Beijing is a fools’ paradise

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BEIJING -- One thing has become apparent here in the last few days.

Either the Chinese government played the International Olympic Committee for fools, or the International Olympic Committee played the world for fools.

Or both.

China has failed to keep promises both big (improved human rights) and medium (unrestricted Internet access for journalists in press centers during the Games) that it made before and after the IOC awarded the 2008 Olympics to Beijing.

And the IOC has groveled in the face of the Chinese, leading one of its senior members, Kevan Gosper of Australia, to apologize to the media and make the stunning accusation that the IOC leadership had cut a behind-the-scenes deal to pacify their hosts.

Two weeks ago, IOC president Jacques Rogge had said there would be no Internet censorship for working journalists.

According to Australian media reports today, Gosper, the head of the IOC media commission, said his reputation had been badly damaged by being unaware of what he characterized as an IOC/China agreement to allow censorship.

The Australian newspaper quoted Gosper as saying:

And then there is the matter of the air. The Chinese promised that rain would clear the grimy Beijing atmosphere (pretty good chutzpah, making promises on the behalf of nature).

Well, it has rained the last couple days. And scientific readings taken by the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau show air quality has improved to moderately polluted after several days of being ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups.’’

Fine. But the sky remains a gloomy gray, and large buildings remain shrouded in a combination of fog, smog, mist and haze.

Or maybe it is just that the atmosphere is thick with lies.

-- Philip Hersh