As the Olympics wind down, there are many things that stand out in my mind from the past two and a half weeks.  One of the more interesting occurances that happens at every single sporting events is the Chinese seat fillers who attend almost game.  I expected some seat fillers for lower round games, but they seem to show up at every single match.  I wouldn't mind, however they literally only know one chant and that's "Go China Go."  This chant would make complete sense if, say, China was playing in the match, but when the Netherlands and the United States are squaring off for the gold medal in women's water polo, I just don't see the reason for it.

There was actually an article written on the China Daily website that touched on this very problem.  According to the article, Chinese fans are not familiar with most of the sports at the Olympics, and are therefore unaware of the normal chants that fans partake in.  This makes a lot of sense when you think about the development and growth that China has been going through over the last 15 years or so.  Some of these western sports like BMX, Moutain Biking and Water Polo are completely foreign to most Chinese citizens.

My question then turns to why the BOCOG did not teach their seat fillers basic lingo about the sports they would be attending. A booklet containing some of the bacis rules and lingo associated with each sport would have not only helped them during the actual game, but it would also allow more people to talk about the results and upcoming games once outside of the venue.

China put a lot of money in the Olympics, and a couple more Yuan might have helped their citizens better understand and appreciate what they were actually witnessing.  This literally is a once in a lifetime opportunity for spectators from around the world to witness the best athletes in the world, but without the proper knowledge I am not completely convinced they can appreciate it fully.