.

Sports: A

World records became a commonplace occurrence in Beijing at the swimming pool and on the track. This despite complaints over the finals for swimming being scheduled in the morning and the worries that air pollution and heat would suffocate any such records in track and field. Yelena Isinbayeva set a new record at the Games. (Getty Images)

Doping charges cost a half dozen athletes their place at the Games, but fewer than might have been expected, and none involved Chinese athletes.

India and Mongolia won their first gold medals, while other countries made their first appearances on the podium.

Chinese athletes won a record number of medals, confirming the growing sporting prowess of the country. Disappointing was the loss of hurdler Liu Xiang, whose injury in the heats deprived the Games of a defining moment.

But the Games brought out other stars, such as Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt and Yelena Isinbayeva.

Written by ATR Staff in Beijing

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