More than a few people were skeptical in 2001 when Beijing, China, won the bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games, but this mere skepticism is quickly turning into a growing feeling of remorse. According to a recent article in US News & World Report, there is growing doubt regarding safety at most of the proposed venues for the 2008 Olympics. The doubt arose shortly after a subway tunnel collapsed during a renovation project. The state blamed this collapse on the engineer's failure to spot sub-standard soil deposits, but workers have been telling reporters a different story. These workers have been speaking to foreign reporters and telling them that the safety failures are a result of increasing corruption among the contractors working on the building sights who are "skimming off the top." One worker even pointed out where freshly made cement was already cracked and appeared to be "very aged." One reason for this is because contractors have been adding chemicals to cement vats so that the cement will dry quickly, but these chemicals cause the cement to become very brittle.
The Olympics are no stranger to corruption whether it be steroid use or the bribing of Olympic officials. However, China's form of corporate corruption may go farther than simply compromising sportsmanship; this corruption could endanger thousands of spectators and athletes. Also keep in mind that many believe the fuel to China's recent economic boom has been corruption. US News goes as far as to say that "no deal can be done in China unless money is exchanged under the table." You don't even have to look farther than the recent recall of Chinese made Mattel toys to see that the Chinese are not afraid to compromise quality to save a little cash.
The 2008 Olympics were bound to have a little excitement and anxiety, but now it looks as if you can definitely add concern to the mix. The idea of a Beijing Olympics was supposed to foster outside connections to a once very isolated and xenophobic culture. However, if these safety reports are true, it looks as if these Olympics could be closing just as many doors as they were supposed to be opening.
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I wonder how much of stories like this are cultural. There were similar concerns about Athens' games in 2004. Kickbacks and bribery, fears that the venues would not be ready, and so on.
Maybe this is a U.S. cultural bias against other nations we feel to be corrupt?
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