China Olympic Visit

A sub-theme of my service as Governor of Utah between 1993 and 2003 was the Olympics. Prior to my service as Governor, Utah unsuccessfully bid for the games of 1998, and so the bid process for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games occurred during my service. We were awarded the games, and then suffered through a wrenching period when allegations were made involving the bid process.

As Governor I supported the bid completely, and later became deeply involved in working through the problems I referenced and spent nearly seven years getting ready for the games. It was a pressure-packed experience with high highs and low lows. When the games had been successfully completed, I could not help but consider the sum total as one of the great experiences of my life.

Through it all, I became well-acquainted with the Olympic organization, rituals, personalities and politics. I came to know its power for good. I also became intimately aware of how people all over the world wish to hook their cause to the power of those five rings. Nothing better illustrates the appeal of the Olympic brand.

I assume the combination of those factors, and my current portfolio at HHS, is the reason the President assigned me to the United States Delegation for the closing ceremonies. I was delighted, of course, and greatly honored.

Originally, I was to be part of a delegation lead by Secretary of State, Condi Rice. However, when the Russia/Georgia conflict broke out, she was required to pass her responsibilities to Secretary Elaine Chao, the Secretary of Labor and a person of Chinese descent. In addition to Secretary Chao and me, the delegation included the American Ambassador to China, Clark Randt; former Undersecretary of State, Karen Hughes; Olympic figure skater, Michelle Kwan; and Secretary Chao’s Father, Dr. James Chao.

Most Americans had a great seat for the Olympics because of the excellent television coverage. I came to understand that, in many ways, the Olympics are a made-for-television event with a live studio audience. Consequently, I won’t provide any commentary on the events. The truth is, I saw few of the competitions.

However, I do want to comment on the significance of the Olympics as a unique unifying force in the world, the importance of our country’s support to China, and what it means in the context of our current relationship.

Sport is one of the few causes that can bring the world together in peace. There are others. Each year I attend the World Health Assembly, where delegations from nearly 200 nations seek to work out and find solutions to common problems. But none of the other causes attract teams of participants who compete in events with common rules, all in pursuit of victory with high ideals.

The sessions of other diplomatic meetings are not shared simultaneously with more than three billion people around the planet all celebrating in a common interest and passion. It happens only at the Olympic Games.

President Bush made the right decision by going to the opening games himself. It was enormously important to the leadership of the Chinese government. In a meeting we had with Primer Wen Jiabao, he expressed his appreciation and made clear how important the President’s attendance was to the Chinese people.

At a small luncheon Secretary Chao and I attended with President Hu Jintao, he made a point of telling me how much he valued the President’s attendance. At China’s shining hour, it simply would not have been right for our President not to have been there. It would have been a slight felt for decades by China.

The games were not flawless; they never are. However, by my observation, they were excellent. Things worked. The venues were excellent. The athletes seemed pleased, and their performances showed it with lots of new world records, etc.

I think China served notice to the world that they will take sport seriously in the future. They have invested heavily in finding and building potential. It is an investment that will pay dividends for many years. Doing well in the Olympic Games adds prestige to a nation. In the same way people think Universities with winning football or basketball teams must be great educational institutions, in a world where few pay attention to geo politics, medal count often registers high on the scale of global prestige. Nowhere is that more important than at home in China. It builds national pride and support for the government and their system.

I had two other meetings I thought were important. One was with my friend Minister Li, who heads the Administration for Quality Supervision Inspection and Quarantine. We have worked together for the last year and a half on food safety. We had lunch and traded Olympic torches. I had a couple left from my time as Governor. We discussed the opening of our FDA offices in China during October.

Finally, I met with Liu Qi, the President of the Olympic Organizing Committee. He is the former mayor of Beijing and a member of Political Bureau of the 17th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. I wanted to congratulate him. We have known each other since 2002, when he visited me in Utah for our games.

We had a good laugh when I said to him, “One thing you won’t miss is endless calls seeking credentials.” Anyone who has been involved in the games knows that problem. He seemed like a man savoring a great victory, and well he should. The entire nation of China should. They still have many challenges, but the Olympic experience will have made them better as a country.

Comments

Thank you for your support of a conscience clause for health care providers. Please continue to seek strong restrictions for those who in good conscience, cannot follow certain directives. Sincerely, Mary Ann Church

Posted by: Mary Ann Church | September 16, 2008 at 11:01 PM

Thank you for your support of conscience rights. I urge you to implement the strongest possible regulation to keep these rights in place. Thank you.

Posted by: Katie Monaco | September 17, 2008 at 11:23 PM

Secretary Leavitt, Thank you for your support of conscience rights. Please continue to work to implement the strongest possible regulation of these important rights. God Bless You!

Posted by: Linda DiRuzza | October 19, 2008 at 05:52 PM