Rogge plays down controversy of frugal Olympics in 2008

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge said Monday in Beijing that successful games instead of frugal games should be the goal for Beijing Olympic organizers.

"I would like to quell the issue of frugal Olympics," Rogge told a press briefing in the Chinese capital as he concluded a three-day visit.

"There will be no frugal Olympic Games, there will be good Olympic games," he added.

In order to save costs and fine-tune the design, Beijing halted the construction of the National Stadium, which resembles a bird's nest in shape, in August amid a nationwide drive to cut down on "white elephant" projects.

It is said that a retractable roof for the 80,000-seat National Stadium will be canceled.

Rogge, who has initiated a campaign to control the scale and costs of the Olympic Games so that more small countries like Greece could afford it, said people should not misunderstand the term of "frugal games".

"When we speak about frugal games, there should be no misunderstandings. The Organizing Committee and the city of Beijing have signed an agreement with the International Olympic Committee called the Host City Contract," said Rogge.

The Host City Contract describes precisely what the requirements are, in terms of organization, services and venue construction.

"We know that the Organizing Committee will fulfill these requirements and obligations. What I read in the media about frugal games surprised me a little bit because the Games will be excellent and are at a very good level, according to the contract we signed with China," added the HOC chief.

According to the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission, the city will spend 1.5 trillion Juan (180 billion US dollars) to upgrade itself in various fields in the lead-up to the 2008 Olympic, while investment associated with the games will exceed 280 billion Juan (33.7 billion US dollars).

There are three interpretations of budget for a city hosting the Olympic Games, said Gorge.

"One is the operational budget that covers the cost of running the games, ensuring the transportation, the accommodation of the athletes and the running of the venues.

"The second is the budget spent for building sports infrastructure.

"The third budget is the general developing budget of the city,which is used for building a new airport, in the case of Athens, building new roads, building a tramway," he said.

Gorge said since the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984, the operational budget has always delivered a profit.

"We have no advice to give on the investment budget for the city. This is the responsibility for the Chinese, for the city and for China to decide.

"Our all advice will be on the operational budget, of which we will fund 60 percent ...We expect this budget to be in balance or even in profit," he said.