Lack of Olympic Cycling Spectators

[Tim Bennet.]

Yesterday the Chinese organising committee admitted they were corralling 'volunteer' spectators into watch various events in order to fill up the empty seats, despite claiming every event was a sell out. So I wondered why they hadn't bussed anyone in to watch the cycling road race - the only people along the course were in uniform of some sort.

Well, apparently, despite claiming all the tickets to watch the road race 'had gone', there were actually none ever released. The whole cycling route was closed to the public for 'security'. Friends and family of the American competitor Christian Vande Velde couldn't even watch at the road side, and had to get a really expensive taxi ride back to their hotel (1.5 hours away) to watch it on TV. No wonder Nicole Cookes' family didn't bother going to China - perhaps they knew the picture was better on their own TV and they wouldn't have to listen to people spitting if they stayed on their own couches.

Similarly, the sailing viewing areas have been closed to spectators. Whole tours of Dutch sailing fans are really pissed off having travelled 8000 miles to watch on TV! There is so much disquiet over the ludicrous competition area, (with it's strong tides and light winds that put it well outside the minimum standards imposed by the IOF), that the Chinese are worried family and friends will voice the disquiet of the competitors, as the sailors themselves are restrained by gagging orders. So they're keeping everyone out the way.

So, the Olympic ideals are certainly alive and well in China!

 

[Keith Oates]

It doesn't make good reading Tim but I think the ticket sell outs were for events in the stadiums. The Chinese are most likely so worried about terrorists and demonstrations that they are taking the relatively easy and secure method of keeping everyone away from the 'outdoor' events. I agree though that it must be very annoying for those who have travelled thousands of miles to see their favorite events.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[fossyant]

Hardly any crowds - same with the TT...must be such a let down for the riders ?

Such a small crowd at the road race grand stand as well..

 

[zimzum42]

felt very sorry for the chinese girl who fell off. had there been a crowd they might have pushed her all the way back to the peloton!

 

[Flying_Monkey]

It doesn't make good reading Tim but I think the ticket sell outs were for events in the stadiums. The Chinese are most likely so worried about terrorists and demonstrations that they are taking the relatively easy and secure method of keeping everyone away from the 'outdoor' events. I agree though that it must be very annoying for those who have travelled thousands of miles to see their favorite events.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's the kind of paranoid control freakery that one expects from a totalitarian police state. There's no getting around it, Keith. The Olympics was granted to China on the understanding that the Games would be open and that there would be media freedom too. The Chinese state hasn't delivered on this at all. Most serious critics were arrested before the Games even started. And they even arrested an ITV journalist today too...

 

[zimzum42]

Have to give it to the Chinese on that one, the ITV journalist came across as a right tosser as he was being arrested, I thought he was going to cry! He looked quite funny with his head sticking out of the window as they drove off, still bawling away!

Did anyone else think it was odd the Police had a Ford Transit van!?

 

[Keith Oates]

FM, you're beginning to sound like an old gramaphone record that's stuck in a groove!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[rustychisel]

handbags!!! Gentlemen, keep it civil. [or go to a flippin' totalitarian state where they keep it civil for you. Singapore, anyone?].

 

[zimzum42]

oooh, yes please!

 

[Flying_Monkey]

FM, you're beginning to sound like an old gramaphone record that's stuck in a groove!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Talking about repression does get so tedious doesn't it? At least I actually have a substantial point. There are some issues on which just adding lots of exclamation marks to your sentences just doesn't cut it. Still, I suppose at least you are free to add as many of them as you like in China as in the rest of the world. It's a shame the content of any argument can't be so extensive...

And this was a thread about the control of spectators at the Olympics - you can hardly keep it 'non-political', can you? Maybe the whole thread should be moved to Politics...

This is actually something I have some expertise on BTW. I was invited to a conference to advise the Chinese government on Olympic security - I turned them down as I knew it was simply an attempt to co-opt western experts to make the Chinese state look like it was taking various views into account and that they would in fact break all their promises on openness.

And Zimzum - your comments on the arrest of the journalist are quite frankly disgraceful. You might want to reflect on what happens to Chinese journalists who question the situation in China. Read the annual report from Reporters Without Borders for a start.

 

[zimzum42]

Disgraceful????

He seemed genuinely surprised he had been arrested, which is a bit silly.

And shouting your head off at a camera and a copper is surely not the best way to get yourself released. he had all the documentation, he should know he has merely to wait around for a while and they'll release him, they're not going to lose face by letting him go just after they've arrested him, and all on camera.

Perhaps he should have more respect for those journalists who are really banged up and not getting out and not make a fuss over being inconvenienced for a while.....

I think you're letting your views on China cloud your judgement on this...

And these protestors could be a bit more imaginative, no? erecting a banner saying 'free tibet' is so this morning.....

 

[Keith Oates]

Talking about repression does get so tedious doesn't it? At least I actually have a substantial point. There are some issues on which just adding lots of exclamation marks to your sentences just doesn't cut it. Still, I suppose at least you are free to add as many of them as you like in China as in the rest of the world. It's a shame the content of any argument can't be so extensive...

And this was a thread about the control of spectators at the Olympics - you can hardly keep it 'non-political', can you? Maybe the whole thread should be moved to Politics...

This is actually something I have some expertise on BTW. I was invited to a conference to advise the Chinese government on Olympic security - I turned them down as I knew it was simply an attempt to co-opt western experts to make the Chinese state look like it was taking various views into account and that they would in fact break all their promises on openness.

And Zimzum - your comments on the arrest of the journalist are quite frankly disgraceful. You might want to reflect on what happens to Chinese journalists who question the situation in China. Read the annual report from Reporters Without Borders for a start.

FM. I really do not want to get into a pointless discussion with you or anyone else regarding China and the Chinese government because it is total waste of my time and yours. You say you have a substantial point, that's fine, but I totally disagree.

The exclamation mark comments are silly and you know it.

The crowd control by the Chinese Authorites is very limiting and has been brought on by people such as yourself who can't let the Olympics run without raising politics and demonstrations. If you know China as well you keep intimating you should by now realise they are not going to change their stance for you or anyone else.

Whether you have any expertise on security or not I can't comment but I am sure of one thing, the Chinese Authorities will not have lost any sleep over the fact that you did not participate. Perhaps, just perhaps, if you did you may have got your message to some of the people you are trying to persuade to change their course, but I doubt it would have done any good.

At the moment I don't see that the Chinese authorities have broken any promises to allow the Olympics to be reported upon openly and freely. When I last looked demonstrations were not an Olympic event.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Chuffy]

The crowd control by the Chinese Authorites is very limiting and has been brought on by people such as yourself who can't let the Olympics run without raising politics and demonstrations.

So it's the fault of FM et al and not the fault of a totalitarian regime which can't be seen to be criticised for fear of losing face?
I wonder if this situation would have come about if the Olympics had been held in a less repressive country? Somehow I doubt it...

 

[Flying_Monkey]

So it's the fault of FM et al and not the fault of a totalitarian regime which can't be seen to be criticised for fear of losing face?
I wonder if this situation would have come about if the Olympics had been held in a less repressive country? Somehow I doubt it...

I know. Unbelievable, isn't it? Keith seems to be a nice guy, but I really don't understand people who become apologists for the governments of countries in which they happen to work - be it Israel, China, the USA, Britain, Saudi Arabia or wherever. I can understand people keeping their heads down and keeping their views and observations to themselves in such situations (as I have had to do myself on occasions), but what makes intelligent people give up critical thinking or actively defend repression in a Lord Haw-Haw kind of way?

 

[mr_hippo]

I was invited to a conference to advise the Chinese government on Olympic security - I turned them down as I knew it was simply an attempt to co-opt western experts to make the Chinese state look like it was taking various views into account and that they would in fact break all their promises on openness.
Wow! You must either have second sight or the seventh son of a seventh son, do you mean 'assumed' or thought'?
And Zimzum - your comments on the arrest of the journalist are quite frankly disgraceful. You might want to reflect on what happens to Chinese journalists who question the situation in China. Read the annual report from Reporters Without Borders for a start. Are Chinese journalists above the law or do they have to abide by it? You and I would get punished if we broke the law so why shouldn't Chinese journalists?

FM - go to China and get your information first hand and not from biased websites. As for the clip of the journalist, we have not seen the full incident - have we?