One year on, world contemplates Beijing Olympic legacy

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-08-07 13:34

BEIJING: One year after the Beijing Olympics, the powerful impact of the games on China and its relations with the world are again grabbing global attention.

The games, which kicked off with a glamorous opening ceremony on August 8 last year, have brought China much closer to the world at a time when China is undergoing great changes.

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Beijing Olympics One Year on

In a recent congratulatory message that paid homage to the Beijing Olympics, IOC (International Olympic Committee) President Jacques Rogge said the world now knows more about China while China now knows more about the world.

In a May report, the Sunday Times said that the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony attracted the world's first "genuine 1 billion" television audience.

According to the report, the opening ceremony was the world's "most watched live event" in human history, exceeding the moon landings, the funeral of Princess Diana and Barack Obama's inauguration.

The show "appealed to the huge domestic Chinese audience but resonated globally too," it observed.

The Russian press network reported that the world shared "obvious "favorable feelings towards China during the Olympics, and these feelings are becoming even stronger now."

Meanwhile, the Olympics have benefited its host country in various ways.

China has decided to make August 8 its annual National Fitness Day, in hopes that the Olympics will raise health awareness nationwide.

"Getting more of China's 1.3 billion people involved in sport was one of the legacy aims of the Olympics," said a recent Reuters report.

Meanwhile, an IOC report concluded that by hosting the Olympics, China has improved infrastructure and tightened supervision on food and water security.

The UN Environment Program said Beijing more than fulfilled its promises on environmental protection, including reducing air pollution, improving traffic and development of renewable energy.

The Chinese are also trying to bask in the glory of the Olympics until at least 2010, when the World Expo, also called the "Economic Olympics," will be held in Shanghai.

More importantly, the Olympics have boosted national confidence as China is playing an increasingly important role in the international arena.

"Many Chinese see the Olympics' success and the home country's dominance in the gold medal tally as an affirmation of their progress in the three decades since economic reforms were launched," said a recent AP report.

"For Chinese ... the effect of the games on the national psyche remains considerable," the report observed.

"Their success, along with China's rising economy, has instilled a new confidence in many Chinese," it added.

The world was impressed by the "truly exceptional" Olympics, as Rogge described the games. However, a watching world can see that the Olympic legacy is just as glorious.