Now for something lighter, an Olympics Update

From time to time I check in on the progress of the Beijing Olympics. I find it fascinating, mostly due to my interest in attending certain aspects of both the summer and winter games. I've had 'chances' in the past but have never attended any part. Someday... it's on our list of things to do.

Here's an interesting article I caught online regarding ticket prices for the Beijing Olympics. Good news for a change as the price of most event tickets, let alone Olympic tickets, is outrageous. Price gouging at it's best.

Beijing promised an affordable Olympics in 2008 with the announcement today of ticket prices that are as low as a tenth of those charged at the last games in Athens. The majority of spectators will pay no more than 100 yuan ($12) to watch the world’s best athletes under a ticketing policy that reflects the low average income of the planet’s most populous nation.


The first of 7m tickets will go on sale next year. At the bird’s nest stadium, executive seats for the opening ceremony will cost 5,000 yuan - about half the most expensive rate in Greece two years ago.


At less prestigious events, tickets will be available for as little as 30 yuan, a tenth of the lowest rate in Athens. Fourteen percent of the seats will be reserved for students.

In a statement, the International Olympic Committee said the Beijing organisers "has found an affordable ticketing program which will maximize the opportunity for the Chinese public to enjoy the games, whilst balancing with interest from the international community".

While other Olympic hosts have stressed the importance of making a profit, for China, the games in 2008 are about a lot more than making money. They are seen as a coming-of-age party for the world's fastest growing major economy.

In bidding for the games, Beijing forecast a modest operating profit of $19m on revenues of $1,625bn, mostly from sponsorship and the sale of broadcast rights. Outside of this budget, the government is spending tens of billions of dollars on a huge face lift for the city, including new stadiums, roads, railways and the world’s biggest airport terminal.

I've also included some pictures sprinkled throughout the article. The pictures are of the National Stadium in Beijing and the Aquatic Center. Both projected to be completed ahead of schedule, later in 2007, a stark contrast to the last minute painting and construction in Athens for the last summer Olympics. The National Stadium is dubbed the "bird's nest", you can readily see why. It seats 91,000 people. The engineer in me is fascinated by this structure, we hope to see it up close and personal while we are in Beijing. The aquatic center, though a bit 'freakish' to me, is pretty damn cool when you think about it. All those bubbles are individual 'cells' put in place after the frame/structure was completed. They are replaceable and cleanable.

The Chinese government wanted to advance the architecture of the games, they certainly did it.

For those of you wondering about the darker side of the Beijing Olympics, from what I've read online, it's not in fact all rosey. I'll do a post eventually on the other items.