Kazuyuki Kanosue, Kohei Kogiso, Daichi Oshimi and Munehiko Harada (eds.)Sports Management and Sports Humanities10.1007/978-4-431-55324-3_14

14. An Analysis of the Organization, Management and Policy of the Beijing Olympic Games

Shuying Yuan¹

(1)

Graduate School of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

Shuying Yuan

Email: ysyydynl@ruri.waseda.jp

Abstract

The Olympic Games provide the host city with a wonderful opportunity to showcase their glorious achievements. The planning period is valuable for the establishment of a sound scheme of urban planning. This provides guidelines for the city’s general development and is a good way to avoid the risks that accrue to hosting the Olympic Games.

The experience of Beijing Olympic Games indicates that efficient organization and management as well as a suitable policy and system are critical for the success of a major sport event. This chapter is a summary of the organizational and management policies relating to the Beijing Olympic Games. It is hoped that this summary will be of great theoretical significance and practical value.

Keywords

Beijing Olympic GamesOrganizationManagementPolicy

14.1 Introduction

In 1908, the Tianjin Youth Magazine posed three questions: (1) when would China send an athlete to the Olympic Games; (2) when would China send a sports team to the Olympic Games and (3) when would China host the Olympic Games? These questions represented one aspect of the aspiration of China to integrate into the world and inspired the Chinese people to start their pursuit of one of their dreams.

After 100 years, the Olympic Games finally came to Beijing. As the capital of China, Beijing is the center of national politics and culture. It contains many treasures of great significance to the 5,000 year history of China as well as the history of the entire world’s civilization. On August 8, 2008, when Olympic flame was lit in the Beijing National Stadium, the modern Olympic Movement finally embraced China.

‘New Beijing, Great Olympics’ was the slogan proposed when Beijing bid for the 29th Olympic Games. The ‘New’ concept gave more meaning and set higher requirements for the Beijing Olympic Games. After the Games, Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) received a high evaluation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Sports Federations. President Jacques Rogge praised the Beijing Olympic Games as bring “truly exceptional”. These accolades validate the success of the organization and management work (The 29th Olympic Games Organizing Committee 2010). Therefore, summarizing and studying the organizational experiences and policies of Beijing Olympic Games has both theoretical importance and practical value.

14.2 The Organizational Features and Management System of the Beijing Olympic Games

The BOCOG was established on December 13, 2001, and placed in charge of the organization and operational work for the Beijing Olympic Games. The main tasks were: determination of important matters including personnel appointment; arrangements and supervision for the preparation work of different phases; relationship coordination with IOC and other Coordinating Committees including submitting preparation reports to the IOC; regular reports on work progress to the central government.

The BOCOG utilized previous experience with such work in China to establish five guiding principles: opening, innovation, economizing, cleaning and participation. The main characteristics of the Beijing Olympic Games’ organizational work were: (1) Taking full advantage of the top priority the Chinese government gave to organizing the Beijing Olympic Games. (2) Utilizing the widespread support, positive input, devotion and enthusiasm of the public for the Olympic Movement. Public approval ratings of the games held firm at above 90 % during the entire preparation period for the Beijing Olympic Games. (3) Being aware of the importance of marketing, and to this end utilizing innovative systems and novel operational techniques. (4) Taking into account the social and economic stimulation the games would provide for Beijing and other involved cities.

According to the requirements of the IOC, for the olympic events and with reference to general international standards, BOCOG built an events management system as well as systems to establish responsibility and make evaluations. Work plans and performance reports were made monthly, quarterly and yearly. Concurrently, an approval process for task or program was created to avoid or reduce risks caused by plan alterations. A Venue Management Department, responsible for documenting the quality of the various stadiums, was established to analyze potential problems and give advice. A Planning Department, in charge of collecting and organizing performance reports of important procedures, would analyze and evaluate the reports, give advice, and report to the IOC.

14.3 Policy Guarantees of the Beijing Olympic Games

On July 13, 2001, Beijing won the bid for the 29th Olympic Games. In the same year, the BOCOG was established and, in coordination with Beijing Municipal Government, formulated the complex but necessary measures to ensure the success of the Beijing Olympic Games.

14.3.1 Action Plan Policy

In August 2001, the BOCOG together with the Beijing Municipal Government began compiling the Beijing Olympic Action Plan. This plan was announced to the public on March 28, 2002, and over the course of 2 months elicited over 3,000 suggestions from both home and abroad. This led to a modified Beijing Olympic Action Plan which was officially published on July 13, 2002. This Plan was composed of an overall strategy, the construction of venues and relevant facilities, ecological environmental and city infrastructure construction needs, social environment construction plans and a strategy of guarantees. The overall tactic involved three phases: an early preparation period (from December 2001 to June 2003), an overall construction period (from July 2003 to June 2006), and an operation improvement period (from July 2006 to 2008).

The Plan refined the contract bidding promise and included it in the overall strategy. It also presented clear targets and specific requirements for various critical needs, such as those of venues, environment, transportation and information. The publication of the Plan marked the time when Beijing entered a rapid development period featuring the olympics.

14.3.2 Tax Support Policy

During the period from 2003 to 2008, in order to provide tax support to constructors and participants of Olympic Games, the Ministry of Finance, the State Administration of Taxation, and the General Administration of Customs introduced several preferential tax policies. On January 22, 2003, the State Administration of Taxation and the General Administration of Customs issued a Notice on Taxation Policies Concerning the 29th Olympic Games. They proposed duty-free measures for TV broadcast rights income as well as Olympic Partner income (including money and goods). On September 30, 2006, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation issued a Supplementary Notice on Taxation Policies Concerning the 29th Olympic Games. They proposed many duty-free measures related to the Beijing Paralympics (Jianren Li 2009). These policies not only conformed to international practice but also promoted smooth progress for the preparatory work of the Beijing Olympic Games.

Using the Notice about Taxation Policies for the 29th Olympic Games as an example, I will briefly analyze the Beijing Olympic Games tax benefit policies. “The main aim of the notice was to support the development of the olympic movement so as to ensure success for the 29th Olympic Games”. There were two sub-goals. A short-term sub-goal to successfully host the 29th Olympic Games successfully and a second long-term sub-goal of supporting the development of the olympic movement. The legislative attitude toward the short term goal was low-key and pragmatic, while the attitude toward the long-term goal was much more high-profile.

14.3.3 Environment Protection Policy

The Green Olympics was one of the three main concepts of the Beijing Olympic Games. The green concept emphasized the principle of sustainable development, which was interpreted to mean that all activities concerning the olympics should be harmonious with nature. The Green Olympics concept combined facility construction with protection of the natural Environmental concerns were mentioned in the Candidature File for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games when it was noted that at the time of the olympics, the environmental quality of Beijing will approach that of cities in developed countries (Baoli Sun 2004).

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