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Beijing marks one year to Olympics Aug. 8: The Chinese capital begins the countdown to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, which are projected to be the most expensive in history.

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Like other national Olympics bodies, the USOC is monitoring the quality of Beijing’s air, laden with ozone, dust and exhaust from some aging vehicles.

Image is important with 550,000 foreign visitors and about 22,000 accredited media set to attend. In addition, up to 10,000 non-accredited journalists are expected.

Old habits, such as spitting in public, jumping ahead in line and littering, are under siege in various campaigns aimed at improving street etiquette. Everyone — from taxi drivers to Olympic volunteers — is being pressured to learn some English.

Revenue from local sponsorship is expected to be about $1.5 billion, at least double that of Sydney or Athens. Billions more will be spent on advertising and promotional campaigns.

Although many athletes will eat specialized diets provided by their own teams, Olympic organizers also have promised to track food electronically from the field to the consumer. The state-run China Daily newspaper reported recently that mice will be used to test food samples.

The biggest security threat — to the Chinese government — may come not from al-Qaida but from protesters hoping to highlight causes such as labor rights or China’s role in the Darfur crisis. Other protests may center on Tibetans who seek autonomy, religious activists, and calls for media freedom and the release of political prisoners.

“Great achievement is always accompanied by great challenges,” said Jiang Xiaoyu, an organizing committee executive vice president. “While the Beijing Olympics are a great opportunity, we are also confronted with huge challenges.”

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