1. New BOCOG Executive Board Holds First Meeting After Reshuffle
2. Construction of National Stadium Back On Track
3. BOCOG Looks for a New Olympic Theme Slogan
4. BOCOG to Release Guidelines on Pre-Game Training for the Beijing Olympic Games
5. Beijing Confident on Traffic Management for the Olympic Games
6. All-Around Construction for the Olympics to Start in 2005
7. Fengtai Olympics Venue Changed to Softball Venue
1. New BOCOG Executive Board Holds First Meeting After Reshuffle
The new Executive Board of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) held the first meeting on January 6, 2005. On the meeting, BOCOG President Liu Qi announced the names and positions of the member of the new BOCOG leadership.
The new leadership of BOCOG is as follows:
President: Liu Qi, who is also Secretary of Beijing Municipal Committee of CPC;
Vice-President: Chen Zhili, who is also State Councilor;
Executive Presidents:
Liu Peng, who is also Director of the State General Administration of Sports;
Wang Qishan, who is also Beijing Mayor;
Deng Pufang, who is also Chairman of the Chinese Federation of Disabled Persons;
Executive Vice Presidents:
Liu Jingmin; Li Zhijian; Wang Wei; Yu Zaiqing; Duan Shijie; Jiang Xiaoyu; Zhang Mao; Li Binghua; Yang Shu’an; Tang Xiaoquan.
Liu said the new BOCOG Executive Board, consisting of officials from both local and central governments, will be able to better coordinate the activities of BOCOG, departments of the central government, the State General Administration of Sports and the Beijing municipal government. He said the new BOCOG leadership will greatly improve its capacity in managing various resources in such areas as venue construction, market development, cultural activities, sports competitions, technical system development, logistic service, human resources, financial operation, legal support, auditing and supervision.
Liu said the new leadership has clarified the division of work and further specified their respective functions and responsibilities. Therefore, BOCOG will be able to meet the requirements of rapid personnel expansion this year.
Liu welcomed Chen Zhili, Liu Peng and other new members to join the BOCOG Executive Board.
Chen Zhili said at the meeting that relevant government departments should enhance coordination and cooperation in preparation for the Olympic Games. She said China should take the opportunity of the Olympic Games to promote public participation in sports and health activities.
2. Construction of National Stadium Back On Track
Construction of the National Stadium for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games officially resumed on December 28, 2004. The construction project, started on December 24, 2003, was temporarily halted in July 2004 due to readjustment of the original financing and construction plan. The readjustment is aimed to excise economy in the preparation of the Olympic Games and to optimize the relations among safety, quality, function, timetable and costs of venue construction.
Optimization of the construction plan was completed in the end of November 2004. The revised plan retains the overall design of “birds nest”, but drops out the removable roof and enlarges the whole on the roof. As a result, the total consumption of steel of its main structure is reduced by 22.3 percent over the original design. Since the whole in the roof is enlarged, the total surface of its membrane structure was reduced by 13 percent. After the readjustment, the new construction plan better meets the demands of competitions during the Olympic Games, further improves safety of the stadium and in the same time, reduce the costs of construction.
Currently, the construction of the National Stadium is progressing smoothly.
3. BOCOG Looks for a New Olympic Theme Slogan
Organizers of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games are calling for a new Olympic theme Slogan that will help present the exciting image of the Beijing Games to an expecting global audience.
According to Madame Zhang Ming, Deputy Director of BOCOG’s Culture and Ceremonies Department, the theme Slogan should be easy to read and remember, and can be understood and shared by people from different cultures. The theme Slogan, in both Chinese and English, should be emotional and inspiring, and can be presented with strong visual effects.
Submissions can be mailed to BOCOG’s Culture and Ceremonies Department, or sent via email to wenhua@beijing-olympic.org.cn.org.cn by the deadline of January 31, 2005. More information is available at BOCOG website www.beijing2008.com. BOCOG will unveil the new theme Slogan in the first half of 2005, when a series of promotional campaigns are also planned.
Games organizers have increasingly used Olympic themes Slogan as an important platform to launch their communications campaigns. Themes from past Games, such as “Share the Spirit” of the 2000 Sydney Games, and “Light the Fire within” of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, have caught people’s imagination and inspired millions around the world. “Welcome Home” also became a highlight during the Athens Games this summer and was a source of boundless pride for the Greeks.
The theme Slogan Beijing used during its bid campaign was “New Beijing, Great Olympics.” It has successfully helped the world to recognize that Beijing, a city with a history of more than 3,000 years and at the heart of China’s splendid culture, is also one of the fastest modernizing cities in the world. The new theme Slogan that BOCOG is looking for will shift the focus from the city itself to the three concepts of 2008 Games (namely, Green Olympics, High-tech Olympics and People’s Olympics) and the universal values of the Olympic Movement, such as peace, unity, friendship, participation, inspiration, dedication, joy and fair play.
4. BOCOG to Release “Guidelines on Pre-Game Training for the Beijing
Olympic Games”
On December 15, BOCOG will release both the English-language and French-language versions of the “Pre-Games Training Guide” (hereafter referred to as “the guide”). The guide will be available on BOCOG official Web site to aid the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) in conducting training before the Games in China.
The guide will consist of four sections – a brief introduction, pre-Games training facilities as per event, pre-Game training facilities as per location (i.e., provinces, autonomous regions and cities) and other information pertaining to pre-games training. The guide will briefly describe China, the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) and the Beijing Olympic Games, meanwhile offering suggestions on pre-Games training in China. It will also provide information on sports training facilities in China, including services, location and contact information.
The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) hopes that the guide will help delegations, and especially athletes, prepare for the Games in China. BOCOG also recommends that NOCs acquire more information from the relevant departments of BOCOG and COC in charge of international affairs prior to the arrival of athletes in China for training.
5. Beijing Confident on Traffic Management for the Olympic Games
Beijing is fully confident about providing sound transportation during the 2008 Olympic Games, a top municipal traffic management official said here on December 10, 2004.
Vice Director of the Beijing Municipal Committee of Communication (BMCC) Liu Xiaoming told a press conference held at the Olympic Press Center that the city authorities has adopted measures to address traffic problems by stepping up infrastructure construction and developing public transport.
Liu said the total number of automobiles in Beijing has reached 2.27 million, and that the number is still growing as citizens buy more new cars this year. However, traffic mobility on main roads within the Fourth Ring Road had improved by up to 15 percent so far this year, Liu said.
Liu said in order to ease traffic congestion, the city has started 101 construction projects this year, including 43 new roads, 35 trunk roads, three highways and 20 road renovations. The total length of the newly built road will reach 102.6 kilometers. So far 11 of the construction projects have been completed and five are expected to be open to traffic at the end of the year. Liu said the construction of 32 roads and 11 clover-leaf bridges are currently under way in such areas as the Olympic Park area.
Since infrastructure construction takes a relatively longer time, the city authorities has optimized traffic control at 100 junctions and stepped up supervision along hazardous sections of roads. As a result, the number of traffic accidents have declined by 50 percent over the last year, Liu said.
6. All-Around Construction for the Olympics to Start in 2005
Wang Qishan, mayor of Beijing, said recently that Beijing would start all-around constructions of the Olympic venues this year. This will be the focus in the city's preparation efforts for the Olympics in 2008.
He also said that renovation and expansion projects would also be started in due and proper time while plans for temporary venues would be finalized as soon as possible. Constructions of the peripheral transit roads around the Olympic venues and supporting municipal establishments would be accelerated. Landscaping projects such as the Olympic center square and the fountain systems would also be started this year.
Wang warned that, as there were only over three years left on the clock from the Olympic Games' opening ceremony, the city should fully realize the complexity and difficulties of the Olympic Games preparation efforts, fully estimate the oncoming problems and increase its sense of urgency and responsibility.
Wang said that the construction of the Olympic venues should emphasize both quality and cost. These venues should not only meet the requirements for a successful Olympics, but also eye on future comprehensive utility after the Games. We should rely on ourselves and we should reform and be open. We can learn a great deal from the experience previous host cities have accumulated.
7. Fengtai Olympics Venue Changed to Softball Venue
The Fengtai District Government Sports Bureau, originally slated to be the owner of the Olympics baseball stadium, will now be the developer and owner of the project, but it will be for the Olympics softball, not baseball stadium. The Fengtai Sports Bureau also said that their budget has decreased significantly from the 300 million RMB point to 60 million RMB owing the fact that they will now only renovate their current facility at that same location. The Bureau also said that the baseball Olympics events would now be held at the planned Wukesong Park.