China faces Olympic-sized sporting challenge

MANY governments still perceive that hosting major sporting contests commands significant prestige, yet that assessment may be sorely tested in February with the challenges facing the winter Olympics in Beijing.

While China is taking much pride in the fact that Beijing is about to become the first city to have hosted both the summer and winter Olympics, the event has become only the latest sporting contest to be plagued by political plus wider risks and controversies underlining the potentially massive challenges associated with such tournaments. This is not least given the huge operating costs associated with running them, including maintaining security.

For the potential success of the Beijing games, which open this Friday (Feb 4), is threatened by coronavirus outbreaks across the nation. And this comes in the week of the Lunar New Year, China's annual travel holiday, which will kick off on Tuesday when an estimated 1 billion trips will be made.