Six years ago, the news that China would host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games drew a mixed response from the international community. The spectrum of feelings covered everything from enthusiastic expectation to doubts over whether a nation still considered a developing country would be able to handle the immense responsibility of hosting a world-class sporting event. Since then, China has worked hard to ensure the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games would be nothing less than unforgettable. On site in Beijing, the organizers of the Games have been able to effectively abate any and all worries that representatives of the national Olympic Committees may have had prior to visiting the city. The preparations, which have proceeded on schedule, have been qualified as first class. China has made it its top priority to make sure the Games will be a complete success.

The center for Humanistic Olympics Studies at Beijing's Renmin University is dedicated to research of the Olympic phenomenon. Radio86 met Jin Yuanpu, a professor at the center, in October at the inauguration of the first Finnish Confucius Institute in the University of Helsinki.

Jin Yuanpu has headed the Olympic studies center since its establishment in 2000. He says that the research at the center focuses on understanding the culture and concept of the Olympic Games, as seen from a humanistic viewpoint. The center specializes in four areas of activity, namely scientific research, developing educational programs, promoting academic exchange and providing consultation services. In practice, the department studies all Olympics-related phenomena, provides training programs for researchers and volunteers of the Games, organizes international conferences and advises administrative bodies on matters related to the Games.

Harmony takes top priority at the Games

Jin Yuanpu studies the impact of the Olympic Games on Beijing and the rest of the world. (Image: Radio86)The Humanistic Olympics Studies Center was established at the initiative of the Beijing local government and Olympic Committee. Professor Jin Yuanpu participated in laying the groundwork for the department and has headed a number of its projects. By October of this year, the center had carried out about thirty different research projects, and more are underway.

The Humanistic Olympics Studies Center works in close cooperation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the organizers of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. A program called Olympic Games Impact (OGI) provides the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOGOC) with information about the impact of the Games on the host city before, during and after the event.

Renmin University was invited to conduct the project, and receives help from the International Olympic Committee, professor Jin explains. The center has helped organize a number of BOGOC conferences, he adds.

What new does Beijing have to offer to the Olympic institution?

The Beijing Olympic Games are being organized with emphasis on environmental and humanistic values, without forgetting a touch of high-tech wizardry. However, the humanistic aspect of the project comes before all else. The Chinese word hehe, which best corresponds to the English word 'harmony' but is much broader as a concept, is also the underlying idea behind the Beijing Olympics.

Jin Yuanpu stresses the importance of implementing special educational programs in view of preparing for the Games. With this in mind, the Humanistic Olympics Studies Center has organized sports events in schools of all levels in China. These events focus on fostering participation, fun and physical activity, with the added aim of promoting togetherness and the 'hehe spirit.'

Jin Yuanpu feels that by hosting the Games, China is setting a positive example for other developing countries who would like to eventually take on the same task. The Beijing Olympics also employ 130 million people in one way or another, and this is a very significant thing to remember, Jin says.

Drawing on the experiences of others

In a report to the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee stated that preparations for the 29th Olympic Games are proceeding as planned. The IOC and other international athletic organizations have also praised the preparations. Out of the 37 new competition venues to be built, 27 have already been completed. Work on the National Stadium will be finished by March, and the opening and closing ceremonies are already being rehearsed. The first phase of ticket sales is also successfully behind and a total of over 6,700 volunteers have been recruited to give athletes and Olympic tourists a hand during the Games.

In Helsinki, Jin said the opening of the Confucius Institute serves as a good example of the type of collaboration that exists between China and Finland. The institute will help promote dialog between professors and academicians of the two countries, he said.

According to Jin, there is also another event in history that stands out as being significant in the collaboration between Finland and China. 1952 was the first year that China participated in the Olympic Games under the name of the People's Republic of China. That year, the Games were held in the Finnish capital of Helsinki. Jin says that at the Games, the members of the Chinese delegation felt that the Finnish Olympic organizers were very understanding and helpful, in spite of some confusion over the name of the country they represented...

In the 1950's, the People's Republic of China had not yet been officially recognized by the IOC, because the committee had not been able to decide whether it would invite mainland China or Taiwan to the Games. Only two days before the start of the Games the decision was made that mainland China would represent the entire state.

Studies conducted at the Humanistic Olympics Studies Center show that the Helsinki Games were very successful, Jin says, adding that they will also serve as an example to the organizers of the Beijing Olympics.

Green Olympics

What will be the most visible impact that the Olympic Games will have on Beijing?

First of all, the city's economy is estimated to grow by about two percent as a result of hosting the Games, but this growth should not be allowed to take place at the expense of the environment, Jin says. The concept of the green gross domestic product is the guiding principle of the Bejing Olympics, Jin stresses.

Giant Olympic mascots in Tiananmen Square. (Image: Radio86)The urban environment, air quality and public transportation system have already undergone great improvements in Beijing, Jin summarizes the progress made. But most importantly, the Olympics will have a huge impact on China's cultural development. Right now, the Chinese are focusing on replacing a China known for its cheap exports by a China known for its rich culture, Jin says. At this moment, China wants to give global cultural interaction top priority, he says.

As the Olympic Games draw closer, their political significance has become the topic of heated discussion. Some have threatened to boycott the Games unless China changes its stance with regard to the crises in Sudan and Myanmar and does more to help solve the problems these places are facing. China has responded to the pressure by saying that it is only abiding by its policy of noninterference. China has also reiterated on a number of occasions that politics should be kept out of the Olympics. This is also the personal opinion of Jin Yuanpu, who describes the Olympics as a world conference with over 200 nations as its participants. There, cultural exchange and the interests of the general public should take center stage, not global political issues.

Life after the Olympics?

Will hosting the Olympic Games help change the image of China in the eyes of the rest of the world? China has vowed to allow foreign media to report freely from the country and interview whoever they like, provided that they first ask the interviewees' approval. Professor Jin Yuanpu believes that the Olympics will help the world adopt a more positive view of China. Already now Beijing is being presented in a more positive light in the media compared to a couple of years ago.

But what will happen in Beijing after the Games? Jin Yuanpu says that studies have been conducted on the consequences of organizing the Olympics. This is also the purpose of the ”Post-Olympic Games in Beijing” project.

Generally, every city undergoes a period of recession after hosting the Games, Jin says. However, this effect will not have a significant impact on Beijing due to its huge population and size, he adds. The size of the city was one of the most carefully considered factors right from the get-go, when the Olympic venues were being planned. Moreover, the Olympics gave Beijing a good reason to upgrade its sports facilities, which were already becoming insufficient considering the city's growth rate. For example, the new National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, has already been booked solid for two years after the Olympics.