Olympics: Beijing frontrunner for 2008 Games

By HOWARD FENDRICH

The Games in 2008 are Beijing's to lose. That was the picture painted by the International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound, who has indicated that China's human rights history is the lone potential stumbling block.

"The big issue is whether or not we're ready to go to China," he said.

"Is it time to go to China or do we go to one of the other four very qualified cities? I think you could put your hand in a jar and draw out any one of the five and be satisfied, with more or less work."

The IOC will vote on 13 July in Moscow on a site for the 2008 Summer Games. The finalists – Beijing, Istanbul, Osaka, Paris and Toronto – all submitted bid books by Wednesday's deadline.

The bid books provide details on finances, venues, transportation, security and other aspects of staging the Games.

Beijing would stage beach volleyball in Tiananmen Square, site of the bloody 1989 crackdown on unarmed pro-democracy demonstrators.

At least one Olympic official has questioned whether China's rights record should disqualify it from hosting the Games.

"That's going to be the issue, I think, in this election," Pound said.

"Is it China's time or not? If it is, it is. If it's not, then you have four other very good fallbacks."

In 1993, Beijing narrowly lost to Sydney to host the 2000 Olympics.

IOC members have received more information about China than the other four finalists combined, Pound said.

"There's going to be a lot of publicity in the western media about China. Will it affect voters? It's hard to say.

"Even with the relative imminence of Tiananmen Square back in 1993, China came within two votes of beating Sydney, which had zero risk at all."

In a wide-ranging discussion at the annual Sport Summit, Pound also addressed the organisational troubles that have plagued preparations for the 2004 Games in Athens.

Construction delays, political wrangling and personnel shake-ups have led some to question whether Greece should keep those Games.

"Athens is still problematic," Pound said.

"They have a lot of challenges to meet. But we're greatly encouraged that the Greek government has stepped in with much more weight and authority. These Games are too important to Greece and to us to be allowed not to be a success."

Other issues mentioned included the World Anti-Doping Agency, of which Pound is president, which wants private sector help in fighting drug use.

"Drug use in sports is probably our No 1 challenge at the moment," he said.

"We've got to get a handle on that. There is a big difference between Olympic sports and other sports. While doping in the NFL is nothing, each time there's a case in the Olympics, it's a big deal."

WADA wants to find sponsors to support educational programmes and promote research, while pharmaceutical companies should help find tests to detect the drugs of choice in Olympic sports.

Pound believes that the Games should be capped at between 10,000-11,000 athletes. "If it gets much bigger than that it becomes less manageable," he said.

As for TV rights they could be sold globally instead of region-by-region, according to Pound. "How we sell the rights after 2008 is up for grabs," he said.

"We've always done it on a territorial basis. As media empires get bigger and bigger, we may have to look at a worldwide basis."

- HERALD CORRESPONDENT

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