VENUES

And then there’s the heat. Tokyo in August is famously hot and humid, similar to Washington, D.C., and organizers are busy devising ways to keep athletes and fans cool. The 1964 Tokyo Games were held in October. while robust economic projections ensure strong support from the government and domestic sponsors.

In keeping with the theme of re-use, the Beijing Games organizing committee’s new offices are located in former iron ore storage silos at the former Capital Iron and Steel Works’ sprawling factory site in the capital’s western suburbs.

The Beijing Games have not been without their controversies, chief among them the lack of steep mountains and natural snowfall in the area directly surrounding the typically bone-dry capital. That has required organizers to locate some of the skiing events in the adjacent province of Hebei, with travel eased by new high-speed rail links.

Beijing’s heavy winter air pollution is also a concern, although city planners say the closure of factories and retirement of smoke-spewing vehicles will help. And while China’s ruling Communist Party continues to silence its opponents and repress Tibetans and other minorities, human rights doesn’t appear to be a major factor in the run-up to the games, just as they were mostly cast aside during the 2008 events.

Although China doesn’t have much of a Winter Olympics tradition, games organizers have touted the games as a driving force for public participation in hockey, skiing and other winter sports.