Beijing Leads 2008 Olympics Pack

NEW YORK (AP) â€” What would it be like to watch beach volleyball games in Tiananmen Square, site of the bloody 1989 crackdown on unarmed pro-democracy demonstrators? <br><br>That's a question the

Friday, January 19th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) â€” What would it be like to watch beach volleyball games in Tiananmen Square, site of the bloody 1989 crackdown on unarmed pro-democracy demonstrators?

That's a question the International Olympic Committee will face July 13 when it votes to select a site for the 2008 Summer Games.

Beijing is widely recognized as the front-runner among five finalists, and IOC member Dick Pound indicated Thursday that China's human rights history is the main potential stumbling block.

``The big issue is whether or not we're ready to go to China,'' Pound said. ``Is it time to go to China or do we go to one of the other four very qualified cities? I think you could put your hand in a jar and draw out any one of the five and be satisfied, with more or less work.''

The finalists â€” Beijing, Istanbul, Osaka, Paris and Toronto â€” all submitted bid books by Wednesday's deadline. The bid books provide details on finances, venues, transportation, security and other aspects of staging the games.

At least one Olympic official has questioned whether China's rights record should disqualify it from hosting the games.

``That's going to be THE issue, I think, in this election,'' said Pound, a Canadian. ``Is it China's time or not? If it is, it is. If it's not, then you have four other very good fallbacks.''

In 1993, Beijing narrowly lost to Sydney in voting on the site of the 2000 Olympics.

IOC members have received more information about China than the other four finalists combined, Pound said.

``There's going to be a lot of publicity in the western media about China,'' Pound said. ``Will it affect voters? It's hard to say.''

In a wide-ranging discussion at the annual Sport Summit, Pound also addressed the organizational troubles that have plagued preparations for the 2004 Athens Games. Construction delays, political wrangling and personnel shake-ups have led some to question whether Greece should keep those games.

``Athens is still problematic,'' Pound said. ``They have a lot of challenges to meet. But we're greatly encouraged that the Greek government has stepped in with much more weight and authority.

``These games are too important to Greece and to us to be allowed not to be a success.''

Other issues mentioned:

â€” The World Anti-Doping Agency, of which Pound is president, wants private sector help in fighting drug use.

``Drug use in sports is probably our No. 1 challenge at the moment,'' he said. ``We've got to get a handle on that. There is a big difference between Olympic sports and other sports. While doping in the NFL is nothing, each time there's a case in the Olympics, it's a big deal.''

â€” The Olympics should be capped at 10,000 to 11,000 athletes.

â€” TV rights could be sold globally instead of region by region. ``How we sell the rights after 2008 is up for grabs,'' Pound said. ``We've always done it on a territorial basis. As media empires get bigger and bigger, we may have to look at a worldwide basis.''

â€” Global television viewership was up about 20 percent for the Sydney Games, with an estimated audience of 3.7 billion people.