Eight is considered a lucky number in China, so the curtain will rise on the Beijing Olympics on 08/08/08, at precisely 8:08 p.m., inviting the world to peek in and witness three decades of economic progress and the $40 billion transformation of the nation's capital.
It promises to be the grandest Olympics ever, as Tiananmen Square and the ancient Forbidden City are juxtaposed with cutting-edge architecture such as the whimsical Bird's Nest, a massive 91,000-seat stadium made of intertwined steel ribbons, and the Water Cube aquatic center, with its glowing blue bubbled walls. The new $3.8 billion airport terminal is among the most massive structures on earth.
But the Chinese will need more than luck to dissolve the thick smog and cloud of worries that hang over the Olympic host city.
Beijing's air quality remained a major concern in the weeks leading up to the Games, despite extensive efforts to clean it up. Human rights groups are still upset with China's treatment of Tibet and support of Sudan, which led to protests on foreign legs of the Olympic torch relay. And the international media is already complaining that it is facing restrictions in direct conflict with the "greater media freedom" promise the Chinese government made in 2001 when it made its pitch to host the Games.
All of these concerns have led the Chinese to clamp down. They stepped up security in the capital city of 16 million, and will employ 100,000 police officers during the Olympics. They also tightened visa restrictions through the summer.
As for the chronic air pollution, the government has imposed restrictions on traffic and factory emissions, in hopes of blue skies. The nearby port city of Tianjin ordered 40 factories to shut down on July 25 and remain closed until the end of September - after the Paralympics. More than 200 steel mills in surrounding areas will suspend operations from late July through the Olympics. Round-the-clock construction in Beijing will be halted in the weeks leading to the opening ceremonies. And, beginning July 20, the city will aim to reduce the number of cars on the road by nearly 2 million with alternate-day driving rules based on license plate numbers.
Despite the efforts, some athletes are worried. Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, the world-record holder in the marathon, decided not to race in that event because he suffers from asthma and was concerned about the smog. He will race at 10,000 meters instead. The Australian Olympic Committee has urged its athletes to arrive as late as possible and skip the opening ceremonies. The British Olympic team will train in Macau and get to Beijing at the last minute.
Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee, said outdoor endurance events that last more than one hour — such as the marathon — will be postponed if the air quality is not satisfactory.
Pollution is also to blame for the thick green algae in the waters of Qingdao, the Olympic sailing venue. More than 100,000 people have been hired to remove the clumps of green algae by hand in the hopes the water will be clean in time for the races.
Though he admitted pollution remains a concern, IOC inspector Hein Verbruggen said Beijing looked ready to host the Games, and that "the quality of preparation, the readiness of the venues and the attention to operational detail for these games have set a gold standard for the future."
Chinese officials are hoping the success of the games and the performances of the Chinese athletes will not only unite the Chinese people in this era of complex cultural change, but also establish the country as a superpower in the global political and economic arena.
Like the new rich family that moves into the neighborhood, China is going out of its way to impress.
Chinese athletes will be under tremendous pressure to win. China is one of the few countries that still supports a Soviet-style Communist sports program, in which athletes are hand-picked at a young age and shipped off to training centers. More money was poured into the sports program after China was awarded the games, and the results have been evident in the medal counts at recent Olympics.
The Chinese finished fourth in the gold medal count (16) at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, behind the United States, Russia and Germany. They moved up to third in 2000 with 28 golds, and at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, they finished second with 32 golds. Only the U.S. team did better with 34 gold medals.
Look for China to clean up medals in table tennis, badminton and diving. Also, world-record holder Liu Xiang is expected to win the 110-meter hurdles. Xiang, like basketball star Yao Ming, has become a sports icon. He is the face of Coca-Cola, Nike and Visa in China.
China has also made a breakthrough in women's tennis. Zheng Jie made it to the semifinals of Wimbledon before losing to Serena Williams. She was the first Chinese athlete - male or female - to reach the semifinal of a Grand Slam, and she will be a medal contender in Beijing.
As for the U.S. team, several athletes are already poised to make the cover of a Wheaties box. World champion gymnast Shawn Johnson has the skills and smile to be the star-spangled darling of these Olympics. And if she doesn't win, Nastia Liukin might. Swimmers Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Natalie Coughlin and 41-year-old mom Dara Torres are sure to make a big splash. The U.S. basketball teams are loaded with stars, and eager to establish their dominance. And Americans Tyson Gay, Sanya Richards, Lauryn Williams and Allyson Felix are among the favorites in track and field.
Assuming Gay recovers from a hamstring pull, his showdowns with Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell could be electrifying. Look for world records in the pool (thanks to the high-tech Speedo swimsuit) and the track (fingers crossed for no positive doping results).
It remains to be seen whether the haze will clear over Beijing. But there is no question these will be momentous Olympics, and the world will be tuned in more intently than ever.