Olympic Diplomat

For the honour to host the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing owes a debt of gratitude to one man. Daragh Moller reviews the life and achievements of He Zhenliang

No name in China conjures up quite so much admiration and respect today as He Zhenliang, the man responsible for promoting China's Olympic ideal for more than fifty years that culminated in the successful bid in Moscow in 2001 to host the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

A jovial and definitely youthful, much-lauded man, he is a modest and straight talking pragmatist who as honorary president of the Chinese Olympic Committee and member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has the ears of China's top politicians and the warm friendship and co-operation of sports leaders around the globe.

"If you honour Beijing with the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games, " he said to members of the IOC at the Moscow session in a much published address on July 13th, 2001, prior to their voting on Beijing's bid for the 2008 Olympics, "I can assure you, my dear colleagues, that, in seven years from now, Beijing will make you proud of the decision you make here today."

With China's first bid to host the Olympic Games ending in disappointment in 1993 with Sydney beating Beijing by just two votes to be the host city for the 2000 Olympic Games, the successful bid in 2001 was a meaningful moment in the China's history. Following the announcement that Beijing had secured the Games, a jubilant and emotional he told the press: "I'm proud of my country, I'm proud of my people."

He had reason to be. In a career spanning the turbulent times of China's late-twentieth century history, he had witnessed much change in the country as he worked as an engineer as well as maintaining a role in the political administration of the country. Although he was to become a member and then a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, between 1993-1998, his most effective role was to be in his involvement in the promotion of the country's sport and its relations with the world sport.

He Zhenliang was born in 1929 in Shangyu County, Zhejiang Province and has often spoken of the effects on his family of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in1937. "My family became poor because of the Japanese invasion. In fact my family was totally destroyed by it. Formerly we had property but everything went with the invasion."

This had an effect on the young man's education but he was still able to attend Aurore University in Shanghai where he received a degree in Electrical Engineering. Soon after he married Liang Lijuan and they had two children, a son and a daughter. However, He found that his interests lay beyond the engineering field and he became active in the promotion of sport.

"I started my work for the Olympics in 1952. I was selected four times onto the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee over a 16 year period, three times as a member and once as Vice President."

China's determination to participate in the Olympics and ally its sporting spirit with that of the rest of the sporting world began with enthusiastic support of Zhou Enlai, the first Premier of the PRC and He Long, one of the first group of leaders to pay attention to Chinese sport after the country's founding. But problems still existed in interpreting China to the rest of the world at a time when the West was not always so receptive to views other than its own.

A multi-linguist and determined "sporting diplomat", he began promoting China's sporting ideals abroad. He went on to hold high-profile positions as a member of the IOC from 1981 and most famously as Vice-President of the IOC between 1989-1993. His role was to increase China's visibility as a top sporting nation.

In the bid for the 2008 Olympic Games, his main strength was in articulating China's rapid economic and social progress and demystifying Beijing's ability to carry off the Games with the confidence and success required by the IOC. Although concerns still existed for the city's environment and traffic during the 2008 Games, the bid, aided by He, secured a promise from the city to be fully prepared and so far, this is promise has been kept.

"It has been a dream of mine throughout my career to find a way to bring the Olympic Games to China. I, too, want my countrymen and women to experience the eternal beauty of the Olympic dream in our homeland."

Turning this dream into reality, He held a number of positions in the promotion and administration of sport in China, although less now than previous years. He was Deputy Minister in charge of the State Commission on Physical Education and Sport of the People's Republic of China between1985-1994. He is currently chairman of the Commission for Culture of Olympic Education, a position he holds since 1995.

"I'm already 76, so I think the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games may be the end of my career in sports. I sincerely hope the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will be a success not only for China, but also for the whole world."

As 2008 approaches, and the eyes of the world focus on Beijing, the people of China, will not forget He Zhenliang or his sporting legacy.