[ontheroad]

From the (Australian) Daily Telegraph:

China ban Australia taking own food to Olympics

By Ben English, National Olympics Editor
April 30, 2008 12:00am

FORGET about Tibet and human rights - 2008 may become known as the year of the Vegemite riots following China's ban on Australia taking its own food to the Olympic Games.

In another example of the iron-clad control Beijing is trying to exert on foreigners, Games organisers have told Australia it must source all food from within China.

It is understood the Chinese have introduced the ban to maximise revenue for local food producers.

The policy is an abrupt departure from previous Olympics, when Australian athletes have been allowed to bring in foods to meet their strict dietary needs.

The Daily Telegraph has learned the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games added an unprecedented clause in its freight manual outlining the ban.

The Australian Olympic Committee raised the issue at a BOCOG planning meeting in Beijing last month but so far the Chinese have refused to relax their policy.

The issue must be resolved as Australia has already sent a container ship of supplies to China, 100 days before the Opening Ceremony.

The shipment includes 2000 boxes of cereal, 5500 oven bars, muesli bars and twist bars and more than 3000 "power" bars - high energy foods used by endurance athletes.

Our team is planning a second shipment closer to the August Games, which includes Vegemite.

Australian Olympic team nutritionist Professor Louise Burke said the products, supplied by team sponsors Uncle Toby's and Nestle, were crucial to Aussie athletes because they provided familiar foods in the heat of competition.

"A lot of the food we are taking is not readily available in China. We would like to take these products because they help our athletes feel at home," he said.

"We haven't got to the point of contemplating this horrible scenario (of having Australian containers banned)."

Professor Burke said other products banned included protein shakes designed for the Games.

"We have a protein carbohydrate mixture in powder form that is sealed to minimise the possibility of contamination," she said.

The Australian team is not expecting any resistance from the Chinese on a planned shipment of pharmaceuticals for our athletes.

But it is not clear whether China will also ban athletes from bringing in individual supplies of food.

BOCOG declined to comment on the issue last night.

But the International Olympics Committee previously stated competitors are banned from bringing their own food to the athletes' village to protect the rights of sponsors like McDonalds and to police the use of illegal substances.

The Australian ban comes after American athletes caused a furore in China by boycotting local food.

The US Olympic Committee plans to transport its own produce because of fears about China's public health and food standards.

[Claire ex-ax]

McDonalds? No to muesli bars, but yes to freaking cr@p McDonalds food?

The Olympics is, as I said before, a commercial grab-fest.

But perhaps this is all part of a cunning plan by the Chinese government.

First no visas, in case visitors cheer for foreign athletes who then might win. And now the athletes have to put up with the local food, which of course is the purest, healthest food on the planet and from which no one has ever fallen ill from eating. I realise that the Chinese government expects (nay, demands) the country to be at the top of the medal board but it not really being too subtle about how it will achieve that.

[KnowItAll]

Got to start an olympics forum ..

[jgl]

Or this rate, it'd be better named the Foot-In-Mouth forum.

[chimo]

Ah yes here with go with more whinging and whining. "The Olympics belongs to us, the white people, and we will do everything we can to ruin it for the Chinese". This is the feeling I am getting from the Western media.

There were 6 (SIX!) McDonalds in the Olympic village during the Atlanta Olympics. The city of Atlanta passed laws that essentially made it a crime to be homeless. Training manuals for Olympics security officers included instructions on who to arrest: non-white males. Was this ever reported? So please stop falling for all this anti-Chinese propaganda.

[KnowItAll]

chimo - a lot has changed in this world since the Atlanta games.

[Claire ex-ax]

Seems chimo has a chip on his shoulder. This is not a race debate. It's about the promises the Chinese government made when it bid for the Games and which it is now not upholding.

But as chimo believes everything is a racist plot against every Chinese person, perhaps he could answer why does he thinks it is racist for athletes to want to consume the foods they have been using throughout their years of training? And why is it racist for those athletes to want to perform at their best (other than the whole China at the top of the medal table thing)?

Chimo, drop the race card and explain why the Chinese government (note government NOT people) is not upholding its promises? And if it did, would the rest of the world not look more favourably on the country?

[Boris]

Originally Posted by chimo

There were 6 (SIX!) McDonalds in the Olympic village during the Atlanta Olympics. The city of Atlanta passed laws that essentially made it a crime to be homeless. Training manuals for Olympics security officers included instructions on who to arrest: non-white males. Was this ever reported? So please stop falling for all this anti-Chinese propaganda.

McDonalds are a sponsor, so what do you expect.
Coke is the same and you could only use Master Card for the same reason. That has nothing do do with what is being said.

The laws for such an event are made as temp by laws. So your comment about " essentially homeless " means - I expect - that its arrestable to be found sleeping rough. Not unexpected when the city is granted the games based on one factor being enough hotel beds. Support local business that have made an investment.

The training manuals issue - for ATLANTA ??? Have you ever been there ?? Most of the police force is Black. Its so religious that EVERYTHING shuts down on a Sunday except family restaurants. So give me the proof - like the OP did and we are ALL experiencing Real Time Worldwide.

I guess you must be Chinese yourself as my recent trip showed me that even from a few months ago my friends rhetoric on Olympics was pure CCTV. I was also amazed that even CCTV 9 was part of the plot. Just blatant propaganda - and not of any high quality to anyone within reach of the thousands of independent worldwide information and news sources. But of course the average Chinese doesn't have that access due to the GREAT CHINESE FIREWALL.

Anti Chinese propaganda ? Kettle - Black - Calling - Pot - The. Rearrange to find the truth.

[jgl]

Chimo- at least the Western media is an equal opportunity critic. There was plenty of American criticism of how the Atlanta games were staged. Do you see open debate or criticism happening in China?

And how exactly do you translate criticism of a non-representative government as criticism of an entire race? The Chinese government is NOT the Chinese people, unless of course you have been brainwashed to believe otherwise.

I can be critical of the Australian government to Australians. Or of the US Republican party to Americans. And they don't get their panties in twist and throw a hissy fit

[Miss P]

Where are 'the clowns '-sent in or otherwise please ? seriously looking for where to gather to protest tomorrow -pro = Chinese cadres no need to reply