by Aj Brady

Created on: April 13, 2008   Last Updated: August 07, 2008

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) does have a heart, and often rewards cities and/or nations that continually are outbid for an Olympic Games, but keep on trying.

This is very much the case with Beijing. When the Chinese city first tried to win the 2000 Olympic Games bid back in 1993, they put forth an outstanding bid.

It was just unfortunate for the Chinese that Australian city Melbourne had been overlooked for the 1996 Games previously, and so the IOC, wanting to reward the persistence of Australia, chose to give the 2000 Games to the city of Sydney.

Beijing had to wait for the Greeks to get their long-awaited turn in 2004, but once tenders were sought for the 2008 Games, Beijing came back with a bang.

By no means were Beijing simply "handed" these Games. They had some stiff competition in final ballots from Toronto, Paris, Istanbul, and neighbor Osaka.

Beijing's bid showcased the city's cosmopolitan present, with the streets filled with people from all around the world.

China was able to prove to the IOC they were a nation growing in political stability, progressing economically and giving their residents a greater quality of life.

The Chinese were able to show that their days of Communist-led crackdowns on the freedom of the people, and poor human rights record, were things of the past.

Replaced by a vibrant, modern and outward-looking nation that was very much prepared to host an Olympic Games, and have the world's eyes firmly on it.

China's increasing position as a global mover-and-shaker, with increased properity and strong foundations saw it as a popular choice.

Plus, with half the world's population, it was seen as due diligence to return the Olympics to Asia for just the second time in the history of the Olympiad.

After the first round of final voting by the IOC back in 2001, Beijing received 44 of the 102 votes cast. Toronto came second with 20, Istanbul third with 17, Paris fourth with 15 and Osaka fifth and last with 6 votes.

It was clear after the first round that Beijing had the inside running on winning the 2008 Games, and it was very much theirs to lose.

By showing detailed plans for super-modern new stadiums and extremely high-tech athletes village, the Chinese city was able to decisively win the second round of voting cast, winning 56 votes out of the 102.

Toronto finished a distant second with 22 votes, followed by Paris with 18 and Istanbul with 9. Osaka had been eliminated after the first round of voting.

Beijing's absolute majority in the second round of voting eliminated the need for any subsequent rounds.

During the bidding process, the political structures of all nations apart from Beijing were clearly described.

The IOC made an exception for Beijing, simply quoting the Chinese city's position of having strong governmental control and support.

The only fundamental changes required to Beijing's bid since they were awarded the Games on July 13th, 2001, has been a radical upgraded of security measures, as this was the last Games to be awarded prior to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and subsequent global war on terror.

The Chinese nation recently thwarted a group planning to launch terror attacks at the Games, and has proven more than capable of meeting the new challenges set by global terrorism.

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