It has been an interesting couple of weeks.

This week, we will announce the details of our search for a new hockey anthem for Hockey Night in Canada. We’ve already had dozens of enquiries and a few high profile entries already. It will be big.

But before we announce all that, I thought I would answer some of the tougher questions I’ve been asked by media, by people in the industry and most importantly by our viewers. My answers may not convince you of anything, but I would like to think they might help you understand the situation better.

There has been no shortage of opinions on China as host of the Games and its record on human rights; its treatment of Tibet; its position on Darfur and many other issues. I’ve come to the conclusion that my opinion on those issues is not important, but our network’s coverage of them is essential.

More than ever, I believe staging the Games, participating in them, and supporting them is positive in many ways. And I think China playing host can be good for the world, and good for the Chinese - if their government keeps its promise to allow the world press to report without constraint.

This is an area on which the IOC has continued to press Chinese officials. It is the most important issue for us at the CBC and, I believe, it is the issue that will determine whether the 2008 Olympics plays a role for positive change.

I’m a little biased. I grew up there and am a Canadiens fan. My biggest idols growing up were Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard and Yvan Cournoyer.

So as a former Montrealer, it really bugs me to hear the press in that city say that CBC Sports is anti-Habs. Nothing could be further from the truth. Especially recently.

First, in case you haven’t heard, tonight’s Canada/Scotland match at the Worlds has been moved to 8pm ET. The World Curling Federation made a last minute change in order to try and attract more fans to the rink.

We have changed around our broadcast schedule on CBC bold to accommodate that change. (I might point out to our many critics that CBC main network and the other two major sports channels have contracted commitments tonight and would not have been as flexible as bold was able to be in this case.)

And nobody’s more passionate than curling fans.

We’ve heard from you. You’re not happy that we’re not showing the round robin games from the Men’s World Curling Championship. You’ve made that quite clear.

But actually, we are.

I'm not going to use this column to express my views about what the Chinese are doing in Tibet. I'll leave that to others who are more educated on the situation.

However, I think boycotts only hurt the athletes who have trained their whole careers, and a boycott ends up having little political impact.

But I wrote yesterday that these Olympics are China's "coming out party." Whether you agree with the IOC's awarding the games to China or not, this should be their opportunity to put a more open face to the world.

Right now, I'm worried about how they are going to do that.

The number 8 signifies prosperity in Chinese culture, so it is appropriate that at 8 minutes past 8 o’clock on the 8th day of the 8th month 2008, the Games of the 29th Olympiad will open in Beijing. The opening ceremonies may be the largest debutante ball in history, a true “coming out party” for China.

Two cities that probably don't get compared much. But they are the last two cities I've travelled to, they've both proved to me the power of sport and they've both inspired me.