China exploded in celebrations last Friday night when the International Olympic Committee awarded Beijing the right to host the 2008 Games. The rest of the world's reaction was more reserved. While millions of Chinese rejoiced, human rights advocates voiced concern that the Games would be used to put an international stamp of approval on a repressive regime. The IOC is gambling that openness will encourage China's political evolution. While we applaud China's success and look forward to a successful Games, we, along with the rest of the world, will be watching to see if China honors its promises to host Games that live up to and honor the Olympic spirit.
Although Beijing was the favorite in this year's competition -- other finalists included Osaka, Paris, Toronto and Istanbul -- the win in the second round of balloting was still a surprise. Most observers expected the vote to be closer and to take longer. Until the last minute, supporters of Toronto and Paris were hoping for an upset. They anticipated a repeat of Beijing's disappointing loss to Sydney in 1993, when human rights concerns topped the IOC's calculations.
Not this time. The subject of human rights did not even come up during public questioning of the bid committees on Friday, before the vote. The key selection criteria do not include such issues, but IOC officials concede that the topic was raised in private discussions among IOC members. The IOC is gambling that awarding Beijing the bid is the best way to protect human rights in China. IOC Director General Francois Carrard explained after the vote, "Human rights . . . can be approached in two ways -- we close the door, we say no and we hope things evolve. (Or we) bet on openness, bet on the upcoming seven years." It is not an unreasonable position: The same logic drives policy in Tokyo, Washington and other democratically elected governments.