Political correctness and the government is in control of everyone's life. Sounds like paradise to a liberal!

+1. Well said.

Doug, please show the evidences on what you said.

Just because you do not live in a "communist" country, it doesn;t mean you can say whatever you want ithout evidence.

You are SO right!! The question is: How does this idea become reality? One country could host the Winter games and another country host the Summer games in facilities already built for them.
Another suggestion is: eliminate the monopoly of television coverage.

Doug makes many valid points, but he should not forget what history has shown about the Olympics. Doug wrote that "the likes of" Moscow and Beijing and Berlin should never have been awarded the hosting of Olympic Games because the hosts were fascists or communists who staged the games to fool the world about their oppressive rule. However, Berlin held the games in 1936 and less than ten years later Berlin was in ruins and the Nazis were destroyed. Moscow held the 1980 Olympics and a scant 11 year later, Moscow was the capital of only Russia instead of the Soviet Union, as that entity crumbled. Beijing is the capital of a vast communist China today, but what will it be in a scant 10-11 years? Having the world's undivided attention on a country for 2 weeks seems to push the country's populace or government to take action. Sometimes, like in Berlin, that action blossoms into nationalist fervor and world war. SOmetimes, like in Moscow, that action blossoms into a drive for independence and capitalism (even if the Russian capitalism was corrupt from the start). What action will blossom in Beijing post-Olympics?

Sportsmanlike!!
Doug you may well be right in all you say about the Chinese olympics. However you can't get away from the fact that the Chinese have come a long way to where they are today. Perhaps not in the exact mold that you and I would like but let's be "sportsmanlike" and turn down the sour grapes a little. They are doing a good job.

Wow, Doug, that was awesome. Totally agree. Thanks for having the courage to say it.

It's so easy to point the finger at others. I have enjoyed the games and applaud China for their efforts. It has been wonderful to see stories about this "hidden" country.

Most of your complaints are speculation. And I think you are reaching to complain anyway.

It is true about the fireworks. Just do a search for "olympics fake fireworks". Legit news sources have stories about it. I also found a couple stories about the Chinese government filling empty seats at the openning ceremony.

I do have to agree with what Fake or Fiction said about this possibly leading to the downfall of the Chinese government.

Doug, you hit it right on the head. You have the courage to state what so many of us are thinking as we nightly watch the spectacle on TV. I sit in my seat wondering how the Chinese (who previously have never competed in so many of these sports) are racking up the golds. Growing up in the Cold War, I know the answer - the great Communist machine.

I too believe it's all a facade designed to legitimize their way of life - all so that the totalitarian regime may continue to dominate and oppress a wonderful people who have the same inalienable rights we do. I bet you the British won't conduct themselves this way in 2012. You won't see the Brits racing us in the medal count like the Chinese are now. And, I also bet you the Chinese won't have near the medal count next games as they do this one either. It's not a political competition, but an athletic one. I hope we will rediscover the true meaning of the games someday.

I volunteered at the hockey venue at the Salt Lake Games, and was surprised at the number of empty seats, even during the medal rounds. Of course the media section, which took up about 1/4 of the seats, was consistently empty.

Maybe we should have shipped in a few "fake" fans.

The olympics have been wonderful. It is better for China to participate on the world stage. We need them to be connected to the world community despite differing ideologies.

Doug, you are right on with this one. It makes me sick to think of all the wasted money on these games.

I've noticed a common thread that runs through a lot of people who are constantly complaining about these olympics: FEAR. Before these games even started a laundry list was put up of all the terrible things that China does --and will do-- during the games. How awful the air would be, how unsecure the athletes would be, and on and on. Then the games started and the opening ceremony was the most amazing performance ever put on in human history. And the air turned out to be not that huge of a factor. And the athletes were safe.

So reporters anxious to find something wrong started looking anywhere they could, and complained about the lip-syncing girl (even though it's a common occurance every year at our Super Bowl) and the "fake" fireworks (that were all real besides the "footprints", which were pre-recorded because it would have been unsafe an impractical to try to have a helicopter chasing them down above the Beijing skyline).

And on it goes. New complaint after another. And I think it's because of FEAR of who the Chinese are, what they believe, how they live and what they may become. And that's sad.

Ahh, the Olympics. That wonderful time where people of all nationalities, ideologies, societies and religions lay aside their differences and disputes to come together in expensive new venues that we didn’t need to celebrate honest athletic endeavor. Culture is celebrated, relations and ties are forged, understanding is promoted. I know it because they tell me so at every opening ceremony, along with what that feel-good moment cost to put on. Then the competitions officially get underway the next day, and so does the jockeying for advantage, lobbying of officials, finger pointing, accusations of cheating, complaining about judging, filing of protests, and hatching of conspiracy theories. We see greedy hoarding of medals to accumulate personal glory, showboating by athletes who have to not only defeat but also humiliate their opponents, nations paying athletes to win gold, athletes throwing away anything that isn’t, and careful tracking of medal tallies to prove political superiority. It is not enough to compete well, one must also win. First place. Every time. Winning is, after all, our national birthright and ours alone.

And when the carnage has settled, we gather in the closing ceremony and pat ourselves on our collective backs, telling ourselves what a wonderful success this has been. The host nation wears its Olympic debt as proudly and jealously as the gold medals so recently coveted by so many, measuring expenditures against others who have ventured to do the same. We stand together as a world and look forward to the next Olympics while already percolating ideas on how we will show up our rivals and avenge our losses in four years. Pax Olympia, that paragon of ideals that we as a race strive for. No wonder this world is in such a mess.

Half of the money was spent on building enough bathrooms with plumbing for the participants and media...whew, you should be glad they didn't have to do it in an open trench.

As a neutral location I suggest Iceland. Antartica would be fine too.

The IOC needs to take control of anything that reeks of cheating, which is pretty clearly the case in gymnastics, since the information was raised by a Chinese newspaper. You wonder how many people are being negatively impacted by the whole thing. I agree it is time for permanent facilities. Or at least rotating them to 3 or 4 locations throughout the world.

Everyone calling Doug's comments "speculation" please let me know how you get internet reception from underneath the rocks you live under. None of this is a secret. It is well publicized. We just live in a world where people are afraid to call a spade a spade so we don't offend anyone. Thanks Doug for not falling into that category.

Many of the empty seats at the venues in the SLC 2002 Olympics were really due to two factors:
1) Corporate sponsors held many of the tickets and they were not available to the general public. 2)Many of the tickets that were available were ridiculously expensive.

I wonder if the 2008 games have the same issues?

The Olympics is no longer so much about athletic competition as it is a contest to see who can put on the best show. The fact that the price to entertain the world is escalating is not surprising. The opening ceremony must be about entertainment, which is a reflection of society--that is, it's all about me: If I'm going to invest MY time in watching those athletes walk around a track, I better be able to enjoy a spectacular extravaganza. Of course, to pay for that entertainment, they jack up the admission price, so no one can afford to actually go, which is why they have empty seats. The same was true here in Salt Lake.

Didn't Salt Lake cheat and bribe its way into getting the SLC Olympics?

Even Lou Dobbs couldn't one-up your xenophobia. Nice of you to focus on all the bad.

I spent considerable time living and working in China, and I still do business with China every day. The China I know and love has its problems. That is certain. But so do we. For all its problems, real and perceived, I never once felt unsafe on China's streets. I can't say that for American cities. In China I rarely encountered lazy slobs that just sat around with a sense of entitlement. Couch potatoes are everywhere here. The Chinese are well-mannered, family-oriented people with incredible ambition and attention to detail. China persevered horrible poverty and rose above it. The Chinese embody the human spirit and the power of the individual in ways long forgotten in the West.

China deserved every second of its coming out party. For every digitalized firework there were hundreds of magnificent real ones. For each fake voice, there were thousands of brilliant performers. For each alleged forged passport, there are dozens of legitimate gold medal athletes.

Get used to it, Doug. This is probably China's century.

It was even worse at curling -- and during the medal events, we volunteers (when not busy) were "encouraged" to sit in the stands. No one had to tell us why.

I agree with the assertion that the Chinese view this a a propaganda opportunity of the grandest proportions. However, I think the final outcome will be positive in many ways as the facade of perfection backfires and the antics cause the Chinese to lose face on the world stage - the worst consequence in the Chinese culture.

I am hopeful, as is Fake or fiction? 5:12 am, that this could be the beginning of the end for Chinese oppression.

For me, the legacy of the Beijing games will be "Dishonesty."

I'm sure the Chinese people have come a long way, as another poster said, but their government hasn't kept pace. The Chinese deserve honor and respect, but unfortunately the world doesn't always differentiate between the people and the government of China (Americans might be able to empathize with that, a little).

Their government heaps shame upon itself and them, and unfortunately they are too blinded by propaganda to see it.

Sorry Doug, I disagree.

I understand the inevitable hypocrisy of mixing politics with the Olympics, but the Olympics is an ideal, a work in progress.

The benefits of having different countries host the Olympics FAR outweigh the negative political backdrop created by the governments of some hosting countries. Everyone understands that the people of China live under the thumb of a repressive government. Despite the best efforts of the Chinese government to put on a "good face" for the rest of the world, the rest of the world is wise enough to understand that much of what we are seeing is a facade.

Still, there are millions of good, decent people who live in countries like China. People who have rich cultures and traditions. People who enjoy competition and have a drive to excel just as much as people living in countries that enjoy true freedom.

Designating permanent sites for the Olympics will not remove politics from the games.

What it will do is destroy some of the most interesting things about the Olympics: the unique opening ceremonies and the behind the scenes looks at the people and country hosting the Olympics.

That would be a shame!

A couple more things.

What is wrong with digitalized fireworks? Bravo to the Chinese. Not only did they invent real fireworks, they also were brilliant enough to use modern technology to enhance their visual effect.

I completely agree with Andrew above. Fear is behind most of the posts on this thread. But this fear is so misguided. I applaud China's growth and emergence as a superpower. I anxiously await unprecedented advances in medicine, science, technology as this immensely talented society continues to develop. China's contribution to the world will be astounding. I fully expect many of the most complex problems we face today, be it energy, environmental concerns, or healthcare, will be solved in China.

I am not disturbed about Doug Robinson. Some things that I hear, see and read. One area when my wife told me that Chinese Gymnastic coach going to shoot himself in the head was so disturbing of what was going on how the Chinese Government run. 13 Years of age Chinese girls are mentioned in past newspaper and now they are 16 years old. Chinse Athletes look like they are crying or fearing? Make you wonder what is going on in this big China. You know those Chinese Athletes sure look so good on how they perform on their routine really amazed me but being away from family for a long time really is sad. I don't know what to say, when this Olympic closed next week will be long forgotten in my mind. Bring back the Olympic at SLC for another Winter Olympic because we still have those facilities and the Greatest Snow on Earth! And it is already Paid UP!!

...if you think Doug and other people are so freaking wrong about China then why don't you try living there a few years? I'm sure you'll find it's a wonderful life style and you won't feel like you're living in fear at all. Just be sure to pack the right type & color of clothes and don't say anything that would indicate you sympathize with Tibet...

Oh and by the way, people that sing at the Super Bowl are lip synching their own pre-recorded music not somebody else's work.

I respectfully, and wholeheartedly, disagree with the tone and message of this article. China is not the U.S. They are a sovereign nation. Their laws and culture are different than ours. It is wrong-headed to think that all countries should be as 'advanced' and 'proper' as we think ours is. I can think of a laundry list of faults with our own country. We cannot impose our thinking on them.

I am grateful that China opened their doors to allow us to visit, to view and enjoy their country, culture and history. What a marvelous experience. My eyes have welled-up with tears a few times as I have viewed the Great Wall, the Forbidden Palace, the wonderful people with pride in their country, the many cultural and ecological sites, and on and on. What a beautiful place. I wish them all well. And, again, I express my gratitude for the two weeks that they provided for us to view these marvelous things along with the many great athletic events. God bless them, individually and collectively.

Everything Doug said is true. Whether you want to believe it or not, it's true. I have never respected China and I'm saddened that they have the Olympics. A nation like China -- that would tell a girl her crooked teeth make her not pretty enough to sing at the opening ceremony -- is not a country that deserves the Olympics. That single point alone is enough.

Unlike the US with its deficits, China has huge current account surpluses. If they chose to spend those surpluses building $44B of venues and provide employment for thousands doing so, good for them. Also, China has been an up and coming Olympic powerhouse, 4th in Golds in Atlanta, 3rd in Sydney, 2nd in Athens, and now 1st in Beijing. Their outstanding performance did not happen overnight, and is a testament to what a nation of 1.3B people can do when they work collectively instead of individually. In the US our focus on the individual rewards certain athletes (MLB, NBA, NFL stars) excessively while other athletes struggle to balance income providing jobs with the training required to compete on the world stage. When Roger Bannister ran the first 4 minute mile, he was a medical student training part time. There are no such athletes winning medals in these olympics. I won't be surprised if the future shows that only athletes in state (or perhaps private) sponsored full time training programs have what it takes to win gold in the olympics.

To Andrew: Bingo!!! But Doug will never get it.

By the way, the fans are not "fake", they are just getting free tickets.

China will not get as many medals in 2012? It may, it may not. Again, what does the term "home court advantage" means?

Doug has courage to say that? If he doesn't say something people like to hear, who will read his article?

Spoken like a bunch of people who have:

1) Never been to China, never spoken to an actual Chinese citizen, or understood anything abouttheir culture. Like the fact that it has lasted about 2,000 years and they outnumber us by 3 or 4 to one. If you actually talk to them instead of relying on the agenda prompted media, you will find most of them ARE as happy as most Americans. Do you really think the Chinese govenment holds a monopoly on corruption and two-facedness? Do any of you watch the local news?

and 2) have never competed in a sport contested only in the Olympics. For the Rowers, kyackers, wrestlers,mens gymnasts, archers, fencers and numerous other athletes; there are quite literally no other oportunities to compete in their sport. They have no profesional leagues, no TV dollars, no support from the public, and thanks to title IX, virtually NO opportunity to compete even collegiately.
They don't force you to watch them;and that is a shame because they are the ones with whom the Olympic ideals shine forth.

It's too bad that gripping and moaning is not an atheletic competition, you'd all tie for the gold!

In the US, we use public funds to build incredible sports venues which are used for the enrichment of the few (owners, players). In China, public funds are used to build incredible sports venues to showcase the nation and its people. Which is worse?

Yeah, but the real question is this:

What does Michael Phelps think about this?

Thank you Doug. I guess it's true. In China's case, you can indeed tell a book by it's cover. Olympic overhaul badly needed. There have been many problems over the years which are magnified when the entire world is watching. But your points are well taken. China should not be blamed for everything. Perhaps they are just continuing on in the spirit of national pride (a potential fault of any hosting nation). But the idea of a singular location is good. After all, is the sky really the limit for the games in terms of spending? Enough already.
Right on Doug. Keep it coming!

Texas has a worse human rights record than China. Funny that so many Texans on this board are so fearful of the Chinese. Maybe it is because they have an up close and personal view of the despicable actions human beings are capable of doing.

We paid China billions upon billions for ridiculous gadgets and trinkets. Even the most impoverished kid on an American street still has a pair of Nikes and an iPod made in China. What China decides to do with those dollars is their own business.

I have lived in China a few years. It wasn't all that bad. In some ways, it was a better life than our own. I learned to appreciate a lot of things in China, and I also learned to appreciate great things we enjoy here that they do not yet have. Mainly, however, I learned that U.S. media portrayels of China are, for the most part, completely off base and unfair. In the United States, we always need the big, dark demon in the closet that will jump out at any moment and snatch us all up. That is how we sell newspapers and it is how our government scares us into voting for some really, really stupid things. We did it during the communist witch hunts of the 1950s, we did it with our fixation on all things terror, and we're doing it again with our fear of the Chinese.

If history has taught us anything, it is that those who don't jump off the boogeyman bandwagon usually end up looking incredibly silly, naive and stupid to their grandchildren.

Because critize other countries, please go out and take a look first. How many people who has negative comments on China, including Doug, has a chop on their passport? If you had been to China, or other country, you will not say anything like a frog sitting in the well.

The fact that the Chinese government is willing to lie and cheat to get their best athletes who are not yet old enough into the womens gymnastics events pretty much says it all as far as I'm concerned. The truth will eventually come out and I hope the IOC takes action and strips them of their medals. There was another Chinese gymnast in the news recently who admitted she was under age when she competed in a previous Olympics.

One that Doug didn't mention was their government's cover up of the traditional dancer who was paralyzed during a rehersal when she fell about 10 feet due to faulty equipment and broke her back. She was a top celebrity performer in China and was supposed to have been featured in the opening ceremony. Instead they kept it hush-hush and substituted another young woman.

That little girl who's singing was used in the opening ceremony said she was proud that her country used her singing for the event. I hope that was really her saying that and not a government-prepared statement.

America can't escape some of the blame for the current state of the Olympic games. Doug refers to Moscow, Beijing and Berlin as political showcases, but how is that any different than what took place in Los Angeles, Atlanta or even Salt Lake? I never witnesses such an excess of pure capitalistic fervor as corporate America took over those games with wild abandon. Until the 1984 games, I never realized that the Olympics had or needed an official candy bar, potato chip, credit card or bathroom tissue. If China is indeed pushing the envelope on using the games as a national and political showcase, it's only because we handed the envelope to them in the first place.

Some of these comments are beyond the absurd. China doesn't deserve to host the Olympics because one person of a country of 1.3 billion people decided that a girl wasn't pretty enough to sing for the entire world?! Good riddance, have you ever been to a local beauty queen pageant? Given you logic (or complete lack thereof), how can we ever host the Olympics again given our entire society's fixation on perfectly aligned, glimmering white teeth? Don't you realize that China's last minute move was to avoid shame and rejection from shallow people like us?

"Every four years, another host country sinks billions into an Olympics, while politicians spout the old lies about the economic benefits it will bring to that part of the world. They build stadiums and arenas and parks and tracks and velodromes and so forth, when perfectly good facilities already exist around the world. There must be better uses for those billions."

Doug, somehow I don't recall you making this argument prior to/during the 2002 Olympics in SLC.
Different standard, I suppose.

To Doug, Doug, Doug: Anyone who doesn't believe that China didn't cheated and lied to get the Olympics doesn't understand the 'rules and etiquette of the European/Asian cultures.
No business is ever without it's required "remuneration for the ability" to do business. Those who can, will manage it in our society, but I wouldn't advise it, since there is always someone, envious enough to let it be known. As witnessed, it is against the law here, but not necessarily there.

A perspective from somebody who experienced the Moscow Olympics from the other side of the fence. Just like in China, in the typical communist style we had a lot of pokazukha, a Russian word that roughly translates as show-off, but it is too weak. But on the other hand, the number of athletic venues in Moscow doubled which increased opportunities for sport participation for the youth. When I got older, I trained in many of those facilities. I heard public announcements in English, and it was a start that later on led me to learn the language. Communism thrives off isolation. When a Communist country hosts the Olympics no matter what they do they dig Communism a grave. We should let them if they insist.