Global poll for the world’s new 7 wonders

The Great Wall of China, Greece’s Acropolis and Peru’s Machu Picchu were leading contenders to be named among the new seven wonders of the world in a global poll whose results were to be announced Saturday.

The winners were to be announced in Lisbon, Portugal. People throughout the world voted by Internet or phone message for the world’s top architectural marvels, said New7Wonders, the group conducting the balloting. The campaign was launched in 1999 by the Swiss Bernard Weber. Almost 200 nominations came in, and the list was narrowed to the 21 most-voted by the start of 2006. 

The U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, keeps a list of World Heritage Sites, which now totals 851 places, but the agency was not involved in Weber’s project.

Countdown starts to find modern 7 global wonders > A new, modern list of the seven wonders of the world is being released Saturday in a lavish ceremony in Lisbon. 

The current list was drafted by Greek writer Antipater of Sidon, but this one has the input of 90 million people, according to organizers, who say that’s how many people cast votes online, by phone and by text message over a year and a half.

Egyptian officials said it was a disgrace they had to compete for a spot, so the pyramids at Giza will retain their status as an ancient wonder. Adding seven new wonders will make for a total of eight once polls close. Egyptian officials have dismissed the contest as nothing more than as a commercial affair.

UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has also distanced itself. It says highlighting the sentimental value of a few sites is not enough and that results of the voting will only reflect the opinions of those with access to the Internet.

Unesco, which awards World Heritage status to historical sites worldwide and oversees their maintenance, has snubbed the awards as have some governments. Unesco, for its part, confirmed that it had been invited to support the project on several occasions, but had decided not to collaborate. A statement released by the Organisation concludes:

“There is no comparison between Mr Weber’s mediatised campaign and the scientific and educational work resulting from the inscription of sites on Unesco’s World Heritage List. The list of the ‘7 New Wonders of the World’ will be the result of a private undertaking, reflecting only the opinions of those with access to the internet and not the entire world. This initiative cannot, in any significant and sustainable manner, contribute to the preservation of sites elected by this public.”

Meanwhile, the Unesco World Heritage Committee met last week in Christchurch, New Zealand, and added 22 sites to the World Heritage List. The new additions range from the Rainforests of the Atsinanana in Madagascar to the old town of Corfu in Greece. You can see the new additions on the Unesco website > http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/365

Portugal’s President is to attend the world wonders ceremony, hosted by Oscar-winning actors Ben Kingsley and Hilary Swank, and Bollywood star Bipasha Basu. Spanish tenor José Carreras and American singer Jennifer Lopez will be performing. Tickets to the event, to be staged at Benfica’s Stadium of Light, will cost up to £75 and Christiano Ronaldo, Jose Carreras, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Kingsley will be among the guests.

Related Links > http://www.new7wonders.com

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