LONDON -- In 1989, Michael Chang watched the Tiananmen
Square crackdown on television just as he was making his memorable
run to the French Open title. As he accepted his trophy, he paid
special tribute to the Chinese people.
Twelve years later, Chang -- an American of Chinese heritage -- has become a high-profile backer of Beijing's bid for the 2008
Olympics, saying China has changed significantly and will open up
further if it wins the games.
With less than a month before the IOC vote on the host city,
Chang was in London on Monday discussing his volunteer role in
China's campaign to bring the Olympics to the world's most populous
country for the first time.
"If Beijing becomes the host nation, I think you're going to
see something very, very special," Chang said in an interview.
"They know this is an opportunity that doesn't come around very
often. They know how precious this is. For the first Olympics in
China, they're going to want to make this the best ever."
Beijing, which lost the 2000 Games by two votes to Sydney, is
widely considered the front-runner for 2008. Paris and Toronto are
the main challengers, with Osaka, Japan, and Istanbul, Turkey, as
outsiders. The International Olympic Committee will elect the host
city in Moscow on July 13.
Critics oppose Beijing's bid on human rights grounds, citing the
1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square
as an example of China's intolerance of political dissent.
The crackdown coincided with the French Open, where Chang, then
17, became the youngest male player ever to win a Grand Slam title.
He did it in amazing fashion, overcoming painful leg cramps and
serving underhanded to beat Ivan Lendl in one match, and coming
from behind to defeat Stefan Edberg in the final.
After receiving the winner's trophy, Chang told the crowd: "God
bless everybody, especially the people in China."
On Monday, Chang -- whose parents came from China and who still
has relatives there -- said Tiananmen Square helped inspire his
French Open triumph. He hasn't won a Grand Slam title since.
Chang believes he was destined to win the French in '89 "for
the purpose of being able to say to Chinese people around the
world: `Hey, something good is happening to a fellow Chinese person
halfway around the world, there is something to smile about."'
Chang recalled watching television footage of Chinese troops
crushing the demonstrations and of a lone protester standing in
front of a tank.
"Obviously they're moving images that really stay in your
mind," he said. "It was a downtime for Chinese people around the
world, there's no doubt about that.
"I've always had a heart for Chinese people, even more so after
1989. What's been an encouragement for me is I've seen China and
how they've changed and opened up over these years. Things have
changed tremendously."
Supporting Beijing's bid puts Chang in conflict with a number of
U.S. lawmakers, who argue that China should not get the games until
it improves its human rights record.
"You have to take into consideration certain things, but at the
same time you have to take into consideration what the Olympics is
all about," Chang said. "The Olympics is really about sports,
about camaraderie, about unifying countries, about unity, about
teamwork. It really doesn't have to do with the political aspect of
things."
Chang said the Olympics would encourage positive change in
China.
"I think it would open things up even more," he said. "It
would open up a lot of doors, a lot of channels. You have a quarter
of the world's population in China, and that really still needs to
be exposed to the world."
Chang has played tournaments in China and Hong Kong for the past
10 years. He has also played in two Olympics, Barcelona in 1992 and
last year in Sydney.
"People still have a certain image of China," he said. "For
me, because I've been there and experienced those gradual changes,
I've seen how much they've grown, how much more willing they are to
be open to the world.
"For Beijing to get this bid would not only be important for
the people of China, but also for the people of the world to be
able to better understand China and its culture. It's really a
tremendous opportunity for the world."
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