IOC hails Beijing "gold standard", China slams critics

By Nick Mulvenney

BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing's preparations for the Olympics were hailed as a "gold standard for the future" on Tuesday, a month before the opening ceremony, while China said its critics could not prevent the success of the Games.

China has transformed its capital for the August 8-24 Games, which it hopes will promote domestic stability and showcase a newly confident nation to the rest of the world.

The 31 venues may be ready but the March 14 riots in Tibet that sparked anti-Chinese demonstrations around the world, air quality, human rights and media freedom have dominated the run-up to the Games.

While conceding that concerns remained about pollution and a few broadcasting issues, chief International Olympic Committee (IOC) inspector Hein Verbruggen said Beijing "looked ready".

"The quality of preparation, the readiness of the venues and the attention to operational detail for these Games have set a gold standard for the future," he said in a statement after two days of meetings with organizers.

"What our hosts have achieved is exceptional. For the Games to be an overriding success -- and the IOC has an underlying confidence this will unquestionably be the case -- the organizers need now to deliver the services pledged for ... the various stakeholders who have begun to arrive for the Games."

Critics have said China is falling far short of the freedoms and standards it promised to win the Games.

Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Monday that China continues to severely breach its pledge to allow full media freedoms for the Games.