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A team of international inspectors scoping Beijing's suitability
for the 2008 Olympic Games have come away impressed by the city's
break-neck pace of development.
The International Triathlon Union, the tenth sports union to visit
Beijing, is the first to request a press conference, giving the
city a welcome insight into the impression it is making.
"Although it might be hard for an elderly man like me to completely
comprehend the changes having taken place here in Beijing since
1949, it is surely good for this city to become more like the rest
of the world," said Triathlon Union President Les Macdonald
Wednesday.
The inspections began on October 16 in Beijing and by the middle
of next month, 18 more will come.
For Mark Sisson, the secretary of the Union, even more impressive
than the wide roads and modern buildings was the spirit of Beijing's
people. He visited the city once before in 1991.
"The spirit convinces me that local people now possess the
confidence and influence to unite people from other corners of the
world, which is indispensable for a city hosting the Olympic Games,"
he said.
Although he did not indicate whether Beijing was eligible to hold
the triathlon event, Macdonald did say that he was quietly satisfied
that Beijing would be able to cater for the event's swimming leg.
Following talks with the city's transportation officials early yesterday,
Sisson said he had full confidence that the quality of Beijing's
roads would be suitable for triathlon runners.
Besides building its Fourth Ring Road, the "Olympic Games Bid
Avenue," Beijing is improving the city's transport management
to lift the average speed of urban vehicles to over 40 kilometers
per hour, while equipping 225 main streets with car parking spaces.
Officials of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Bid Committee refused
to comment on the inspections by international sport unions so far,
other than to say they were "not bad."
Macdonald and his group leave Beijing for Osaka this morning. They
have already inspected Toronto and Paris. Beijing next receives
the inspection group for the fencing event.
(China Daily 11/16/2000)
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