Olympics Are On, But Where's the Fun?

Beijing Games get high marks for organization but score low on setting the mood.

ByABC News
August 14, 2008, 9:49 AM

BEIJING, Aug. 14, 2008 — -- Wang Youbao came to Beijing's Olympic Green with hopes of seeing the incandescent Water Cube and wiry Bird's Nest up close.

Unable to afford a ticket, Wang knew he couldn't enter the venues. But he believed he could at least wander around and feel the Olympic spirit for himself.

"I have a day off, so I thought I'd come and take a look at the stadiums," said Wang, who originally hails from southwestern Sichuan province.

But what Wang didn't realize was that tickets are required not only for venues but also for setting foot in the Olympic park.

Relegated to the perimeter of the Green by security tape, fences and checkpoints, he and thousands of others have been deflated upon learning that they can't touch the side of the Water Cube or check out the Adidas exhibit.

"The rest of us can only come here with our emotions and stand outside, Wang said. "We come all this way, and we are just missing this last step. Isn't that a little sad and disappointing?"

Traditionally, the Olympic Park has been a place for record-breaking athleticism along with a festive, celebratory atmosphere for both ticketed and ticketless fan. In Athens and Sydney, people crowded around public TV screens and carnival-like promotional events to get a piece of the Olympics.

But Beijing's Olympic Green is eerily quiet, almost desolate, except for the rumbling buses and credentialed journalists. Directly outside the park venues, a concrete jungle of parking lots and buildings stretches as far as the eye can see, while security checkpoints are staffed by smiling volunteers and guards packing automatic weapons.

Exhibits promoting the worldwide Olympic partners remain largely empty. At previous Olympics, the corporate sponsored events were some of the main attractions, with free giveaways and public concerts.

Ticketed fans and national teams have been impressed by the look and organization of this year's site, but when it comes to a spirited atmosphere, there's something to be desired.