Is China fit to host the Olympics?
The level of pride and condemnation which has accompanied the Olympic torch on its controversy-blighted journey around the world suggests the question will be asked again and again until August - is China fit to host the Olympics?
Instalment two of the Herald\'s IQ2 debates tonight - which will be streamed live on smh.com.au at 7.30pm - will put that very question back under the spotlight when it considers the negative proposition; that because of its human rights record and other considerations, China is not fit to host the Olympics.
The question will first be put to an audience vote before two expert panels debate the issue and a second vote is taken.
Greens Senator Bob Brown will argue against Beijing\'s hosting credentials along with Olympic skier Michael Milton and Chin Jin - chair of the Australian Federation For A Democratic China.
Their opposition will be author and Asian specialist Paul Monk, International Olympics Committee advisor and Australian-Himalayan Foundation chairman Simon Balderstone and Hamish McDonald, the Herald\'s Asia-Pacific editor.
The last IQ2 debate on whether Islam is incompatible with democracy attracted a spirited 1200-strong audience, 52 per cent of whom voted at the conclusion against the proposition.
The debate, presented by the St James Ethics Centre, The Sydney Morning Herald and ABC Radio National, starts at 6.45pm at City Recital Hall, Angel Place, Sydney.
Standard tickets are $30 and are available by calling 8256 2222 or visiting http://www.cityrecitalhall.com.