The 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China are now over. And what a spectacle the event has been.
Lots of people said they were going to boycott the Olympics, due to host county China’s despicable human rights record, and the turmoil in Tibet, and what have you. However, they haven’t, it seems. And, well, does the Chinese government really care whether people boycott their Olympics or not? I doubt it. If they’re prepared to do such nasty stuff, it’s unlikely that they’ll give a monkey’s about a few folks’ well-meaning actions.
Of course, the games have seen a lot of scandal. The Chinese government officials said they would let journalists do whatever they like during the games. They were lying—arrests happened all over the place, and reporters found they couldn’t access certain Internet sites.
All that stuff, though, was overshadowed by the wonder of the games themselves. Usain Bolt of Jamaica broke world records and won gold medals with the everyday coolness of a cucumber that’s been hanging about in a fridge. Michael Phelps of America swam like a rocket-powered fish, winning so many gold medals that the miners probably were a bit knackered by the end of it all. (He holds seven gold medals, apparently.) And Great Britain—hurrah—transformed from underdog to… well, overdog. I wish I were patriotic, I really do.
Anyhow, the Beijing Olympics have ground to a halt, and in four years it will be London’s turn to host the games. To mark the handover, a special concert has been being held in the city. Music with a theme of “winning” is being played. And the slightly irritating band Scouting For Girls has played a bad cover of… well, a Clash song about a nuclear attack on London. (A great song, I’m told, but inappropriate, and poorly-played by SFG.)
Things can only get better, I guess.