On July 13th, the International Olympic Committee announced that Beijing, China would host the 2008 Games. While China represents one-quarter of mankind, the country has never organized an Olympics, and many feel that they are not deserving of hosting the 2008 Summer Games.

As residents of Beijing rejoiced in the streets and newspaper headlines exclaimed “56 Votes – A Beautiful Win,” controversy loomed across globe. From neighboring Taiwan to India, America and Canada, little faith was put into the belief that China would be able to show “a modern face” at the Games.

A country known for its human rights abuses, China, while bidding to serve as host to the Games, jailed scholars, suppressed the Falun Gong spiritual movement, and carried out almost 2,000 executions, in addition to subjecting the condemned to public humiliation. While the Olympic Committee hopes that in the seven years leading up to the games China will demonstrate a respect for human rights, a spokesman for the Central Tibetan Administration claimed that, “This will put the stamp of international approval on Beijing’s human rights abuses and will encourage China to escalate repression” (CNN.com).

Can becoming a host country for the Olympics ignite a dramatic change in social structure? Kevin Wamsley, director of the International Center for Olympic Studies at the University of Western Ontario, says no. According to Wamsley, “There is a feeling that the Olympic Games promote world peace and humanitarian causes and can impact social change immediately. History shows the Games have not done these kinds of things. I don’t think we saw any less racism in the U.S. because the Olympics were in Atlanta” (New York Times).

Furthermore, Taiwan, a country that's independence has been threatened by China, was not overjoyed with the news. While optimists believe that peace between China and Taiwan would be assured as the Games become closer, pessimists feel that nationalism might swell on the mainland, making invasion inevitable.

Would you have voted for China to host the 2008 Olympics? Do you think that serving as host to the 2008 Olympics will make China a country that is tolerant of all religious beliefs and conflicting political ideals? What do you think about the situation with Taiwan – do you think peace will be achieved or will a power struggle ensue?