Beijing Olympics 2008

A Beijing Olympic official on Sunday strongly criticized the attempt by some “pro-Tibet independence” activists to sabotage the torch relay event in London, as an obvious act of defying the Olympic spirit.
A spokesman from the torch relay center of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee said that as the highest symbol of the Olympic spirit, the Olympic flame represents peace, friendship and progress. Under the authorization of the International Olympic Committee, the Beijing Olympic torch relay is taking its journey of harmony throughout the world, sharing the passion and glory of the Olympics with the world, and has received warm welcome from the people en route.
However, a few “pro-Tibet independence” activists attempted to sabotage the torch relay in London today, which is a serious violation of the Olympic spirit, as the Olympic flame belongs to the world, the spokesman said. The act will surely arouse the resentment of the peace-loving people, and is bound to fail, he added.

Local policeman clashes with a protester (bottom) during the Olympic torch relay in London, April 6, 2008.
A few “pro-Tibet independence” activists tried to sabotage the torch relay, stirring clashes with British police.
At least 25 people were arrested. (Xinhua/Qi Heng)

London welcomes the Beijing Olympic flame on Sunday as part of the global Olympic Torch Relay in the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games. As a grand festival in London, tens of thousands of people lined the route of the relay to cheer the event, far outnumbering the protesters.
Yet some protesters tried to sabotage the torch relay, by trying to grab the torch or extinguish it, stirring clashes with British police. At least 25 people were arrested.
The torch is traveling through ten London boroughs from Wembley in the west to Greenwich in east London, with each borough marking its arrival with entertainment and local events, bringing London’s color and vibrancy to life while showcasing the capital’s famous landmarks.

from: xinhuanet.com

Greece - The lighting of the Beijing 2008 Olympic flame here on Monday marked the start of the global tour of the “lucky cloud” torch.
And IT giant Lenovo, the company behind the torch’s distinctive design, hopes its own fortunes will achieve the reach of the relay it is sponsoring.
“Participating in the Olympic torch relay matches our strategy of going global and improving our brand image,” Li Lan, the firm’s vice-president, said.
“The Olympic torch should display our flare for design.”
The Olympic organizing committee announced in April that Lenovo’s design, which features a traditional Chinese lucky cloud, had won the honor of serving as the official torch for the Beijing Games.
Seeing the torch lit was an exciting moment for Li.
“We were very encouraged to see the Olympic flame atop the torch we designed,” Li said.
She was part of a group of 10 people from the company who attended the flame lighting ceremony in Greece.
“We are also very proud of being the only Chinese sponsor of the torch relay,” she said.
As a sponsor, Lenovo was able to nominate more than 1,500 torchbearers globally, among whom more than 200 are members of the public.
“The torchbearers we picked exemplify the Olympic spirit of success and exploration, and they have also made valuable contributions to building a harmonious society,” Li said.
“We also want more common people to take part in the torch relay.”
Lenovo signed up with the International Olympic Committee in March 2004 to become a worldwide Olympic partner.
It was the first Chinese company to join the Olympic Partner Program.
“We have gained a lot from sponsoring the Olympic Games, as we have expanded our brand image globally,” Li, who is also an Olympic torchbearer, said.
At the Games, Lenovo, in collaboration with other technology sponsors, will provide computers and engineers to help distribute real-time data and the results of more than 300 events to the media and audiences worldwide.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

Tibetan sports authorities have pledged to take security measures to protect the Beijing Olympic Games torch relay against sabotage by supporters of the Dalai clique.

The leading team of the relay will closely work with relevant departments to ensure security and prevent disturbances and sabotage, according to a report published in the Tibet Daily on Monday.
Under the guidance of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), the leading team, comprised of seven working departments, worked out the route and agenda for the relay, selected torchbearers and improved working procedures, an unidentified sports official of the Tibet Autonomous Region in China’s remote southwest told the newspaper.

Preparation for the relay in Tibet and taking the Olympic flame to the summit of Mount Qomolangma (Everest) is proceeding in an orderly way, the report said.

After the Olympic flame-lighting ceremony, which is scheduled to be held later on Monday in Greece, the flame will traverse Greece for six days before it is handed over to BOCOG on March 30 in Athens.

The global tour of the Olympic flame will begin on April 1, covering 137,000 kilometers across 135 cities in 130 days before the torch arrives at the National Stadium in Beijing on August 8 for the opening ceremony.

The highlight of the relay, which involves 21,780 torchbearers, will be an attempt to take the flame to the summit of Mount Qomolangma in May.

However, the unrest in Lhasa, believed to have been organized and masterminded by the Dalai Lama clique, has raised concern over the security of the torch relay.

source: chinadaily

A backup plan was successfully rehearsed yesterday to ensure that bad weather does not dampen the torch-lighting ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Games, today.

The flame for the torch was obtained from a previous rehearsal for yesterday’s practice, the last of the ceremony, instead of starting the flame with the sun’s rays through a concave steel mirror.

The “Highest Priestess” of the ceremony, played by Greek actress Maria Nafpliotou, lit the Olympic torch with a flame from an ancient Greek pot. The flame had been lit by sun rays during a rehearsal on March 20 in front of the ruins of the Temple of Hera.

According to common practice, if the priestess failed to obtain the flame because of bad weather, the flame lit from previous rehearsals will be used.

Zhang Ming, director of the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay Center, said the rehearsal was to try out lighting the torch in cloudy conditions, which have occurred recently in Olympia and worried local organizers.

The Hellenic Olympic Committee has also announced a change in the opening of the Lighting Ceremony of the Olympic Flame for the Beijing Games - it will be held at 11 am instead of noon, local time, which is 5 pm Beijing time today.

The ceremony will be moved into a museum near the site of the ruins if it rains, Greek Culture Minister Michalis Liapis said.

Bad weather affected the torch-lighting ceremony for the Sydney 2000 Summer Games, and the two Winter Olympics - Salt Lake City in 2002, and Nagano in 1998.

At the last rehearsal yesterday, which was held at noon, 22 priestesses came in front of the ruins of the 2,600-year-old Temple of Hera, with the Highest Priestess praying to Apollo before lighting the flame.

The priestesses, led by a small boy with an olive branch, went into the ancient Olympia stadium and performed dances in ancient Greek style.

The Highest Priestess then received the olive branch from the boy and passed the flame and branch to the first torchbearer, Alexandros Nikolaidis, the Greek Olympic Taekwondo silver medallist who will also start the torch relay.

The relay will officially start today after the lighting ceremony. As introduced by organizers, the Olympic Flame will be carried 1.528 km by 605 torchbearers in Greece. Several Chinese torchbearers will also bear the flame in Greece, with Olympic swimming gold medalist Luo Xuejuan being the first one by taking the flame from Nikolaidis.

source: xinhuanet

China on Sunday refuted a warning that U.S. visitors to Beijing for the Olympic Games would be under surveillance, saying the privacy of foreign visitors would be protected.

“There’s no special arrangement which is beyond the security measures widely employed in accordance with international rules at public locations, hotels and offices in China,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang.

Qin was responding to a question concerning a warning released by the U.S. department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs last Thursday, which said hotel rooms and offices in Beijing are considered to be subject to remote technical monitoring and may be accessed at any time without the occupant’s consent or knowledge, making U.S. visitors’ privacy hard to be protected.

“Privacy in China is always under protection according to the law, and there’s no need for foreign visitors to worry about that,” Qin said.

“The warning by the U.S. bureau is irresponsible,” he said.

from: xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/24/content_7844887.htm

Olympics service was added to criterion rating China’s State-owned enterprises (SOE) performance to impress the world with a better China with improved infrastructure and service.

The State enterprise watchdog urged 14 central SOEs, wholly in the power, telecom, aviation and tourism sectors, to provide reliable services for the Olympics, and ensure working safety during the Games.

As the backbone of the national economy, central SOEs should play a special role during this period, State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) chairman Li Rongrong noted on Thursday.

He said the commission will send inspection groups to those companies, allying with ministries concerned to step up scrutiny on their performances.

He asked the companies to work out emergency plans in a bid to better deal with contingencies during the Games.

from: chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/2008-03/21/content_6556128.htm

Olympic worldwide sponsor Lenovo is partnering with the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) for the March edition of “Olympians in Life,” a free educational program focusing on the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay, it was announced on Wednesday.
Available online at www.usolympicteam.com, the month’s lesson plans focus on the torch relay, which travels to its only stop in North America, San Francisco, California on April 9, as well as the design of the Olympic Torch, the USOC said in a statement.
In addition to its overall Olympic sponsorship, Lenovo is also a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay and designer of the Olympic Torch and other torch relay components including the lantern that carries the “mother flame” and the city cauldron lit by the last torchbearer in each city.
Teachers throughout the United States are encouraged to utilize the lessons plans to promote Olympic Ideals and Values, while creating an excitement for the Olympic Torch Relay and the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Lenovo’s sponsorship of ‘Olympians in Life’ has given the USOC the opportunity to reach out to America’s youth regarding the importance of the Olympic Ideals and the spirit of the Olympic Torch Relay,” said USOC Chief Executive Officer Jim Scherr.
“The Olympic Torch is recognized by countries throughout the world as a symbol of peace and tolerance, and by spreading its message through educational programs, Lenovo and the USOC hope to share the magic of the Olympic Movement with future generations,” he said.
“As a worldwide partner of the Olympic Torch Relay and designer of the Olympic Torch, Lenovo is thrilled to bring the excitement of the relay to classrooms around the country,” said Scott DiValerio, Lenovo senior vice president and president, Americas. “Our partnership with the USOC enables us to reach students around the country and bring to life one of the most symbolic events of our generation.”
“Olympians in Life” resources also include support of Paralympic programming for kids with physical disabilities.
The 2008 Olympic Torch Relay, co-sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company, Samsung and Lenovo, will begin with the lighting of the Flame in Olympia, Greece, on March 24, 2008. After its arrival in Beijing on March 31, the torch will start its journey on April 1, traveling to 21 international cities, including San Francisco, before returning to the Chinese mainland where it will traverse the country for more than three months.
Having been carried by more than 21,000 runners, the Flame will enter the Olympic Stadium as part of the Opening Ceremony of the XXIX Olympiad on August 8, 2008.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Saturday observed International Women’s Day by revealing the winners of its 2008 Women and Sport Awards. China’s Li Lingwei was one among the prize winners.
Li is one of few icons who continue to share their experience and expertise, even after giving up active competition. A badminton champion in the 1980s, and having won over 50 Grand Prix and international titles, she has been a catalyst in attracting women and girls to her sport. Later she became the coach of China’s badminton women’s national team, inspiring young athletes to greater heights. Today, as a council member of the Badminton World Federation, a member of the IOC’s Olympic Programme Commission and Deputy Director General of BOCOG’s International Relations Department, she demonstrates how women can lead by example.
Like Li, many other Chinese women also play an important role in sports, both in China and around the world. Through the great efforts of its players, the Chinese women’s volleyball team continually stands ahead of other world teams; Chinese Zheng Jie and Yan Zi, now world-famous tennis stars, have proved the potential of Chinese women’s tennis; and Deng Yaping, one of the most excellent table tennis players ever, has become a member of two different IOC committees and joined the 2008 Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee in 2003.
With their efforts and passion, Chinese female sports stars are boosting the number of women practicing sports in China. They have furthermore made outstanding contributions to the development of sports around the world through their dedication.

from: beijing2008.cn

The Influx of migrants to Beijing is not to be restricted when the city hosts the Olympic Games in August, said Ji Lin, vice mayor of Beijing, on Friday.
Beijing has tightened the inspection of “temporary residential permits” among internal migrants, and the permits are “quite necessary”, said Ji, a deputy to the 11th National People’s Congress, the top legislature.
“The permits are used to enhance management and provide services for the migrants,” he said.
During the Olympics, wanderers and beggars are to receive assistance, said Ji without specifying the measures.
Automobiles registered outside Beijing would be under the same regulations as local vehicles, he pledged, adding that trucks would be diverted at the peripheral areas.
As the capital of the world’s most populous nation, Beijing is home to about 17 million people.
Security is among the top concerns with the Olympics approaching in Beijing, where volunteers are set to patrol the streets and more than 80,000 police and security staff will be on duty at contest venues.

from: chinadaily.com.cn 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel Monday said she hoped that Beijing will host a successful Olympic Games this August.
She made the remarks at a reception for foreign correspondents in Germany.
Merkel said the Beijing Olympic Games will offer a significant opportunity for China, as more people will be able to get to know and understand the country through the event.
Reiterating Germany’s support for the one-China policy, the chancellor said China-Germany ties will continue to develop in a normal and in-depth way.

Merkel said she will go to Beijing this autumn for the China-Europe summit.

from: xinhuanet.com