Saturday night, two friends and I went to the Badminton Venue at the Beijing University of Technology. We were advised to arrive about two hours before the starting time of the event. We got there about 90 minutes before the start and immediately noticed that the entire perimeter of the venue was fenced and there were special entrances for spectators, volunteers, journalists, etc. Soldiers were placed strategically at the perimeter points. We cleared security easily. It was very similar to airport security. The volunteers were all very polite and animated. The refreshment stands were rather sparse on items to eat, but the prices weren't too bad. There was a "post office" tent where one could buy various types of commemorative Olympic stamps.
While hanging around before entering the gymnasium, I asked a Chinese man about his Chinese flag and whether he bought it inside the fenced area or brought it with him. He didn't understand me and I walked on. A few minutes later, his English speaking wife came up and gave me her flag and said, "Welcome to China!" What a wonderful gesture that was!
We made our way inside the gym and found that it was very cold--good air conditioning there. There were three badminton games being played at the same time and really fairly easy to follow. Electronic scoreboards told where the athletes were from and their world ranking. At the conclusion of each contest, the scoreboard reported on the length of the match, the duration of the longest point (typically 22 to 30 seconds) and the number of hits made during the longest point (30 to 38). I was surprised that there were many empty seats. I thought everything was sold out. Maybe the early rounds are not heavily attended. The crowd was not particularly enthusiastic until the girl from Hong Kong appeared and then everything erupted with chants of China, China. The spirit of the crowd was not enough to lift her to victory, however.
This was the first time I had ever watched championship caliber badminton and it was quite impressive. The delicate flips over the net, the defensive lobs, and the smashes were all exciting. The reflexes of the athletes were quite amazing.
The session began at 6:30 p.m. and finished around 9:30, leaving me with the desire to see more.
Next for me is tennis on Monday, but since it is raining today, I wonder what will happen to today's games.
abhijeet
jim
