News
Email
Print
Major Olympic sponsors irate over security curbs at Olympic Green
Elaborate pavilions not getting exposure because number of visitors is limited
AP Photo
An armored personnel carrier sits at the gate of the tightly guarded Olympic Green.
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: August 14, 2008
BEIJING
China may be a land of crowds, but not at its Olympic Green.
Some major Olympic sponsors that invested millions of dollars to pitch their brands at elaborately constructed pavilions are fuming because access to the Green -- usually the main focal and gathering point of most Games -- has been strictly limited.
Citing security concerns, Beijing Olympics officials have turned away droves of spectators who are curious to see the Green with day passes. For the most part, the only people who have been allowed inside are those with hard-to-get tickets to the venues along the Green.
Such sponsors as Lenovo, Samsung, Adidas and Coca-Cola have set up elaborate corporate "experiences," complete with neon lights, giant-screen TVs and music acts.
But the crowds were sparse, even at 8 p.m. Tuesday, when the Games were in full swing. A small line of people stood outside the Coke exhibit, where dry ice and the sound of gurgling soda pop drifted out. Meanwhile, a giant restaurant erected by McDonald's at the end of the Green has been far from packed.
The Olympic Green is a huge space that is surrounded by Olympic venues, including the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, and is the site of swimming, gymnastics, archery and many other sports. As the organizers intended, it is big -- six times the size of the Green in Athens and three times the size of New York's Central Park.
Several high-profile sponsors were expecting 200,000 visitors a day and instead have seen just 20 percent of that, making it very difficult to justify costs that surpass $150 million, according to people close to the situation.
"It's too bad there aren't more people. It's a nice atmosphere," said Eugene Reimer, a Canadian who was swaying to a Beijing rock band playing at the Samsung pavilion. Sipping beer, he said, "I thought this would be more of a party." At 32,528 square feet and 1,015 seats, the temporary McDonald's at the north end of the Olympic Green is the largest free-standing McDonald's in the world as measured by size and seating capacity. Last week, the company said it was expecting huge traffic because it is the only restaurant on the Olympic Green.
Johan Jervoe, McDonald's corporate vice president of global marketing, said Tuesday that "we are pleased with our restaurants here and our brand's positioning amidst the wide expanse of the Games and its spectators."
Lisa Howard, a spokeswoman for McDonald's, said that the company hasn't asked Olympic officials to get more spectators to the Olympic Green. She would not answer specific questions about the lack of spectators in that area.
Some sponsors such as Samsung, which have outdoor events at night, say they have been satisfied with the crowds. And most expect that the crowds will pick up when track and field events begin Friday at the nearby National Stadium.
"Obviously, it would have been nice to see more numbers earlier," said Katja Schreiber, a spokeswoman for Adidas, a major Olympic sponsor with a pavilion on the Green.
"But we are seeing a growing trend, which will continue once the track and field competition (begins) in the 91,000-seat Bird's Nest later this week."
Even so, frustrated sponsors have been pushing Olympic officials to remedy the situation, warning that it could result in sponsors being reluctant to pony up money for the London Games.
Sun Weide, a spokesman for the Beijing Olympic Committee, acknowledged the problem. "We are aware of this issue. We are already planning to invite more people to the Olympic Green.... We definitely want more people and spectators."
Officials of the International Olympic Committee said that Beijing Olympic officials need to strike the right balance between security and access to Olympic areas.
Olympics organizers are acutely concerned about security, particularly after the stabbing of an American connected to the U.S. volleyball team over the weekend. The bomb that disrupted the 1996 Games went off in Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park.
"Here in Beijing, there have been a few who have requested that more people be admitted into what are known as the ‘Olympic common areas,' and the organizing committee has been working to find appropriate means of doing this, which we welcome," IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said.
Email
Print
