Senior Chinese Minister defends environmental legacy of Beijing 2008 Games

[richard]

Yang Shu'an, the Chinese Vice Sports Minister, has defended the legacy left by the Beijing 2008 Olympics and Paralympics claiming that the Games helped to improve the transport infrastructure and the environmental condition in the city.

His comments come as the Chinese Government face increasing pressure to act on the heavy pollution in Beijing, which was cited as a problem during the 2008 Games due to the harm it could cause to athletes.

"The legacies of the Games for the Chinese people and those living in Beijing are multifaceted," said Shu'an.

"But the first two are an improved transport infrastructure and environment.

"Everybody living in Beijing has realised the unique opportunities created by the Olympics and can see that the overall environment has improved."

The International Olympics Committee (IOC) and Chinese Government promised in 2008 that improved air quality would be a major legacy of the sporting event but in recent months the capital has often been shrouded in a cloud of smog with many blaming the busy roads in Beijing for the problem.

The Government has come under pressure from the capital's residents to change the way it monitors pollution, amid accusations that authorities are underplaying the problem.

The Vice Sports Minister admitted there were "challenges to sustain the Olympic legacies" pointing to environmental protection as one of the issues.

Before the start of Beijing 2008, billions were spent by China in an attempt to reduce pollution in the city.

A host of factories were even shut down in a bid to help the issue but despite criticism from some quarters, the problem did not overshadow the competition which was hailed as "truly exceptional" by IOC President Jacques Rogge.

The highlights of the Olympics saw American swimmer Michael Phelps claim a record-breaking eight gold medals and Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt taking gold medals in the 100 and 200 metres, as well as the 4x100m relay, all three of which came in world record times.


Source
By Tom Degun
insidethegames.biz | Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games News

[richard]

I don't see why China need to apologise for anything. The Beijing 2008 Olympics were a massive success for putting China on the map to millions of foreigners.

China are only doing in five years what we in the west have done over the last forty years.

The fact that there is massive pollution in many towns and cities in China is due to the accelerated growth in the size of the population and the cities, and this despite the actions taken by the government to slow everything down.

From what I have seen they do seem to be working for long term growth instead of the short-term 4 or 5 year bubbles created by western type voting systems.

You only have to look at the failed state of affairs and very nearly bankrupted UK as left by 13 years of Labour spin and the legacy left by Blair and Brown to realise that something is very wrong with the UK political system.

I say leave China alone because they don't seem to be doing so bad after all. Sure a bit of corruption here and there. But the big difference is that in China if you get caught with your hands in the till you either lose your hands or they redistribute your body parts after putting you to sleep.

Shame this system hasn't been adopted here in the UK which might reduce the crime rate and fiddling of expenses by right honourable members of parliament quite substantially, though I guess a few warmongers like Anthony Blair might be quaking in their boots.