Big Question Has the Olympics had a positive affect on the world ?

Small Questions 1 What is the affect on China wildlife?

China, along with the United States and Western Europe, is a major destination for illegally trafficked wildlife products. According to international wildlife trade-monitoring network traffic, China is the world’s largest market for illegal wildlife products, including elephant ivory and tiger parts. The NGO Wild Aid is using the Olympics as a platform to not simply raise awareness of an environmental issue, but to prompt individuals to stop consuming endangered species. Worldwide, trade in illegal species is approximately $10 to $20 billion a year. This trade operates similar to the drug trade in that is ultimately driven by demand. Peter Knights noted that in the past, international animal protection campaigns in China have focused on protecting land for habitat, but today much of these protected lands have been emptied of animals due to the thriving trade in animals for meat and parts. Wild Aid believes that targeting consumption habits of individuals is the only way to combat this multi-country illegal trade.

Small Questions 2 What is the affect on the people of China?

On July 13th 2001, when Beijing won the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games, the Chinese government promised the world it would improve China's human rights record. In June 2004, Beijing announced its Olympic Games slogan, "One World, One Dream." From their inception in 1896, the modern Olympic Games have always had as their mission the promotion of human dignity and world peace. China and the world expected to see the Olympic Games bring political progress to the country. Is Beijing keeping its promises? Is China improving its human rights record? When you come to the Olympic Games in Beijing, you will see skyscrapers, spacious streets, modern stadiums and enthusiastic people. You will see the truth, but not the whole truth, just as you see only the tip of an iceberg. You may not know that the flowers, smiles, harmony and prosperity are built on a base of grievances, tears, imprisonment, torture and blood.

Small Questions 3 In what ways have the Olympics affected Beijing ?

The owners of the demolished houses for the construction of the Olympic venues in Beijing have all been appropriately resettled, an official said on Tuesday. The demolition and relocation program proceeded seriously in conformity with laws and regulations of the central and local governments and the plans of the construction of the Olympic venues, the official of the Beijing Municipal Construction Commission told a press conference at the Beijing Olympic Media Center, with the attendance of more than 100 journalists from up to 60 Chinese and foreign media. There have been many affects on Beijing. Like the air pollution has improved and will stay that way with new laws introduced witch will increase the tourist input into Beijing. Others like learning a new language or politeness to tourists and having all the new stadiums to have sporting competitions in the future and other events.

Small Questions 4 What has the affect been on some of the better Olympic host cities ?

1. Beijing, China, Summer 2008: The Architecture Olympics Going for gold: For Beijing, the Olympics is an ideal showcase for a society that is charging, seemingly unstoppably, into a position of worldwide power and influence. As a result, it has the potential to be one of the most successful Games ever. The effort will be expensive, but when you are attempting to turn a still rough-edged city into "a Chinese-style Manhattan," as one observer described it, an estimated infrastructure cost of $40 billion doesn't seem so unrealistic. In particular, the architecture created in the name of the 2008 Games is being hailed as cutting- edge, with the National Stadium, popularly called the "Bird's Nest", likely to be long remembered as a symbol of a rising China. 2. Barcelona, Summer 1992: The Successful Olympics Going for gold: Barcelona's Games was such a success that you can be damn sure every subsequent Olympic host studied its model carefully. It not only presented a face to the world that everyone wanted to see more of, it also built an infrastructure that could accommodate them. We can't help but think Bilbao took a few tips from Barcelona before the "Bilbao Effect" sparked global interest five years after the Games. 3. Atlanta, Summer 1996: The Bad Olympics Going for gold: The Atlanta Games were not one of the more stellar performances in Olympics history. As in L.A., the organizers in Atlanta were dedicated to hosting on the cheap — raising so much sponsorship money that we almost expected to see athletes passing a Coca-Cola bottle instead of a torch. And, considering the general mess made of logistics, not knowing which way to run with it.

Small Questions 5 Has their been death at the Olympics ?

The murders in Munich Olympics 1972 proceeded by 20 hours of high drama and precipitated by a horrendously bungled police shootout gripped most of the world in despair. Because the drama was carried live on television the suspense involved everyone. This time the final monstrous twist was that the killings were in Munich, the original spawning ground of Nazism and the victims were Jews. The mammoth operation had evidently been planned to create maximum outrage. It succeeded, probably beyond its planners' craziest dreams. Invading the Olympic village and taking nine Israelis and killing two others, eight young Palestinians managed to expose every weakness in the forces of law and in the helpless governments involved in the crisis. The failures of security, of crisis judgment and of police operations and information will be debated for months to come.

Small Questions 6 Are their politics at the Olympics ?

1976 Held in Montreal, the 1976 Summer Olympics were marred with more boycotts as well as drug allegations against the East Germans. The boycotts were held out by 26 African countries because New Zealand's rugby team toured South Africa Moscow's 1980 Summer Olympics was the year of the largest boycott in Olympic history. The boycott included the USA and 61 other countries in response to the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan. The 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York stirred controversy because of plans to convert the Olympic athletes' dormitory facilities into a state prison afterwards. This made legal history when the National Moratorium on Prison Construction won a court ruling allowing its use of the Olympic symbol on a poster as protected speech Since the beginning of 2008 especially during the protests of the torch relay of 2008 Summer Olympics, the prospect of boycotting the 2008 games in Beijing grew. The protesters' aims are not only the human rights of Mainland China but also the independent campaign and violence of Tibet. Another major factor was the Chinese support for the regime in Sudan, this issue led to Steven Spielberg pulling out as artistic director of the games. U.S. president George W. Bush committed to attending the opening ceremonies. Ultimately, no nations boycotted the games; however, several prominent world leaders such as Angela Merkel and Gordon Brown did not attend the opening ceremony.

Conclusion The Olympics have changed the world in m any ways some good and some bad. Good ones are like Beijing has improved its air pollution. All the new stadiums built for the Olympics can be used during future events. Some bad like the killings in Munich and political rights protests by monks. Other effects on China wildlife welfare awareness has been raised and people are doing things to stop animals being killed. More affects are many of houses being destroyed to build the new stadiums in the host cities. The affects on host cities have mostly been positive boosting tourist rates and having new facilities.

By Scott