Beijing Like Any Other Place With Tons of People and a Few Crazies

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↵Every news outlet has headlines blaring about the tragic murder of the father-in-law of a U.S. Olympic coach in Beijing today. Todd Bachman, whose daughter competed with the U.S. volleyball team in 2004 and whose son-in-law coaches the current men’s volleyball squad, was stabbed to death by a middle-aged Chinese man in broad daylight at a tourist attraction a few hours after the opening ceremony. The assailant also attacked Bachman’s wife and their Chinese tour guide, and then leapt to his death.
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↵It’s a scary start to The Games, but the incident is hardly unique in sporting or Olympic lore. The last Summer Olympics held in the United States included the awful terrorist bombing at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, with an American causing the deaths of two and injuries to more than 100 visitors.
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↵What I mean to say: any time you put this many strangers in one place, senseless tragedy has a prime opportunity. Several media reports have noted tourist attacks are rare in China, as I’m sure they are in the United States, Great Britain and Japan. That evil made an appearance so early in Beijing is startling, though. Hopefully, there will be no more of these stories to write about.↵