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London vs. Beijing: The Pregames
Though the spectacle has been underwhelming, London may have an edge over the Chinese capital in long-term planning.
Move over Beijing, London’s games are going to blow yours out of the water. That’s the (slightly amplified) gist of comments made by Britain’s Sport Minister over the weekend. According to Jeremy Hunt, the London 2012 Olympics will be better than Beijing’s previous effort because while the 2008 Olympics "played to China’s strength’s … London is one of the great global cities and this is our chance to showcase that to the whole world."
Believing a small offshore European satellite can best the world’s most important emerging power takes some guts, but it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility. With just four days before the opening ceremony, it’s worth looking at how London has matched up to its Chinese predecessor so far.