KEY POINTS:
BEIJING - Releasing a pop song entitled "We're ready" with a year still to go until the world's biggest sporting event may appear premature, but the organisers of the 2008 Beijing Olympics have good reason to be confident.
The by-products of China's economic boom may hang in a
smokey pall over the city and the roads might be clogged by three million cars but the main stakeholders are more than satisfied with the progress made so far.
"We're happy with all the preparations, there are no serious problems," Hein Verbruggen, head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s inspection commission, told the official Games' website this week.
Not for Beijing the construction delays that have blighted the run-up to previous Games, most notably the Olympics in Athens three years ago.
"Venue construction has always been an important and sensitive issue of preparation for Olympics," Verbruggen said. "We have never been concerned about the construction progress of the venues in Beijing."
The first two purpose-built venues - the Shunyi rowing lake and the shooting range - were officially handed over last week, and all but one of the other 34 venues are on schedule for completion by the end of 2007.
The 3.13 billion yuan ($546.54 million), 91,000-seat National Stadium, which will host the opening ceremony and athletics, will be the last to be finished, in March 2008.
The steel superstructure, which gives the distinctive stadium its "Bird's Nest" nickname, is already looming over the city's fourth ring road, however, and organisers are confident that four months will be plenty of time to test it.
Not for Beijing either the money squabbles that have marred the early stages of London's preparations to host the 2012 Olympics.
The US$2.1 billion it costs to run the Games should be easily covered by a hefty IOC contribution, a highly successful sponsorship programme as well as ticket sales and merchandising.
The government will be happy with their return from the estimated US$40 billion being spent on infrastructure if the huge new airport terminal and four new subway lines have the effect of presenting a thoroughly modern Beijing to the world next August.
Not everyone is upbeat, though.
Human rights groups concerned with everything from labour rights to human rights in Tibet and Darfur have latched on to the Olympics as a way of putting pressure on China.
Beijing also remains one of the most polluted cities in the world despite the removal of some of the worst offending factories and plants from the city.
"The demand of foreign athletes and Chinese athletes is the same," China's deputy sports minister said this week.
"We all need fresh air and good weather ... to compete."
Without emergency measures, such as restricting the use of cars and closing down more factories, Beijing is unlikely to be able to ensure that clean air.
"Beijing has carried out their commitments on environmental protection ... but still need to make more effort," said Verbruggen, who on his last inspection visit asked to see more details of the emergency measures.
Besides cleaning up the environment, the government is trying to get Beijing's 15 million residents to clean up their act, clamping down on spitting, littering and queue-jumping.
The next stage of preparations will begin just hours before the countdown clocks around the city show 366 days, when the first of 26 test events being held this year begins at the world junior rowing championships.
IOC President Jacques Rogge has described this stage as "key" and Verbruggen said they would be paying particular attention to how well all those involved in running the Games work together.
The many arms of China's state security apparatus have been brought together in a single Olympic command centre.
With few external terrorist threats to concern them, they will focus on the perceived domestic threats from adherents to the Falun Gong spiritual group and Tibetan and Uighur activists.
One thing that has never been in doubt is the enthusiasm of the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people for the Games.
A total of 560,000 people have applied to be one of 100,000 volunteers required for the Olympics and Paralympics.
There has been strong demand for the seven million tickets available to the public, with the sale of the first 2.7 million heavily oversubscribed.
Those lucky enough to secure tickets for the opening ceremony are not alone in looking forward to 8.08pm on Aug 8, 2008.
"My expectation is that in 2008 you will witness the most magnificent Olympic Games ever held here in Beijing China," said US Olympic official Steve Roush.
- REUTERS
