The 23rd Olympic Games will kick off Aug. 8, 2008 at 8 p.m. For Chinese, the numeral "8" is auspicious, and China is no doubt pinning great hopes the quadrennial event will be a huge success -- both as host and as a tough competitor. Indonesians, on the other hand, may be a little dubious as to the likelihood of our athletes winning gold, with many remembering the victories in badminton at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
East-West rivalry will be represented by contention between China, banking its hopes on men's hurdler Liu Xiang, and the United States with its regulars in track and field. The Beijing National Stadium, popularly known as the Bird's Nest, will host the world's top athletes pushing themselves to the limit.
Beijing welcomes swimmer Michael Phelps, tennis players Rafael Nadal and Ana Ivanovic, home stars including basketballer Yao Ming and many more. Some 16,000 sportsmen and women from around the world will be there, fighting to carve their names into Olympic history.
The organizers have also provided a large space to accommodate the 21,000 journalists covering the event -- and this figure does not include the nonaccredited members of the media.
From the airport lounge to the city streets, Beijingers are showing their enthusiasm by welcoming participants and supporters. Banners and billboards bearing the faces of Olympic stars and Fuwa mascots (in the form of a fish, a giant panda, a Tibetan antelope, a swallow and an Olympic torch) line the major thoroughfares.
Fuwa souvenirs have become must-have items, not only for Chinese but for people around the globe. With an estimated revenue worth many millions, the Olympics have become big business. The commercialization of the Olympics dates back to the 1984 Los Angeles Games where the host ended up with a US$50 million surplus. This year, host China is estimating profits of more than $16 million.
Besides its potential financial benefits, the world's sports community should remain true to the goal of the modern Olympics, as it was when the games were first established by founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin. The Frenchman believed sports were able to infuse the moral discipline that build character, producing future leaders.
Decades later, science and technology have helped athletes pursue the Olympic motto, citius, altius, fortius -- to be the fastest, highest, strongest. However, in their desperation to improve their performance, some world athletes have used banned substances (including steroids).
The Beijing Games hope to be drug-free, although pollution remains a hot issue. The organizers have assured participants and visitors the air pollution is nothing to worry about, and that it will not harm the athletes.
As the opening ceremony begins, we will see our national team of 26 Indonesians -- 11 of them shuttlers -- hoping to continue a "gold medal tradition". And Indonesia is leaning heavily on its badminton champs to prolong this tradition which began at the 1992 games with Susy Susanti in the women's singles and Alan Budikusuma in the men's.
But with a dwindling number of achievements at an international level recently, the question remains: Can our athletes win gold?
It may be a little harsh to suggest we have only a very slight chance, but it is still worth a try. However, all stakeholders must now take an active role in helping sports to grow in Indonesia.
We all can begin with ourselves and our families. The government established the sports-for-all movement back in the 1980s with the Soeharto-esque jargon Memasyarakatkan Olahraga dan Mengolahragakan Masyarakat. At the time, the general public -- from students to civil servants -- were obliged to do morning exercise every Friday.
Decision makers can have the final say where to focus our Olympic hopes, whether in track and field, swimming, gymnastics or shooting -- or in other sports in which Indonesia has previously excelled such as badminton, weightlifting, archery or tennis.
The improvements will take a long time and require a lot of hard work.
During the Olympics, Indonesia's population of 230 million can help boost sports by throwing their weight behind the national team. All 26 athletes have the same hope: To win. And glory will help Indonesians regain their confidence to do better not just in sports, but also in other fields. Good luck!
