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Olympics Hot Sheet - June 14, 2005

1. Beijing Police to be Equipped with Helicopters

May 25, 2005 People’s Daily Online

During the 2008 Beijing Olympics the Chinese police will use helicopters to carry out security work. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Public Security is actively working to purchase helicopters for police use.

Tao Junsheng, an official with the Ministry of Public Security and secretary general of the Third China International Exhibition on Police Equipment, made the above remarks at a press conference held by the Ministry of Public Security.

According to sources the Ministry has set up a police aviation administration office. Its personnel are arriving and beginning to unfold work. By now Chinese police have been equipped with about 20 police helicopters.

The Third China International Exhibition on Police Equipment will be held in Beijing from May 24 to 27, 2006. Apart from displaying the latest police equipment it will also hold technological and academic workshops. Meanwhile it will arrange for aerobatic flight show of police helicopters during the exhibition.

2. Beijing Launches Volunteer Program for 2008 Olympics

June 6, 2005 Xinhua

News

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) on Sunday launched its volunteer program at a high-profile ceremony attended by International Olympic Committee President Jacque Rogge.

Rogge and BOCOG President Liu Qi jointly unveiled the logo of the Beijing Olympic Volunteers Program at the ceremony held at Beijing Hotel, marking the start of the volunteer recruitment campaign.

"Volunteerism gives personal enrichment, it is a once-in-a-life experience, and a wonderful human adventure," said Rogge.

"They (volunteers) have one ideal: to promote the Olympic Values, and to prepare the best conditions for the athletes of the world to compete in a fair and peaceful competition," he added.

According to BOCOG, some 70,000 volunteers will work for the 2008 Olympics, and college and secondary school students will constitute the majority of the team.

Liu stressed the importance of volunteers' role in the 2008 Games.
"A high-level organization and services of the volunteers are an important foundation and guarantee of a high-standard Olympic Games with distinguish features," said Liu. "We believe that the Chinese volunteers will be hand in hand with their counterparts from all the world to interpret their own understandings of the Olympic spirits and leave a unique spiritual legacy to the Olympic Movement."

The success of the Sydney Games in 2000 was largely credited to the efficiency of tens of thousands of good-tempered volunteers.

UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan also sent a congratulation letter to BOCOG, wishing the 2008 Olympic volunteer work a success. "Volunteers have become as indispensable to the Olympics as they have long been to the United Nations. Working publicly or behind the scene, individually or as part of organized movements, they provide countless acts of solidarity and assistance, helping to advance our global mission," said Annan.

3. Recruitment of Olympic Volunteers to Start in August 2006

June 6, 2005 People’s Daily Online

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) released the "Action Plan of Beijing Olympic Volunteers" at the launching ceremony of Beijing Olympic Volunteer Program in Beijing on June 5.

Recruitment will start in August 2006 and end in April 2008.

As guidance for the formulation and implementation of the programs and operation plans included in the Beijing Olympic volunteer mission, the action plan was outlined based on "Beijing Olympic Action Plan" and the Beijing Olympic volunteer strategic plan. It includes seven parts: preface, general principles, four volunteers projects -- "Towards Olympics" Voluntary Service, the Olympic Games-time Volunteer Project, the Paralympic Games-time Volunteer Project and the BOCOG Pre-Games Volunteer Project --, as well as safeguard for the Beijing Olympic volunteer mission.

The plan provides detailed definition of Olympic volunteer and introduction of the recruitment and selection, training, field practice in public-welfare undertakings, encouragement and reservation, posts as well as specific descriptions of volunteer program, its main tasks, objectives, personnel structure, norms of behavior and orientation.

In its work in the next stage, the BOCOG will, based on the action plan, press ahead with the work of the volunteer program in various fields in different phases to provide characteristic and high-standard voluntary services for the Beijing Olympic Games.

The plan estimates that altogether 100,000 volunteers will be needed to serve the 2008 Beijing Games, with 70,000 for the Summer Olympics and 30,000 for the Paralympics. The volunteers will be categorized as specialized and non-specialized, composed of 10 groups i.e. university students, high-school students, those from all walks of life, those from various regions on the mainland, those in venues outside Beijing, those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, overseas Chinese, foreigners in Beijing, international volunteers and specialized volunteers.

The process of the recruitment includes application, examination of application, preliminary assignment and interview, initial post arrangement, sending enrollment notification, acceptance of assignment by volunteers, verification of volunteers' background. The recruitment will combine fixed recruitment with that among the general public, combine collective application with individual application, as well as combine online application with written application. An efficient mechanism will be established to recruit volunteers from certain groups in different stages according to relevant processes.

The plan also expounds the qualifications of the volunteers: applicants should abide by China's laws and regulations and should be enthusiastic in public-welfare undertakings; they should have basic knowledge on sports and some foreign-language skills; they should be eligible for the posts they apply and for BOCOG's requirement on the schedule of the posts. Apart from the basic requirements mentioned above, specialized volunteers should master the professional techniques and special skills required on particular posts.

4. IOC Inspectors Unconcerned about BOCOG Budget Increase

June 3, 2005 Xinhua News

The IOC Coordination Commission for the 2008 Olympic Games said on Thursday that the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee(BOCOG) has produced a solid financial plan and its budget increase will not lead to over-expenditure.

Hein Verbruggen, chairman of the coordination commission, told reporters that the budget which BOCOG presented to the IOC this week has increased from the original forecast of 1.625 billion US dollars but it is still lower than the expenditure of last year's Athens Olympics. "BOCOG's budget projections show expenditures unlikely to exceed those in the financial statement recently published by ATHOC (Athen organizing committee) for the Athens Olympic Games, "said Verbruggen after the Coordination Commission has concluded its fourth visit to the host city.

According to ATHOC's final financial statement, the Athens Games, which had been billed as the most expensive Games, cost as much as 1.967 million euros(about 2.4 billion dollars) in terms of the operational budget, which refers to the cost for running the games and does not cover the expenditure on infrastructure. BOCOG did not disclose the new budget but stressed that the figure will be definitely lower than what the ATHOC spent.

Verbruggen, however, was not fazed by the budget increase, in particular given that the Beijing Games is set to achieve great success in marketing. "BOCOG's budget will be met by the IOC's contribution from the sales of broadcast rights and international sponsorship and also by BOCOG's efforts in finding commercial partners and selling tickets, "said Verbruggen. "We are very confident that there will be financially a positive outcome, as you know, the local marketing program is successful, we can even say, very successful, "he added.

Since BOCOG launched its marketing plan in September 2003, eight enterprises have been selected as the official partners of the Beijing Games, with about three years away from the opening of the Games.

"The marketing operation is going very well, and we expect that there will be adequate fund to guarantee the successful running of the Games, "said Yuan Bin, BOCOG's marketing chief, at a sponsors' workshop earlier on Thursday.

5. Olympic Cultural Activity

June 10, 2005 China Daily

Beijing’s southwestern Fangshan District will serve as the main assembly place for square activities of the third Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival between June 23 and July 16, BOCOG announced yesterday. The activities include a grand opening ceremony, a sports competition for ordinary people from Beijing and Hong Kong and an exhibition of Fangshan culture.

6. Welcome the 2008 Games with Correct Bilingual Signs

May 25, 2005 People’s Daily Online

A press conference was held by China Daily Website to launch an activity named "Use Accurate English to Welcome the Olympics--Public Bilingual Sign Standardization Drive", at the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), on May 25, 2005.

The activity will start from major Chinese cities as Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and Guangzhou. The campaign is aimed at improving the country's international image and enhancing public awareness about using correct English by identifying and correcting bad translations on bilingual public signs and printed materials.

It is reported that junior high school students once found 91 mistakes on bilingual signposts in the Wangfujing and Xi'dan areas in downtown Beijing last year. Such errors in English usage happen because there are no uniform criterion for bilingual use.

Ding Hengqi, professor of UIBE, gave a lecture at the press conference. He cited many translations on bilingual signs that are so badly garbled that they hardly make sense, some of which very funny, such as "Preserve green grass and retain the green color" for "Keep off the grass", "Office area, please do not coming" for "Staff Only", "Visit in civilization, pay attention to hygiene!" for "Be civil in your behavior and keep the place clean and tidy", "Collecting money toilet" for "Pay toilet" and "Deformed man toilet" for "Handicap accessible toilet".

Through this activity, the organizer hopes that when athletes and VIPs from all over the world arrive in Beijing in 2008, they will find that all the English signposts have clear and standard English, whether signs at tourist sites or highway signs.

The activity is supported by the Cultural and Education Section of the British Council and the Public Affairs Section of the Canadian Embassy. A number of renowned Chinese universities, including UIBE, will participate as well.

7. Beijing Subway Passes Security Evaluation

May 26, 2005 Xinhua News

Beijing completed a subway safety check Thursday and declared the 40-year-old network secure, despite some potential safety problems, an expert said.

The evaluation program, the first since the subway system was put into use in Beijing in late 1960's, has analyzed security factors for the No.1 and No.2 subway routes, said Wang Tong, specialized in the science of labor protection.

However, trains that have been operating about 40 years account for nearly 42 percent of Beijing's metro trains. These pose a potential threat to passengers' security, said Wang.

Beijing has been renovating the security and telecommunication systems in the subway networks since 2003, investing 4.3 billion yuan (518 million US dollars). By the end of 2007, 182 subway trains will have been phased out on schedule. The current subway routes have been well equipped with respirators, blast shelters, fire extinguishers, warning system, smoke emission and fire control systems. A set of emergency measures in dealing with blast, fire, and terrorist attacks have also been worked out.

Wang said he believed that the subway's security situation has "obviously improved" in just one year due to the government's efforts. So far, Beijing has seen operation of three subway routes and another elevated train route with 70 stations and a total length of 114 kilometers. The systems passenger capacity exceeding 600 million people last year.

The north-to-south No. 4 and No. 5 lines, plus the east-to-west No. 10 line are now under construction and expected to be finished before 2008, when the city will host the Olympic Games.

8. Beijing Capital Airport to Build Advanced Baggage Processing System

May 25, 2005 Xinhua News

The Beijing Capital International Airport announced its plan Friday to build China's largest and most automated baggage processing system as part of its expansion plan for the 2008 Olympics.

Once the project costing 200 million US dollars is complete by December 31, 2007, the airport will be able to handle 27,200 pieces of luggage per hour, according to the announcement.

At the newly build T3A tower, all luggage, either outbound or transfer, will be put to five rounds of safety check, said the announcement. Besides, a special passenger transportation system with a rush-hour capacity of transporting 4,100 passengers per hour will be constructed at the same time.

9. Metro Construction Project Tries a New Line

May 21, 2005 China Daily

Construction of Beijing's fourth metro line will become the city's first infrastructure project to benefit from non-mainland private investment.

Hong Kong Metro Corporation (MC) has secured a partnership with Beijing authorities, to help fund the city's transport system.

Speaking on Friday, Ding Xiangyang, director of the Beijing Municipal Commission for Development and Reform, said:"This is one part of the government's efforts to alleviate the financing burden of development, and improve the quality of public facilities."

According to the agreement reached by Hong Kong MC and Beijing, the two parties are responsible for operational management and civil engineering respectively.

Speaking to China Daily, Richard Wong, general-manager of the Hong Kong MC's mainland business division, said: "We will invest about 4.6 billion yuan (US$560 million) in Line 4, which will mainly go towards the purchase of carriages, signal systems, automatic fare collection (AFC) systems, and operation and maintenance fees." Beijing will carry the financial burden of tunnel and track construction, investing about 10.7 billion yuan (US$1.3 billion). In return for their investment, Hong Kong MC will gain 30-year operational rights on the line.

Line 4 was highlighted on the International Forum on Infrastructure Marketization, for its pioneering operational style.

"This is just a beginning," said Ding, indicating that the city will further widen its financing channels to fund infrastructure projects.

Metro Lines 5, 9, 10 and the airport expressway are all being encouraged to establish franchise partnerships between the local authority and private and overseas investors.

Hong Kong MC has also invested about 6 billion yuan (US$731 million) in Shenzhen metro Line 5.

Expressways and water and energy utilities are also open to private and foreign investment, Ding said.

Qin Hong, researcher with the Ministry of Construction, said urban construction in Beijing is at its peak, partly due to work related to the Olympic Games. "Investment in infrastructure cost the city about 500 billion yuan (US$61 billion) last year, accounting for 4.3 per cent of Beijing's gross domestic product (GDP)," Qin said.

Before 1991 the infrastructure budget represented less than 1 per cent of the city's GDP. "Expenditure in the sector has soared in recent years," She added.

Edward Farquharson, PPP (private-public partnership) expert with British PUK, Jean-Francois Rohard with French water service giant Veolia, and representatives from Spain have all shared their experience with domestic entrepreneurs and consultancy companies.

The focus was how to establish long-lasting partnerships between the private sector and the government in urban public facility construction projects.

10. China Ministry of Information Industry: 3G Rollout Before 2008

May 19, 2005 Dow Jones

Minister of Information Industry Wang Xudong said China will roll out third-generation mobile telecommunications services before 2008, in time for the Olympic Games.

When 3G licenses will be issued has been one of the main concerns of the telecom industry, Wang said, but he reiterated the timing of the launch of 3G services "depends on the maturity of the technology and on the development of the market."

Analysts and telecom industry experts have said the government is likely to award 3G licenses by the end of the year.

China is developing a homegrown 3G standard, TD-SCDMA, or time division synchronous code division multiple access, to compete with the U.S.-backed CDMA 2000 and the European-backed WCDMA. Wang said China is drawing from the experience of countries where 3G services have already been launched. China has paid a lot of attention to the development of 3G infrastructure and will continue to devote resources and efforts to keep up with developments in technology, the minister said.

11. Beijing Olympics to have Audience of 4 billion

June 2, 2005 Beijing Youth Daily

Liu Qi, Member of the CPC Political Bureau, Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and Chairman of the Beijing Olympic Organization Committee, Liu Peng, Director-General of the State General Administration of Sports, Chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee and Executive Chairman of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee, Deng Pufang, Chairman of the Disabled Persons' Federation and Executive Chairman of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee attended the 29th Olympic Games Coordinating Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) held the 4th plenum in Beijing on Tuesday. The meeting was presided over by Verbruggen, Chairman of the Coordinating Committee of the IOC.
Liu Qi said the preparation of the Beijing Olympics is unfolding in a comprehensive way this year.

Since the closing of the Athens Olympics the Chinese government has further stepped up the leadership of the Olympic preparation work and identified the goal of "holding a special and high-level Olympics". Being "special" means four aspects, namely, Chinese style, humanistic mien, contemporary features and public participation. "High-level" is to be manifested through high-level infrastructure and organization, high-level opening ceremony and cultural activities, high-level media service, high-level security work, high-level volunteer groups and service, high-level transportation organization and living service, high-level city cultural image and the excellent achievements of our athletes.

Liu Qi said we would pay great attention to the exchange and cooperation with the IOC and the Coordinating Committee; earnestly listen to the opinions and suggestions from various sides; further consolidate the good and close cooperation relationship and ensure the smooth progress of the various works with the joint efforts of the both sides.

It was also learned that the Beijing Olympic Broadcasting (BOB), which will provide broadcast service to over 4 billion people worldwide, has been formally launched on Tuesday and begun full operation. By then the company will have had 4,000 employees, hired more than 60 TV pick-up stations and more than 1,000 cameras and built an international broadcasting center of over 80,000 square meters. It will produce about 4,000 hours of high definition TV signals about the Olympic Games. It will enable an audience of over 4 billion to watch the Beijing Olympics through 200-odd TV stations.

12. Petroleum Giant Pumps in 2008 Olympic Games

May 31, 2005 China Daily

China's largest producer and supplier of crude oil and natural gas has become the latest sponsor of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) yesterday selected the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) as the eighth official partner. The choice was made on the eve of the fourth plenary session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Co-ordination Commission for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (COCOM) in Beijing.

CNPC will provide services to the Beijing Olympic Games, the Beijing Paralympic Games, BOCOG, the Chinese Olympic Committee and Chinese sports delegations to the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy and the 2008 Beijing Games.

"We are glad to see CNPC participating in the Beijing Olympic Games as an official partner representing crude oil and natural gas," Wang Wei, BOCOG's Executive Vice-President and Secretary General said at the signing ceremony.
"We believe CNPC's participation will not only further consolidate the material foundation for a successful Beijing Olympic Games, but will also actively promote the development of China's petroleum industry, boost the use of clean energy and ensure the sustainable, long-term development of the city."

Jiang Jiemin, vice-president of CNPC and president of PetroChina, pledged to integrate his corporation's mission of "harmonizing energy and the environment" with BOCOG's theme of a "Green Olympics" and work closely with BOCOG to make the 2008 Games successful. "The Chinese people, including all staff at CNPC, are thrilled about this event, and are looking forward to making every
contribution to the success of the Games," said Jiang.

Vice-Chairman of the Commission and Chairman of the IOC Press Commission Kevan Gosper announced the 4th Plenary Session of COCOM will open today.

More than 40 officials, including Chairman of the Co-ordination Commission Hein Verbruggen and Co-ordination Commission members and experts, will attend the meeting, which ends on Thursday, to discuss a series of issues relating to the Beijing Games.

“We will go through the progress report with BOCOG on such things-work force, transport... venue management, accreditation, Olympic protocol, media and communications," said Gosper. Some commission members and experts will inspect building sites and venue layout today. "Tomorrow morning we will kick off with tour of the venues. This is a very good opportunity for the full commission to see the progress on construction sites and training sites," said Gosper yesterday. "We are also anxious to ensure all the venues are ready for the test events which normally precede the games a year or so beforehand, so that the International Federations, technical officials and BOCOG staff can get accustomed to the facilities."

From now until 2008, IOC inspectors will double their visits to Beijing, visiting twice a year.

13. Plans Afoot for Life after Games

June 2, 2005 China Daily

The Beijing Olympics may be more than three years away, but plans are already being made for the post-Games life of the city's venues.

One of the most eye-catching of the games' projects is the "water cube" which will play host to swimming, diving and water polo events.

Once the pool complex, officially titled the National Aquatics Center, has bowed out of the Beijing Games, it will be opened to the public as a water sports and fitness center and will also accommodate a 500-seat cinema. "After the Olympics, the aquatic entertainment center is expected to receive nearly 5,000 visitors every day," Kang Wei, deputy general manager of Beijing State-owned Assets Management Co Ltd and a principal mover in the project, told China
Daily.

Other venues are also to be opened up to the Beijing public. Developers of all Beijing's 31 Olympic gym and stadium projects are formulating post-Games operation plans and seeking experienced operators and partners at home and abroad, according to Li Baowei, deputy director of the Beijing Investment Promotion Bureau.

Beijing Wukesong Cultural and Sports Center, venue for Olympic basketball and baseball competitions, will later host cultural, sports and commercial events.

The Olympic Village, with residential, commercial and recreational facilities, will be transformed into a low-density prime residential community.

The National Convention Center, built for fencing and the modern pentathlon shooting event, as well as home to the Games' International Broadcasting and Main Press Center, will later become a conference and exhibition center.

According to Zhang Wenlei, vice general manager of the project, two hotels, catering and entertainment facilities and business and office buildings are to be built to support the conversion.

Li told China Daily that the Beijing Development and Planning Committee (BDPC) has released detailed schemes for all Beijing's Olympic gym and stadium projects on the website www.bjoe.gov.cn. "So far, experts and experienced Olympic stadium and gymnasium operators from abroad have given suggestions for Beijing," said Li.

"In our experience, an ideal stadium should be accompanied by a series of commercial, hotel, office, recreation and exhibition facilities, which provide supplemental services, and can take advantage of the stadium to drive their own business," said Ryu Choon Soo, designer of Seoul's 2002 World Cup Stadium. Alongside his stadium Soo designed huge commercial facilities, including movie theaters, shopping malls, spas and swimming complexes, which now turn a profit of more than US$1 million every month.

According to Jordi Vallverdu, former managing director of Barcelona Promocio, the company responsible for the maintenance, management and promotion of the main Olympic venues in Barcelona, simpler is better. "More temporary and movable buildings should be built to meet the stringent requirements of the Olympic Games," he said.

Environmental protection is also important as hosting a "Green Olympics", in terms of clean energy, energy efficiency, sewage treatment, and water quality protection, is a commitment of the Beijing Games.

David Featherston, principle officer of Sydney's Department of Environment and Conservation, says that intricate forward planning to ensure measures are implemented is vital.

"We set up an Olympic Environment Forum five years before the 2004 Sydney Olympics, which comprised senior officers from the Environmental Protection Administration, the Sydney Organizing Committee for the Games, related governmental departments and a group of international non-government green organizations," he said.

"This group met fortnightly right up to, during and even after the Games to guarantee all stadiums complied with the regulations and ensure Sydney's environment was not adversely affected. This proved to be an excellent way of developing and fostering a team effort to ensure a Green Games and protect the city's environment."

According to Li, his bureau is currently focusing on the sourcing of raw materials, facilities and sports equipment as well as creating a bridge between stadium developers and experienced operators.

14. No Final Decision on Equestrian Site after IOC's Visit to Beijing

June 2, 2005 Xinhua News

The International Olympic Committee(IOC) Coordination Commission for the 2008 Olympic Games concluded its fourth visit to the host city on Thursday but is still searching for the solution to the equestrian venue of the Beijing Games.
"As far as the equestrian events are concerned, We are still working to find the definite solution," said Hein Verbruggen, chairman of the IOC coordination commission, at a press conference.

"We have been here again to look at certain areas to see if the events can still be held in Beijing. We do this at the request of the international equestrian federation."

"What we will do is to give last looks at the issue in the coming weeks. I expect the definite decision will be taken approximately one month from now because we are still waiting for certain reports." The International Equestrian Federation has been opposed to the switch of the events from Beijing to Hong Kong, more than 2,000 kilometers away from Beijing, fearing that this change would separate the sport from the Olympics.

15. Beijing Committed to Improving Environment for 2008 Games

June 2, 2005 Xinhua News

Beijing will do its best to save energy and develop clean energy sources to ensure a clean environment for the 2008 Olympic Games, said Wang Jirong, deputy director of the State Environmental Protection Administration, on Thursday.

Wang said at a press conference that Beijing will make greater use of solar energy and ban coal-burning boilers at sports venues. It will also promote all kinds of water-saving measures, including using rainwater, recycled water and water-saving cleaning utensils.

She said that Beijing will further adjust its industrial structures to improve the environment.

The Beijing-based Shougang Group, an iron and steel giant, will be moved out of the capital due to its large discharge of pollutants. The city plans to have completely cut off its steel and iron industry, she said.

But Beijing organizers have insisted that Hong Kong is better equipped to host the event, and cited the risk of equine diseases and problems with quarantine regulations in Beijing.

Verbruggen acknowledged that the organizers' concern over the equestrian event had been raised as early as when Beijing bid for the Games and did not exclude the possibility of moving the events elsewhere.

"The thing we are interested in, in the IOC, is that we have the best conditions for the horses," said Verbruggen.

"If the challenges (of holding the events in Beijing) are too big, then we have to move on to another place," he added.

The switch of the equestrian events had precedent to go by, as the 1956 Melbourne Olympics had its equestrian events held thousands of kilometers away in Stockholm, Sweden, due to concerns for the health of the horses and Australia's strict quarantine laws.