China 2008 – The Olympic Games in Beijing
The Summer Olympic Games will take place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to 24, 2008.
The China Olympics is a great sporting event. However, in addition to the sheer muscle and brains required to succeed at the China Olympics, there are other achievements that will precede this mammoth event.
Great architectural pieces will be the Beijing National Stadium, the Beijing National Indoor Stadium, the Beijing National Aquatics Center, the Olympic Green Convention Center, the Olympic Green and the Beijing Wukesong Cultural and Sports Center. US$2.1 billion in corporate bids and bids are expected to fund nearly 85 percent of the construction budget for the six major venues. Investments are expected from corporations seeking property rights after the 2008 Summer Olympics. Some venues will be owned and operated by the State Sports General Administration, which will use them after the Olympics as facilities for all future teams and national sporting events.
The centerpiece of the 2008 Summer Olympics is the Beijing National Stadium, construction of which began on December 24, 2003.
The Internet is also booming. From 123 million users in June 2006, the count rose to 132 in December 2006, and the rate of increase is expected to be higher in the near future. Broadband users in China are also growing. The last count was 52 million users and it is still growing. The official Internet user count is said to be underestimated and China’s Internet users have surpassed those of the US, reaching 200 million Internet users.
The Chinese government is encouraging the use of the Internet for education, online commerce, advertising, and game promotion. According to the China Internet Center, 67.9% of the time Chinese users spend browsing the Internet is spent devouring news. The Chinese, like people around the world, are realizing that the Internet is not only useful, but a necessity for daily life.
Yahoo competes with US rivals Google, Search BigDaddy and local portals such as Sina and Netease.com for market share in China. Barron’s said in May, citing Morgan Stanley analyst Mary Meeker. China may become the world’s largest Internet market within five years. Apparently, China is already number 1
Yahoo is the number one Chinese keyword search engine with a 40 percent market share in terms of revenue, according to Analysys Consulting.
In a statement on its mainland website, the company said it increased storage capacity for its free email service from 100MB to 1GB, matching the storage of rival Google’s upcoming Gmail offering.
While Gmail’s tests are limited to a select group, Yahoo’s update will roll out to all new and existing users of its mail service in China. However, subscribers must first sign in to Yahoo’s instant messaging service and add other users to their contact lists to qualify for 1 GB of storage.
Web logs in China received 101 million hits in 2006, the Xinhua news agency said, citing the 2007 China Internet Survey Report.
“Web logs have gradually become a new trend in Internet information communication, many public figures as well as ordinary people use web blogs… to express their thoughts,” said Huang Chengqing of the Association of China Internet, cited in the report.
The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics gave China its first gold medal. In fact, China was 4th and won 15 gold, 8 silver and 9 bronze medals. Since then, China has been establishing itself as a world sports power. The Beijing summer games are a showcase for China’s growth and development in all areas of human endeavor, including sports, business and technology.
After a lengthy selection process, the Olympic commission concluded that the Beijing games would leave a unique legacy for China and the sport, and concluded that China is ready to host excellent games. Then Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee, announced that Beijing had surpassed its competitors as host of the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Western companies have high hopes for the Bijing Olympics. Big changes are taking place and the city has to improve its infrastructure, build modern communication facilities and modern sports facilities, modernize its tourist accommodation and invest in alternative energy sources. Economists assume that the Olympic Games accelerate the development of the city and create additional growth.
1.3 billion Chinese are proud to show off their country to the world at the 29 Summer Olympic Games to be held in Beijing. Media facilities are very important and the media committee is working to provide the most advanced facilities for journalists, photographers, technicians and radio and television crews. It will also be a great media event.