2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing – Is China a Safe Bet?
Games of the XXIX Olympiad, less officially known as the Beijing Olympics 2008, will be launched on August 8. The grand event's opening ceremony is designed to take place at the Beijing National Stadium in Beijing, China. Beijing was elected the host city of the competition back in 2001 during the 112th International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Russia, beating other highly prominent locations, such as Paris, Toronto and Istanbul. During the upcoming Olympiad, athletes from numerous countries around the globe will compete in 302 sporting events.
First recorded in 776 BC in Greece, the original Olympic Games were staged until AD 393. Unfortunately, from that point forward the competition was discontinued. However, in 1859, Greek businessman and philanthropist Evangelis Zappas decided to revive the games and went to fund the first modern Olympiad. In 1894, Baron de Coubertin, a French aristocrat, helped establish the International Olympic Committee. The first of the Committee's games were the 1896 Summer Olympics. Ever since then, participation in the Olympic events has increased dramatically. And, unsurprisingly, with the improvement of the global telecast technology, the Olympics are gaining overwhelming popularity and support on a constant basis.
Although the 2008 Summer Olympics are yet to begin, they have already been involved in a fair share of political controversies and disputes. Concerns over the approaching competition largely include potential boycotts from pro-Tibet protestors as well as political entities highly displeased with China's financial support of Omar al-Bashir, the man behind the Sudanese government's proxy militias. Additionally, according to a report issued by Amnesty International, many violations of the most basic human rights have and will take place in China because of the Olympics. For instance, it has been reported that over a million Beijing residents will be evacuated from their homes for the Olympics event. German chancellor Angela Markel, for example, has already announced that she would not attend the opening ceremony.
Despite the recent negative attention associated with its preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games, China has managed to gain the respect of the members of one particular industry. These are the operators of online sportsbook websites. Interestingly enough, Internet bookmakers seem to be convinced that this year China has good chances of winning the most gold medals overall. There are a number of reasons behind such predictions. First and foremost, being familiar with the local venues makes the competition much easier for Chinese athletes. Second, the country that hosts the Olympiad qualifies automatically in team sports, such as football and baseball. This means that, compared to other countries, it ultimately takes part in more events. Nevertheless, nothing is certain yet and despite the strength of these arguments, it is still left for us to see whether or not betting website operators are right about the Olympics betting odds they currently offer...
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