Olympics can bring social change in Beijing: IOC

The days when hosting an Olympics was simply putting on a sporting event have gone, now it is a political and social event with all the implications.

Senior Olympic officials believe their decision in Moscow three years ago to award the 2008 Olympics to Beijing has sent a wind of change blowing through the Chinese capital that is steadily gathering pace.

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The old days when hosting an Olympics was simply putting on a sporting festival have long gone -- now it is a political and social event with all the implications that come with that.

Even in the three years since the decision to give the world's most populous nation the honour of staging the sporting world's most glittering prize, the effect has already been felt in the Chinese capital, Olympic officials say.

"Things have changed already," said Nat Indrapana, Thai International Olympic Commitee member and a member of the IOC's co-ordination commission.

"Take the environment for example. The requirement in terms of environment for the world's athletes will have a fringe benefit on the lives of the people living in the city straight away."

Beijing is currently one of the most polluted capitals in the world and is often blanketed by smog which makes it difficult to see across major roads. But Beijing has promised an enormous environmental clean-up for 2008, earmarking over five billion dollars to bring about blue skies and clean air.