Vancouver
When Vancouver sent an official delegation to the Beijing Games, it probably had every right to expect a pleasant time. As hosts of the next Winter Games, it was in Beijing to glad-hand with sponsors, meet IOC members, praise the current host country and spread the word about their upcoming turn as hosts.
So it was with a mixture of surprise and unease that Premier Gordon Campbell of British Columbia found himself being put on the hot seat by the press last week.
The premier, whose meeting was supposedly to promote the Vancouver media centre for the 2010 Games, came under tough questioning. The Chinese press grilled him on a range of issues that, while familiar to Vancouver residents, have scarcely occupied the international spotlight. A reporter from China Daily asked the premier about the two main problems facing 2010: the safety of the road to co-host city Whistler and the growing number of homeless people on Vancouver's streets.
Mr Campbell was asked how the government would deal with groups intent on disrupting the Games. Groups including the Anti-Poverty Committee have disrupted Olympics-related announcements as they highlight the number of homeless in the city.
Mr Campbell said protesters would be allowed to have their say.
'In Canada we will be open to opportunities for people to express whatever views they have,' he said. While no one would be allowed to break the law, the government planned to allow people to express their views.