Beijing to contribute fresh experience in exercising frugality in hosting Olympics

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will not only meet IOC requirements in all aspects and fully demonstrate the host nation's unique characteristics, but will also contribute fresh experience in hosting Olympic with frugality, said Wei Jizhong, president of Beijing Olympic Economy Research Association, when receiving recently an interview by People's Daily.

Overspending is one of the biggest headaches of Olympic hosts, Wei said. Taking the ongoing Athens Olympic as an example, 80 percent of its 35 venues are newly built and the other 20 percent are rebuilt. Construction of a large number of Olympic venues may bring the city quite an economic burden in a short period.

As a matter of fact, holding Olympic Games with frugality is a notion raised as early as Beijing was bidding for the 2008 hosting right. Experts from all sides are now optimizing major venue designs to get them "slimmer" without affecting their basic functions and images.

Talking about frugality measures, Wei said that firstly we must make full use of existing resources. In venue construction, we should firstly consider renovating old stadiums instead of building new ones, and make sure that they can be used after the Games. When mapping out our Olympic action plan we must also consider city development and modernization, otherwise it will only bring short-term profits and unnecessary waste.

Secondly, we must make every effort to ensure efficiency in combining hosting Olympic Games with economic and social development of the city. The level of hosting the Games should be based on city development as a whole instead of "breakthroughs" made solely for the Games. Any construction or renovation plan should meet the needs of their future managers and users, and must undergo slight adjustments continuously before being finalized.

Lastly, rash overtaking and comparison with others should be avoided.

By People's Daily Online