The 'International Triathlon Union' has to approve the Beijing 'tri' course and they want it live-tested first

Anyone want to do a relay? Pay my way and I will be your mercenary for the swim.

There is a lot of politics around this Chinese triathlon route. The IOC said that the 2004 Athens course was the best ever and they want Beijing to top it. (I suppose the last thing you want when trying to sell how beautiful your country is is for athletes to race around iPod factory parking lots or alleyways in between the Nokia cell phone plant and the WallMart distribution center.)

So far they have a reservoir in mind but that does not have the gravitas that the azure blue seas of the Mediterranean have. They should have the course be wherever those Chinese artists ` did those foggy, sumi-e paintings with the islands and the mountains, maybe a tiger looking sinister or a panda bear eating bamboo. A swim in those conditions would look awesome. (As long as it is water you are swimming in and not polyvinyl-chloride waste from a Batman action hero factory.)

However, if they want to go modern then do Hong Kong. Picture lots of neon signs, saturated pastels, local parks full of groups of people doing Tai Chi while racers hum along at 30 mph on titanium bikes while local merchants cheer. Yes, that would look beautiful too. Snippet from the article:

The triathlon competition route for the Beijing Olympic Games, which has not been ratified by the International Triathlon Union (ITU), needs to be tested in the inaugural Beijing International Triathlon in September, ITU President Les McDonald said Monday in Beijing.

Les McDonald told Xinhua that he inspected the route around the Shisanling Reservoir, 50 kilometers northwest to Beijing, which will be tried in the Beijing International Triathlon slated for September 12.

"However," he said, "we have to wait after the Beijing International to listen to participants' opinion before the final decision is made." [Link]