| John Wing on Beijing |
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| Tuesday, 26 August 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The last time I interviewed John Ian Wing for Dim Sum (in September 2007) we spoke about how, at the tender age of 17, he heroically saved the Olympic Games from ruin by offering a peaceful solution to the closing ceremony enclosed in a letter to the Olympic Committee. We also discussed his subsequent acclaims and acknowledgements, (he was awarded an Olympic Medal for his efforts and has a street in Sydney named after him) and looked forward to his hopes for China and his predictions for the forthcoming Beijing Olympics. I caught up with Mr Wing, now 68, directly after the closing ceremony of this year’s Beijing Olympics to ask him what he thought about this year’s Games, the controversy surrounding the event and whether China should finally be proud of their hosting achievement. I read somewhere that you warned Chinese officials about the protests and demonstrations that occurred before the Games. Can you elaborate on this? In September last year, I attended a conference at the Loughborough University where the guest speakers were Chinese Olympic officials. They were there to talk about the preparation of the Beijing Games. I raised a question concerning what preparations or precautions had their government taken to prevent demonstrations and protest meetings. Their answer was short: “none”. I pursued the matter further and told them that International Amnesty was planning to hold protests and demonstrations six months before the Games. They said the Games will be so spectacular that no one will even notice the protests. The officials swiftly moved onto another question. How did you feel about all the negative reporting toward China pre-Olympia and the difficulties that occurred during the Torch Relay? Before the Beijing Olympic Games, people in the west knew very little about the history and the culture of the Chinese people. The Chinese are very family orientated and respect their elders. They will support each other when in crisis. When International Amnesty and other groups called for a boycott of the Games and attempted to disrupt the Torch Relay, the Chinese people rallied around its government in support, which meant there was little likelihood the Chinese government was ever going to change. After all the build up, not to mention the environmental and political upheavals, do you finally feel the Beijing Olympic Games can be considered a success? There’s no question that it was a crowning achievement for China and one that will go down in history as one of the most glorious and all time spectacular events of the century. Just look at the splendour of that electrifying opening ceremony: who would have believed a few years ago that China would be capable of putting on such a spectacular show! One of the most triumphant aspects of the ceremony was how it confirmed China’s powerful new economy. How far do you feel China has come in the world recently? It confirmed that China has finally caught up and secured a new confidence and presence in the world’s economy. They have certainly come along way from the old, rather introverted China of the past. After all the impact and historical acclaim why didn’t you attend the Games in person? I only ever intended to make an appearance if I was invited by the committee. As they never contacted me I chose not to and felt I didn’t want to intervene. Why do you think you weren’t contacted by the committee or invited to the Beijing Olympics? The Chinese can be very particular about such matter of national identity. I wasn’t born in China, therefore they probably didn’t consider me Chinese enough to be granted any further recognition. But once again we saw your innovation of the intermingling of athletes at the closing ceremony followed by the commentators recognising the ‘teenage boy’ who came up with the idea. The intermingling of athletes from all nations is a permanent feature of all closing ceremonies. I was happy that the presenters did their homework and remembered me, but the important thing is the reason behind the idea: to express a harmonious global unity that crosses political boundaries. Overall were you happy the way the closing ceremony was directed and did you have a favourite feature? The atmosphere was truly amazing. There was always going to be a sense of anticipation surrounding the event due to the boycotts and political frustrations but in the end none of these things distracted from the power of the Games themselves. Isn’t it extraordinary; here we have two Chinese men who have contributed more than anybody else to the closing ceremonies? Zhang Yimou and I have both contributed but in different ways. He has contributed the artistic spectacle of the Beijing Games, while I contributed to the formal part of the ceremony which is a permanent feature at every subsequent Olympic Game. A victory parade was considered for the closing ceremony, an idea I came up with when I was a young boy and which I later put forward to President Samaranch of the IOC. The march would have involved all gold medallists. I was told that it would be included in this year’s festivities; however the idea appears to have been pulled at the last minute. Can you tell us more about your initial idea behind this victory march? Under the Olympic movement – athletes have a right where each winner, regardless of the country that they are from, is entitled to receive the same honour and glory. My victory parade reinforces this code of conduct, by grouping all the winners from various countries together in one equal celebration. In the past I felt that athletes from small islands or poor countries, undertaking the more obscure events, weren’t receiving the same honour and glory as those who won a gold medal from the more popular events. Under the Olympic movement all winners should be equal. How do you foresee the future of the Olympics particularly looking ahead to London 2012? Before the Beijing Olympic Games there was a lot of apprehension amongst the British people about hosting the 2012 Games in London. After winning so many medals at the Beijing Games the mood of the British people has turned full circle in support of the London Games. They know they cannot compete with the spectacle of the Beijing Games and will not even attempt to, but I guarantee they will amaze the world in 2012. I am looking forward to see what they come up with! Once again it has been an honour and a pleasure talking to you! Oliver Pfeiffer
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