Free Republic

Beijing's forthcoming Olympic Games does not appear to be drawing as many people to the capital as expected this year. Figures show the number of international tourists visiting the Chinese capital fell by more than 14% in May compared to the year before. Officials had hoped the Olympics would help attract increasing numbers of foreign tourists to Beijing throughout the year and beyond. But tougher visa requirements, and concerns that officials are more worried about security than organising a party, appears to have dampened demand. Figures from the Beijing Tourism Bureau show there were far fewer visitors from Japan, South...

Too bad there's not an Olympic medal for getting your argument backward. If there were, the People's Republic of China might have to share the gold with those agitating for a boycott. With fewer than 100 days to go before the opening ceremonies, Chinese officials want outsiders to stop using the Olympics to bring up what a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman calls "irrelevant political factors." By irrelevant political factors, she means China's suppression of Tibet, its weapons sales to the Sudanese government, its indifference to the God-given rights of its own citizens, etc. If people would just stop bringing these things...

(SYDNEY) — Australia's swimming team and coaching staff have no health or pollution concerns ahead of next year's Beijing Olympics, head coach Alan Thompson said Sunday. Thompson and several of his staff have been on fact-finding missions to Beijing to prepare team contingency plans for the Olympics next August. With Beijing struggling to help clear the air in the notoriously-polluted capital, Thompson says he does not believe pollution will be the problem most people envisage. "I don't really think I have any fears, I probably did before I went there," Thompson said Sunday. "We had some issues in Shanghai with...