When the young French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin began his quest to revive the ancient Olympic Games in 1894, his vision extended further than just an international sports meet. The modern Olympics are often referred to as a "movement," with its own philosophy of good sportsmanship, a sense of fair play and respect for fellow athletes. Coubertin believed that through participation in sports, people could be taught that peace is possible between humans of different races, religions and nationalities.

With just two days left till the start of the 29th Olympiad, the whole world is watching Beijing. So far, early indicators seem to show that China is not fully embracing the goals of the Olympic movement. A recent report in the Washington Post ("Chinese Officials Give Club District A Brusque Cleanup" by Jill Drew, Wednesday, July 30) detailed a "clean-up" operation by Beijing authorities that has turned heavy-handed.

All over China, but especially in the capital city, a heavy police presence is evident with locals and foreigners alike reporting unnecessary hassles and intrusive security measures. These measures have been derided by some as mainly cosmetic, with critics saying they may be doing more harm than good.

China's goal is to showcase itself as a proud, strong, modern nation, ready to become a global leader, but by overdoing the security factor, Beijing may be shooting itself in the foot. Heavy security would, of course, be the norm anywhere an Olympics is hosted, but Beijing has perhaps gone overboard.CNN reports that guests attending the opening ceremony have been told to arrive five hours early in order to make it through checkpoints, while the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium has been ringed with anti-aircraft weapons. While it is certainly possible that terrorist groups could be planning some action during the games -- as a recent attack on a police station in Xinjiang demonstrates -- the exceptionally heavy security has not helped Beijing overcome the perception of China as a police state.

Speaking to the UK's Guardian newspaper, the man who co-designed the iconic "Bird's Nest" Olympic stadium, Ai Wei-wei, in an unusually strong condemnation, says he think China is missing an opportunity. "I think it is a shame," Ai was quoted as saying. "The original idea was to invite the international community to China, share the same values, celebrate humanity and good will, to speak about peace and social harmony. But today, you can see police everywhere; in every neighborhood there is tight security. People really are living in a police state." Wei continued, "Is this an Olympics or some kind of warfare?"

Last week's decision by China to rescind an earlier guarantee of press freedom came as a rude shock for those who were inclined to give the communist nation the benefit of the doubt. After a massive outcry, the International Olympic Committee met with Beijing Games organizers late last week to hammer out a deal that saw China remove restrictions on some websites.

China now says it has given journalists "sufficient" Internet access for their reporting needs, but it's become abundantly clear that -- despite repeated promises --- true press freedom will not be implemented at this year's Games.

The Beijing Olympics will undoubtedly leave some positive legacies including cleaner air and greater international awareness, but it seems a shame that authorities in Beijing are not making more of their Olympic opportunity.

After the May 12th earthquake in Sichuan, the world seemed to give China a pass on its crackdown of dissent in Tibet and Xinjiang. But hopes that such goodwill would move China to re-examine its totalitarian practices seem to have been misplaced.

When China was awarded the Summer Olympics after an exhaustive ballot in 2001, some commentators held out hope that the games could be a catalyst for change, much like the way the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul helped move South Korea away from a military-led dictatorship. While it's much too early to see if the Olympics will spur China towards greater reform, unfortunately, it looks as though China is again missing a great opportunity to move closer to the commonwealth of democratic nations.