This was one of the many conclusions drawn from a first-ever East-West Sports Summit, sponsored Nov. 7-9 at the East-West Center in Honolulu, in partnership with Sports Marketing Japan.
Within China, the question is whether the games will trigger a sea change in attitudes toward state control of the media (and of athletes themselves): toward democratization and human rights; and even toward the pace of outside investment in the booming Chinese economy.
As for the games themselves, indeed for international sports in general, the Beijing Olympics may signal the opening of an Asian Age.
The sports summit drew a wide range of participants, ranging from government sports officials such as Ms. Bin Yuan, Director of Marketing for the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games and colorful sports figures such as Bobby Valentine, manager of the Chiba Lottee Marines in the Japanese Pacific League and former manager of the Texas Rangers and New York Mets.
The conference also attracted a large number of sports marketing experts, both from Asia and the United States.
Bringing the Olympics to China, a dream that nation has pursued for 100 years, brings huge opportunities and huge challenges, the Conference was told. There will be the obvious physical legacy for China, which has built 37 dazzling new sports venues from Hong Kong to Beijing. Behind the glossy fa