Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Research Paper

First Advisor

Kathy Barlow

Abstract

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games was one of the most highly anticipated mega sporting events of the last century. Three billion people worldwide were expected to watch the opening ceremonies. In an international poll, 90% of adults planned on turning their television sets to games. Tourism experts predicted that approximately 2 million tourists would flock to Beijing within the two-week time period of the games, with an estimated 500,000 of these visitors coming from overseas. China invested $42 billion dollars, and time into preparing the city for the competition. China looked to use the games to catapult them into being a respected international leader. The nation promised to address human rights issues that have dwelled in the country for centuries. China pledged to become more lenient in their freedom of press, be less hostile toward their citizens, and looked to provide a better standard of living for all Chinese citizens living in Beijing. However, during the games none of these predictions and promises rang true. The predicted numbers did not materialize, and China failed to maintain their human rights efforts

Comments

WSP Major: Sports in Social Contexts

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