When we went to watch the football game Belgium – Italy in Gongti, we helped to distribute many tickets we had secured from the sports people, and made many people happy. When Sun was handing them out at the entrance, plain-clothes police approached her, asked her what she was doing. She was soon tricked by them, explanations to no avail and she found herself basically locked up in the police station near The Tree in Sanlitun. After patiently trying to explain she really got mad, called some high friends who then forced the police to apologize and let her go. Result, some of the Belgians failed to get their ticket and Sun arrived only during the second half of the game.

The same evening we went back to the police station, for me to take a picture. With their paranoia they also built an iron gate between The Tree and the station. Sun told them again in her very direct way what she thought of their lack of professionalism. And she also called up half of Beijing’s government people to complain. You don’t mess with Sun.
Obviously coordination between the police forces is poor and there is too much incompetence.
We have some good friends in the security forces and they try to do a good job. But there are others who are totally brutal, inept and treat normal Chinese citizens worse than animals. Disgusting really and I despise them, including the totally useless traffic police. They never do anything but make life miserable for taxi drivers and others. They stand in the middle of traffic chaos without even noticing.
Those are the shame of China and as long as the government does not clean up, it will only bring more resentment among Chinese and foreigners alike. They spoil the image of a friendly China.
Ticket scalpers have been very busy doing their work, one day the police completely ignores them and another day they round up everybody without even checking.
A lot is to be said of the disaster ticket sales for the Olympic events. Whole sections of stadiums are empty and authorities sometimes at the last minute bring in buses of “spectators” to fill the seats for TV consumption. And normal people can’t find tickets. In a way, thanks to the scalpers, people find tickets, be it at astronomic prices.
Seems the Beijing Olympics are the worst in this category. Athens tickets were expensive but were available. In the end, Beijing tickets are more expensive – I was offered tickets for Brazil – Argentina on 19 August for 5000 RMB. The ticket I got from the sports people cost me 400 RMB.