The Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's
Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC)?--
the advisory body to the municipal government?-- yesterday put
forward recommendations on how to hold a "People's Olympics" in
2008.
The concept is being adopted for the Beijing event together with
"Green Olympics" and "High-tech Olympics."
Yang Tieli, a member of the Jiu San Society, a non-Communist
party, yesterday called for more education for residents about the
Olympics, especially students and service sector workers. "Beijing
now lacks special organizations for Olympic education and an
overall education plan," he said yesterday at a seminar organized
by the CPPCC Beijing Municipal Committee.
He advised setting up courses at sports colleges and sports
departments of universities. According to him, few of 14 sports
colleges and 102 sports departments at universities offer lessons
on the Olympics. Yang also wanted classes at primary and middle
schools.
Education was stressed for people engaged in Beijing's service
sector, especially taxi drivers. Volunteers for the 2008 games were
also urged to receive education and foreign language training.
Since July of last year, the Jiu San Society has organized a
dozen exhibitions on the Olympics in Beijing and some 50,000 people
have visited.
Meanwhile, Liu Yifei, a Beijing Municipal Committee member, said
the games should be people-oriented and "should not influence daily
lives of local residents much."
Lei Li, another Jiu San Society member, yesterday advised
organizers to not only take good care of athletes, coaches and
referees, but also audiences and visitors. She advised providing
food of various tastes and multi-language services, including those
in less widely used languages.?
Song Guilun, publicity vice-director for the Communist Party's
Beijing Municipal Committee, said the concept of "People's
Olympics" should be clarified in the near future for a successful
games in four years' time.
(China Daily November 10, 2004)