First of all, I have nothing against the Chinese and China - and neither about the recent Tibet protest.

Sports should be non-political

However, I realise that many Chinese from China do not really know or understand English. The signs available in China also written in Chinese characters

I also got to meet many Chinese nationals who work in Singapore (as sales assistants/ waiters/ waitresses/ bus drivers) and they don't really know English.

Some have different accent and pronunciation....

So I wonder if the non-Chinese athletes and spectators will be able to ask for help in China (in case they are lost somewhere and need to ask locals for directions)

Therefore, I think to BE SAFE, those who plan to visit China (eg: to watch the Olympics) MUST learn Mandarin (both conversational and written)

Or perhaps, Olympics can be postponed to a later date (perhaps to other places that are English-friendly) as English is an universal language

what are your opinions?