Questions linger as world leaves Beijing Olympics

BEIJING -- As the world's spotlight turns away from Beijing, several vexing Olympic questions remain.Will the 29th Summer Olympics be remembered for their spectacular venues and efficiently run Games or did the glitzy architecture and meticulous precision overshadow a sinister display of state power and abuse?Closer to home, did the United States team perform admirably in Beijing or did they fall short of expectations? How one answers those questions largely depends on one's point of view.Inside the Olympic bubble, reviews were largely upbeat - both for the Games and for what the U.S. team achieved here."We cannot be more pleased with the Chinese people's presentation of the Games and their hosting of the Games," said Peter Ueberroth, Chairman of the United States Olympic Committee. Added decathlon gold medalist Bryan Clay: "They did an absolutely amazing job running the meet. If we needed water, they had water. If we needed ice, they had ice. If we needed a towel, somebody got us a towel. I can't explain to you how well run the meet was."Pre-Games concerns about gridlocked traffic largely were overblown. There were no known security issues, aside from the tragic - and apparently random - killing of Todd Bachman, the father-in-law of U.S. men's volleyball coach, Hugh McCutcheon.Even the air pollution, which enveloped Beijing at the start of the Olympics and threatened to jeopardize some outdoor endurance events, largely dissipated. The only delays were caused by rain or a lack of wind at the sailing venue.Concerned about the pollution, four U.S. cyclists wore masks when they arrived in Beijing; it was one of the few off-the-field gaffes made by U.S. Olympians.Unlike recent scandal-marred Olympics, American athletes steered clear of controversy. "We're pleased how our athletes have behaved," said Ueberroth. "We pledged a clean team. It appears we've done that."They've also done what many thought was impossible - exceed the 102 medals won in Athens.The U.S. finished with 110 medals, 10 more than second-place China. It was the most medals for a U.S. team since it won 174 in the 1984 Los Angeles Games, which were boycotted the Soviet Union and most Eastern Bloc countries."We're very pleased with the performance of our team," said Ueberroth. "We've outperformed our team in Athens."Casual Olympic observers might disagree, pointing to the U.S. winning 36 gold medals, the same as at the 2004 Athens Games (36) and 15 fewer than resurgent China."These Games are significantly more competitive than those in Athens," said Jim Scherr, chief executive officer of the USOC.China performed much better here than in Athens, where it won 32 golds and 63 total medals. Their ascent did not surprise USOC officials, who have been warning that China might beat the U.S. ever since Athens."Coming in we said that China was going to be a strong country and as the host expected a bump," said Steve Roush, USOC's chief of sport performance. "You see that more in their gold medal count right now than maybe their total medal count for the increase they've had from previous Games."Still Scherr noted, the medals count isn't the sole measure for success."We don't gauge our performance strictly on the number of medals," he said. "We've been clean and drug free. We could not be more proud of how this team has behaved and exhibited Olympic ideals."Outside the Olympic circle, however, the perspective was not as harmonious.Reports circulated that Chinese citizens were jailed after applying to hold protests, including two elderly women who were sentenced to one year in a labor re-education camp. This decision, coupled with China's crackdown in Tibet earlier this year and the government's decision on the eve of the Games to revoke the visa of Olympic speedskating champion-turned-activist Joey Cheek, infuriated critics.Human Rights Watch, a global advocacy group was sharply critical of China and the Games.In a statement, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch Sophie Richardson said, "The 2008 Beijing Games have put an end - once and for all - to the notion that these Olympics are a 'force for good.' The reality is that the Chinese government's hosting of the Games has been a catalyst for abuses, leading to massive forced evictions, a surge in the arrest, detention, and harassment of critics, repeated violations of media freedom, and increased political repression."IOC president Jacques Rogge said the IOC discussed the jailings with Beijing Organizing Committee officials and were told they were consistent with Chinese law."The International Olympic Committee is not a sovereign organization," said Rogge. "We have to respect Chinese law."Still Rogge insists that the Olympics will have a lasting positive impact on China."As the most intangible legacy, but also a very important one, is that through the Games, China as been scrutinized by the world," he said. "The world has learned (about) China and China has learned about the world. I believe that this is something that will have positive effects in the long term."While some critics called on the USOC to take a more forceful stand against China's repressive policies, Ueberroth said that their responsibility at Olympic Games was to support U.S. athletes, rather than try and solve the host country's problems."We have politicians ... we have other ways to do that," he said.Added Corey Cogdell, who won a bronze medal for the U.S. in women's trap: "I think the Olympics are about brining people together. Our hearts go out to people in other countries who aren't in the best situations, but as an athlete we all have been focusing on performing to the best of our abilities and our next event." (iE-mail David Nielsen at nielsend(at)shns.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)