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5 International Story Lines To Follow

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Bill Ward/The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 5, 2008

China's Coming-Out Party

Long known for their autocratic Communist party, most of the 1.3 billion Chinese people are hoping to make these Olympics their coming-out party. They have spent $40 billion in Games-related construction and millions more in funding national sports programs. The official Beijing Games logo - a figure with arms extended out - shows the Chinese are willing to welcome the world. And the official slogan - One World, One Dream - seems to hint they want to be viewed more than being a global economic giant. But China's human rights issues are still omnipresent, and its censorship and control during the Games will likely be felt by a world media accustomed to Western standards.

Pollution

One of the major consequences of China's incredible economic growth has been the degradation of its environment and major increases in pollution. The World Bank recently published the 10 most polluted cities in the world, and two were in China. Beijing isn't one of them, but it still suffers from serious air pollution. Even after the city banned half the vehicles from its roads and closed polluting factories from July 20, the pollution index surged to 118 on July 26 and 27 - more than double the World Health Organization's recommended maximum level of 50. Recent rain and winds have helped clear the air, but some countries, including the U.S., are considering issuing particle masks to their athletes who compete outdoors.

New Sports/Dying Sports

In an attempt to lure younger, more X Games-type viewers and increase female participation in the Games, the International Olympic Committee will debut new sports and events like bicycle motocross, 10-kilometer (6.2 miles) open-water swimming, women's steeplechase (track and field) and women's saber (fencing). At the same time, the IOC has slated the end of men's baseball and women's softball after these Olympics. Three-time baseball gold medalist Cuba is not happy about that, and neither is USA softball, which has won all three gold medals since the sport joined the Olympic program in 1996. If those two sports can attract attention in China, the IOC could reinstate them for London 2012.

Drug Testing - Again

Just when you think the testers have caught up to the cheaters, the cheaters seem to pull ahead with a new, previously undetectable drug that gives them an edge. It happened in Sydney and, despite advances in testing, again in Athens. This time, the IOC plans to do both urine and blood testing - 4,500 of these screenings - and they will keep these samples for eight years. Previously, samples that tested positive were kept 90 days, and negative samples were held 30 days. The IOC will conduct in-competition tests and unannounced, out-of-competition tests. In Athens, 3,600 tests of athletes were performed, and while some cheaters were caught, others who were not detected later testified they had taken performance-enhancing drugs.

Iraqi Athletes In The Games

After originally banning Iraq from competing in Beijing, the IOC will permit athletes from the violence-torn nation to compete in the Olympics. The decision came late Tuesday following 11th-hour talks during which an Iraqi delegation pledged to hold free elections for its national Olympic committee under international observation. For now, Iraq will send just four athletes - two in track and field and two rowers - but at least the country will be part of the Games. The Iraqi delegation was greeted with a loud ovation at the Athens Games' opening ceremony in 2004. That was the country's first Olympics after the fall of Saddam Hussein and his son, Odai, who as head of the Iraqi Olympic committee tortured athletes who failed to reach his standards.

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