Beijing Olympics - A Good Beginning Is Half the Battle

Home>>Sports

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, December 26, 2002

Beijing Olympics - A Good Beginning Is Half the Battle

The saying "a good beginning is half the battle" seems to have found its proof in Beijing as the host city of the 2008 Olympic Games laid an impressively solid foundation in 2002.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

The saying "a good beginning is half the battle" seems to have found its proof in Beijing as the host city of the 2008 Olympic Games laid an impressively solid foundation in 2002.

One year after Beijing was awarded the 2008 Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Chinese capital is well on the track in its build-up to the world's premier sporting event.

"The Coordination Commission is very impressed by the work that has been done by BOCOG in the first year," Hein Verbruggen, chairman of the IOC's Coordination Commission for the Beijing Olympics, told a press conference in Beijing early this month.

The IOC's Coordination Commission had its first full meeting with the Games Beijing organizers (BOCOG) on Dec. 2-4, listening to BOCOG's progress report on construction, sport, Olympic villageand services, environment, communication, marketing, accommodation and technology.

Liu Jingmin, executive vice-president of BOCOG, said at the meeting that BOCOG had achieved all the goals set for this year. "Recently, the Coordination Commission summarized BOCOG's preparations in 2002 against the Master Plan," he said. "All the tasks for the year have been completed on schedule."

In order to materialize the concept of "Green Olympics", Beijing has long ago listed environmental protection as a top priority in the preparations for the 2008 Games.

A total of 40 industrial enterprises have been moved out of the urban areas this year to improve the environmental quality in the urban districts. In the meantime, production technologies and product structures of these enterprises have been optimized.

In transportation, the west line of the light rail system, stretching about 20 kilometers from Xizhimen in northwest Beijing to Huilongguan, a new residential area in the northern suburbs, has been put into operation in September. The east line of the light rail that runs from Huilongguan to Dongzhimen in northeast Beijing is scheduled to begin operation in late January next year.

In respect of construction of the sports venues and related facilities, BOCOG launched an international bid in late March to call for the planning and designing of the Olympic Green and the Wukesong Cultural and Sports Center. After evaluation and appraisal by a jury, which was made up of well-known Chinese and overseas experts, 13 plans were picked up out of 89 proposals.

In October, BOCOG announced the Pre-qualification and Call for Expression of Interest both in China and abroad and issued invitations to both domestic and foreign enterprises, which marked the official launch of the open tendering for proprietors of Olympic venues projects.

Marketing of the 2008 Olympics has also been proceeding as planned. In cooperation with an authoritative institution in China, BOCOG conducted a survey on the potential areas of sponsorship and probed into the present status and development prospects of 19 industrial categories.

At the same time, BOCOG has worked out the market plan for the 2008 Games, which is made up of three parts -- the sponsorship plan, the suppliership plan and the licensing plan. After consultation with IOC experts, BOCOG is now fine-tuning the plan that is scheduled to be officially launched in 2003.

Further than completing the tasks set for this year, BOCOG's preparations in some areas were even ahead of schedule, according to Liu.

"As a matter of fact, we are ahead of schedule in security and accommodation," he said.

In cooperation with the Beijing police, BOCOG has conducted observation on the security measures in the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games, the South Korea-Japan World Cup finals, the Commonwealth Games and the Busan Asian Games.

In accommodation, BOCOG has reached preliminary agreements with dozens of hotels in the city to accommodate athletes and journalists in 2008.

Though the first year after the success of Beijing's Olympic bid could be called a year of "planning", the IOC Coordination Commission exuded with confidence that pledges would come true. "What's striking here in Beijing is that the plans are very complete, very concrete," said Verbrugeen, who was also chairman of the IOC Evaluation Commission during the bidding process for 2008 Olympics last year.

"We have absolutely no doubt that everything being told will be realized," he added.

Questions?Comments? Click here

Beijing to Host an Olympics with its Own Characteristics

IOC Lavishes Praise on Beijing's Preparations for 2008 Olympics

Analysis: The Rise of China -- a Threat or an Opportunity? ( 25 Messages)

Zhu, Schroeder to be on Maiden Trip of China's First Maglev Train ( 8 Messages)

What Is Bush's Missile Defense System Intended for? ( 3 Messages)

China Set Trade Growth Goal at 7 Percent in 2003 ( 2 Messages)

Russia Warns US Against Improper Approach to DPRK's Nuclear Issue ( 4 Messages)