"Beijing Welcomes the World" is the slogan everywhere in China's capital with the Summer Olympics scheduled to start just over a month from today. In order to get the Games, China promised it would be clean, green and accessible, but not all its commitments are being kept. Some $40 billion in US dollars have been spent on space-age venues and infrastructure, including the world's largest airport. But competitors are worried about air pollution; tight new visa requirements are keeping travelers away and media coverage may be severely restricted. We hear about those issues and ask which athletes are the ones to watch. How's the US expected to do? Are the Olympics always as much about politics as athletics?
The Beijing Olympics: Promises and Realities
Credits
Guests:
- David Wallechinsky - International Society of Olympics Historians - @westwood1sports
- John Hoberman - University of Texas at Austin
- Rebecca Blumenstein - Wall Street Journal - @RBlumenstein
- Brian Cazeneuve - Staff Writer, Sports Illustrated
- Jeffrey Ruffolo - Ruffolo Communications - @Ruffolopr