CloseUp
As is evidenced by this month's CloseUp the Beijing Olympics is in every sense a mega-event. The research we have pulled together only scratches the surface, but it speaks to how the Olympics can truly impact the lives of individuals and communities in both serious and joyful ways.
Please take a minute to explore one or two titles in this collection - or even just this month's staff picks. Whether you watch or don't watch this year, the research being produced by these nonprofits provides us all with a clearer picture.
We have gathered research on the Olympics into several different subtopics:
- Research specific to the Olympics Games
- Research on China, with a special focus on Human Rights Issues, Media Censorship, and Environmental concerns.
- Research on Disabilities and Inclusion in Sports
- Research on Female Athletes and Sports more generally.
STAFF PICKS
Lisa
Beijing Water Crisis: 1949 - 2008 Olympics
The report I chose was "Beijing Water Crisis: 1949 - 2008 Olympics" contributed by the Energy Probe Research Foundation and authored by the Probe International Beijing Group.
I'm a long-time fan of the Olympics and typically watch the coverage from opening to closing ceremony. So I've been very focused on not only securing research for our Olympics Closeup, but on news about the Beijing Olympics in general. The massive preparations host cities undergo to put on the show that is The Olympics are, I find, always fascinating. For the Beijing Olympics I've been tracking the environmental angle (still can't get out of my mind recent images of thousands of people clearing algae from what will be Beijing's sailing venue) so this report was right up my alley.
The "Beijing Water Crisis" is a sobering read. The olympics play just one part of what in essence is the end-stage water crisis in the Beijing region -- urban, domestic, agricultural, industrial, and recreational (namely golf course maintenance) water useage are also discussed.
The role of the olympics in furthering Beijing's water woes, however, is a true case-study in failed and/or neglected environmental, industrial, and consumer policies pertaining to water use. Of course, I'd thought about the need to fill and replenish newly built olympic-sized swimming and diving pools. What I hadn't thought about are things like luxury hotels popping up here and there in Beijing and piping hyper-precious groundwater into man-made water-scapes in order to woo Olympic-bound foreign customers. As well, Beijing officials have created man-made lakes, streams, and fountains to recreate and feature the city as truly Olympic.
Policy suggestions conclude this well-written and thorough description of the many problems Beijing will face as the Olympics come to a close. Anyone who reads this research won't be able to help thinking about next steps for Beijing -- and the true costs of hosting the olympic games -- while watching the closing ceremonies.
Vanessa
Race to the Bottom: Corporate Complicity in Chinese Internet Censorship
Though I am in the camp with those who are choosing to boycott the Olympics, I am glad that its placement in Beijing has directed my attention to the breadth of human rights violations that the people of China are enduring. "Race to the Bottom: Corporate Complicity in Chinese Internet Censorship People in China" from Human Rights Watch interests me because it tells about human rights violations in a way that hits very close to home. People who have written blogs and/or sent emails about political points-of-view that the Chinese government disapproves of have been imprisoned, and US Internet companies that I know and use not only keep information from their Chinese customers, but have assisted in their arrests!
The majority of banned search-terms are political in nature. About 20% are related to Falungong (religious group whose members are detained in labor camps and organs stolen for the underground international transplant market)! 15% are names of Chinese officials and their families, another 15% are words related to anti-corruption, and 10% are words commonly used in political discourse like "dictatorship" and "freedom." Some banned words and phrases from the list that I was curious to look up, using the much-freer version of Google I get to access here in the US, are "fetus soup" and "foot and mouth disease," adding the word "China."
"Race to the Bottom" includes letters that Human Rights Watch sent to each US Internet Service Provider questioning them about their human rights and censorship practices, and in some cases the companies' replies. Read "Race to the Bottom," but be forewarned that you might not be able to look at your Internet Service Provider the same again!
Sarah
Where is the "Frugal Olympics"?
While there are certainly a number of opinions about the Olympics, I'm sure the one aspect of the games we can all agree on is that they are simply larger than life. The soaring stadiums, extravagant promotional events, and medals of gold certainly thrill many. But in a year of worldwide economic crises one has to wonder: who really picks up the tab, and is it worth it?
Recognizing the contradiction of hosting such an ostentatious event within such a partially undeveloped country, the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) pledged early on to "follow the principles of being frugal, pragmatic instead of seeking luxury," and stressed that as a developing country, "it is more necessary for Beijing (than other Olympic host cities) to ... attach importance to frugality and pragmatism."
What I appreciate about Human Rights in China's report is that it not only highlights the gap between the BOCOG's words and deeds, it highlights the voices of Chinese citizens themselves on the matter. Taking comments from internet sites, blogs, discussion forum, and local papers, they've compiled a very interesting collection of sentiments expressed by those dismayed by the lack of transparency in regards to Olympic finances (no figures have been made public to date), the corruption (audits have found that millions have been misused), and sheer waste in a country where many want for food and shelter.
Looking beneath the shiny surface of the games, it's easy to see that such a production comes at a highcost to taxpayers. Is it fair, is it just? If you want to hear the perspective of those who are made to pick up the tab, be sure to check out "Where is the 'Frugal' Olympics?" by Human Rights in China.
Stacy
Changing Lives through Sport -- A Report Card on the Impact of Special Olympics
This report is a nice, though brief, testament to the virtues and benefits of the Special Olympics. Though it sometimes reads like a mission statement, this ends up being less troubling than you would think since the mission is admirable and, as evidence shows, effective. More than 75% of Special Olympics athletes participate for longer than 5 years, and athletes, family, and coaches report impressive social, health, skills, and personal improvement. The Special Olympics clearly affect many people in many ways, but lest we forget they are at heart a sports competition the report offers the fact that, "During the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Dublin, Ireland, 38 individual athletes' performances would have bettered performances by athletes in the 2004 International Summer Olympics in Athens." It's not hard for me to imagine how the Special Olympics are doing great things for people with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) and "to impact the perspectives of society at large toward this population." Now, after reading the report, I don't have to imagine.
Gabi
My pick for the Olympic CloseUp is a 2006 report from the Women's Sports Foundation. I especially appreciated this analysis of gender equity in the 2006 Olympic and Paralympic Games because it doesn't just stop at counting female participants. It goes on to take a critical look at the media coverage of female athletes and interestingly at the number of women in positions of leadership at the IOC and other Olympic institutions. Although the numbers overall are improving the situation is still pretty grim, especially in regards to gender equity in institutional leadership.
The report also takes a closer look at the intersections of gender, race, and disability, providing us with a much richer basis for policy recommendations. The report charts the number of women athletes who identify as women of color, (only 1 woman identified as African American out of 264 athletes who participated in the 2006 Olympic games!), and provides participation rates for disabled female athletes in the 2006 Paralympics (in which only 21% of the participants were women) in comparison to the 2006 Olympics.
Seeing so few women athletes in regular programming has always made me grateful for the Olympics. But this study rightfully points out that the Games are a rare opportunity to increase visibility for women athletes, leading to higher earnings, sponsorships, and scholarships - and simply put, what we've seen up until now just isn't enough!
This is a great report for anyone interested in gender equity, women athletes, and the organizational politics and power of Olympic committees and institutions.
