After Beijing It Is Harbin's Turn To Shine.

[baron-pierreIV]

"Huh... well. I guess it's not THAT big of a deal to be the alpha dog after all. Let's find other things to do!"

They will. Well, just wait till they launch their Project 119 for the Winter slate, and China will GUN like gangbusters for Harbin. Just give them time to master the Biathlon, Grand Slalom, and Curling.

You can be sure Zhang Yimou is telling his bosses: Ya know, we could replicate our mahvelous Opening on ice and snow...

[LiuTian]

Since now the Vice-President Of IOC, Yu Zaiqing, is a Harbiner, it seems that Harbin is getting more chance.

If Harbin got 2012 YOG, it will be a goodbye to Harbin for 2018. But I don't think Harbin could get 2012 because 2010 is also in Asia. I notice the poll in the first page of GB.com shows Harbin gets the most votes of 2012 YOG from the GB visters.

[huaiwei]

The athletes made Beijing the success it was, not the organizers.

If that is not a desirable outcome, I do not know what is.

Considering the size of China, it is only a matter of time that the Olympics return to China, and I believe that can easily happen within our lifetimes. The IOC obviously doesn't care much about "broken promises", as long as promises made which are particularly relevant to sporting performance are met.

That Beijing managed to have largely fair weather during the games has obviously surprised many and pleased the IOC alot, for it has a direct impact on the performances of many athletes. Has the fiasco over internet censorship affected the athletes as much? Probably not, and the IOC has shown that it doesn't care as much either.

That same attitude will see Sochi hosting 2014, and a return of the games to China even without any major progress in its human rights record.

[huaiwei]

I don't understand the way what you've said. Yes there are a lot of cities like that, but each city is unique.

Well, in China it's hard to see a western cultures city. Harbin is a city with Chinese and Russian culture mixed.

I would think Qingdao has a more distinct east-west cultural identity, with its long period of German influences in particular.

[Rob2012]

If we go by the same logic, New York 2012 would have been a DEFINITE success regardless of "stadiumgate" because of the US' consistent Olympic hosting ability and marketing opportunities. Why did it lose? Mostly, the US had left a sour note with the rest of the world at the period of time.

That's a huge oversimplification. There was a sourness about the US at the time, but the UK wasn't exactly the most popular nation either but our bid went on to win.

"Stadiumgate" was the biggest factor in New York's performace; the timing of it stunk and with three of the world's Alpha cities going head to head, the promise of the Olympic flame in New York didn't have the impact it would have done had the city been taking part in any other bid race. In any ordinary race, it's possible just being New York, or being London, or being Paris would have been enough and the IOC may have overlooked certain technical mishaps. In this race it wasn't enough.

To win these three cities had to have bids which were percieved as technically excellent and presentations which went beyond their usual tourism pitches. New York fell down on the former, Paris on the latter.

[LiuTian]

You see, the stadium on the right side of the picture will hold the open and close celebrations for a Harbin Olympiad.

[LiuTian]

And to the one who called jiejie :

Honestly I'm shame on you. Really.

在这个论坛里，你就像个卖国贼一样，你觉得你光荣么