Olympics: Beijing awarded 2008 games

Beijing has been selected to host the 2008 Olympic Games.

More than 100 members of the International Olympic Committee gathered at an

international trade complex on the banks of the Moscow River, where

representatives of five cities tried to win their votes.

Beijing, Toronto, Paris, Osaka and Istanbul began presentations to the

delegates hours before the vote.

Beijing - the capital of the world’s most populous country, was favoured to

win the race from the off.

Osaka was the first city to be ruled out.

The Japanese city had led off the presentations, showing a short film

opening with a full moon, fire and Japanese drummers.

Winner Beijing is a rising sports power with an emerging market of 1.3

billion, but China also is the target of human-rights critics worldwide.

Outside the trade centre, police stepped up security from previous days,

with a cordon of officers around the IOC hotel.

They stopped would-be protesters for Tibetan and press freedom, from getting

within 200 yards of the venue, taking six into custody and warning others

not to come back.

Police detained at least 10 anti-Beijing protesters over the previous two

days.

Toronto and Paris were considered Beijing’s chief challengers, and would be

more conventional choices for the IOC, which has shown an uncanny ability to

pick the right city at the right time to stage the games.

All three leading contenders received marks of excellence from the IOC’s own

evaluation team.