The typical Beijing cursing on the court made me embarrassed, said Liu Jingmin, Beijing Vice1 Mayor. 64.63% of netizens agree with Liu and consider the cursing during matches a negative influence for the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, according a survey by sina.com.cn.
According to Liu, Beijing Olympics presents as much of a challenge for the city as it gives Beijing an opportunity to showcase itself to the world. Along with the constructions and other facilities, the civilization level is another test for Beijingers when the whole world is also watching them on TVs when cheering for the athletes.
How to hold the Olympic Games in a civilized2 way is also a major concern during the discussions of the ongoing3 Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. One proposal is to launch a campaign named starting new trends to welcome the Olympics, which includes eight projects, and one of them is aimed at sTOPping cursing. The campaign is slated4 to begin on March 27, 500 days before the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Wang Wen, Director of Beijing Soccer Fan Association, holds the idea that Beijing curse is not directly linked to Beijing's image during the Olympics. He said the verbal abuses usually appear when the two opposing teams are very close, and do not appear in every game.
Wang also noted5 it is not only the spectators' fault to curse on the court, and it is not necessarily a bad thing to curse on the court, because it is an effective way to let out the passion and anger inside the spectators, especially when the referees6 are considered not being as fair and square.
Nonetheless, Wang said he is also firmly against the uncivilized demeanors on the court like cursing, and a better atmosphere can be built by hanging banners advocating civilized behaviors on the court, handing out small pieces of papers of reminders7, or organizing volunteers to remind of proper manners.
