Some delegates to the National People’s Congress (NPC) agree that the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games should not be too extravagant, reports Xinhua.
Zhang Guiyu, one of more than 3,000 delegates who will be attending the congress, which begins Sunday, said Friday that Beijing’s ambition to host a first-class Olympics does not necessarily mean an unreined budget.
He said, “there are still many people living under the poverty line, especially in the countryside. We cannot afford an extravagant event”.
Another NPC deputy, Wang Quanjie, said that sports are meant to entertain people and should not serve as a showcase of peacockery.
According to Xinhua, the congress’s slogan appears to be an economical Olympic Games “since the concept of conservation-minded society gained universal recognition”.
Organizers have redesigned the National Stadium, decreasing the number of seats. They are also relocating three venues into college campuses to ensure the facilities can serve college students after the Games.
But Beijing 2008 organizers last year increased the Olympic budget from $1.6 billion to $2 billion.
Wei Jizhong, a marketing consultant to Beijing 2008, attributed the rise partly to the increase of security expenses. Inflation and a price hike also caused the budget to rise, he said.
