The 100-year-old Olympic Games, bidding adieu to its homeland, runs towards the ancient China with glory and dream, towards Beijing, a metropolis of modern times. Ushered into the market mechanism by the Americans the Olympic Games became no longer a burden for people but a profitable commodity. However, along with the daily swelling of the Olympics, the sponge cake has become more difficult to get profits out of it. Though there is so far no official news about it, the Olympics in Athens seemed to have lost money in the light of the reactions from all aspects of life.

Since Greece succeeded in the bidding for the Olympic Games, the argument about that Greece has lost money is a fait accompli and we've seen no end of the argument. Before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, an official of the Greek Ministry of Finance expressed: there have been some troubles in the preparation of the Olympic Games. All funds Greece invested for the expenses of the Olympic Games have amounted to 3 billion Euro-dollars, surpassing to a great extent the original budget of 1.14 billion Euro-dollars. And when the Olympic curtain rises the expense will continue to rise and is possible to reach 6 billion Euro-dollars. Apparently, the Greek official held a suspicious attitude as to whether the Olympic Games would be able to gain before the opening of the games. Recent news has it that the expenditure of Olympics Athens has pressed on 8.6 billion of Euro-dollars.

"Too late to start work with time pressed is the main cause for the Greek government to be under a heavy burden," analyzed John Coates, IOC Member in Australia, "4 years ago when the Australian government began to host the Olympic Games the expenditure was only 5 billion US dollars. This is mainly benefited from an early start." No matter for what reason that the Greece lost money in hosting the Olympic Games has already become a fait accompli.

Actually, as more and more people are paying attention to the Olympic Games the Olympic market is accordingly expanded continuously and divided elaborately. The rights of the TV transmission, the top supporters' advertisements, the franchised mascot of the games and the tickets prove to be a powerful attraction to the businessmen of the world.

Take the two biggest sources of income -- the right of TV transmission and top-supporter plan for instance, the selling of the transmission right has got in 1.498 billion US dollars while the top supporters' advertisements have exceeded 0.6 billion US dollars. However, about half of the two lump-sums has to go into the pocket of the International Olympic Committee. As to other channels of income, such as the franchised sales and distributions of the Olympic mascot and tickets that depends on the marketing tactics of the hosting country.

For Beijing Olympic Games 2008, though there's a heavy task and a long way to go it is still something dreamlike that every city is yearning for. To win over the right for hosting the matches is more glorious and brighter than to make a silent repair of the city. How to turn the mere hosting of the Olympics into profitable games constitutes actually part of the successful hosting of the games.

To make slimmer the Olympic Games is a question that deserves attention. At present Beijing is engaged in an intensified construction of the new stadiums and gymnasiums for the Olympic Games. To reduce the input on the construction in a best possible way is of great importance. How the Americans succeeded in profiting from the Olympic Games, except their subtle operation and management of the market the aforesaid point is quite important. They didn't lavish on the construction of new stadiums and gyms and only made some renewals and renovations on the old ones. In this way they diminished the input cost. As a matter of fact, Beijing also has many such old facilities and how to make a reasonable use of them is a question of crucial importance.

The marketing development is another heavy responsibility to shoulder. China has a large population, taking up 1/5 of the world. This is a very big fortune. But if no promotion is going to be done nor the publicity of the matches the Chinese spectators will like those in Greece pay attention only to the matches in which their own sportsmen are possible to win the gold-medals. If so the phenomena are likely to happen in which some matches get their heels cooled. The Olympic Games is a comprehensive sports-meet of the greatest importance in the present athletic world. The internationalized character has driven Beijing Olympic Games 2008 to break away from traditional conception and do well in market development. Only by doing so, can the Olympic Games be addressed as a successful one.

How Beijing can do well the next Olympic Games has become a focal point of concern for Beijing people and for the people all over the world. Beijing, as a city of a developing country and a city the first time to host the Olympic Games, may carry out a purely commercialized operation of the most valuable business resources. By drawing from the International Olympic Committee some successful experiences Beijing will try its best to turn the coming Olympic Games into one successful and profitable as well.

By People's Daily Online